Apply for a school place for a child with an Education Health and Care plan

Applying without an Education Health and Care plan?

If your child does not have an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan or is being assessed for special educational needs or an EHC plan, you should apply for a school place via the relevant mainstream process.

This admissions process is for the parents or carers of children or young people with an Education Health and Care (EHC)  plan living in Surrey and due to start school in September 2026 in the following key stage transfer year groups:

• Reception at a primary or infant school,
• Year 3 at a junior, primary or all through school with a Year 3 intake or,
• Year 7 at a secondary or all through school

Most children with an Education Health and Care (EHC) plan are educated in mainstream schools, with the appropriate support. However, if your child has more complex needs, it may have been agreed that a place at a mainstream school with a specialist centre attached, or a specialist school may be more appropriate.

You will be given the opportunity to choose a school with the assistance of your child’s Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) Case Officer, or other professionals.

If your child has an EHC plan, regardless of the type of school place that has been agreed, you must follow this guidance to apply for a school place for your child.

How the admissions process starts

• In September 2025, you will receive a letter detailing an overview of the admissions process.
• There is no online application form.
• The application process starts with a Transition Review of your child’s EHC plan. This is the same as an Annual Review, but when your child is moving to a new key stage ( Reception, Year 3, or Year 7), it is called a Transition Review instead.