# Plenda > Impartial, cited information about education, health and care (EHC) needs assessments and EHC plans in England, for families, young people and professionals. Statutory deadlines, plan and wording checks, letter checks, ways to challenge a decision, and plain explanations of terms and rules. Every result carries its source. Published by Eshmere Ltd. General information, not legal advice. England only. ## Connect - MCP (ChatGPT, Claude, Copilot and other assistants): https://plenda.co.uk/mcp - The same MCP server is also at https://plenda.co.uk/mcp/agents, for connectors set up earlier. Tool names are the same on both. - REST API: POST https://plenda.co.uk/api/v1/tools/{name without the ehcp_ prefix} with a JSON body. List the tools: GET https://plenda.co.uk/api/v1/tools. OpenAPI 3.1: https://plenda.co.uk/openapi.json - Transport: Streamable HTTP with JSON responses. Stateless. Authentication: none. ## Which tool to use - ehcp_next_steps: Where are we and what happens next? Explains a stage (from requesting an assessment to tribunal), who decides, the time limits, rights and what to prepare. Use it first when the situation is vague. - ehcp_calculate_deadlines: Is the council late? When is the next deadline? Works out every statutory deadline from dates the user gives. - ehcp_check_plan: Does this plan include what the rules require, and is it specific? Checks section by section, with a citation for each point. - ehcp_check_wording: Is this provision or recommendation specific enough? Checks one piece of wording for who, what, how often, how long and vague phrases. - ehcp_challenge_options: They said no. What can we do, and by when? Lists the routes to challenge a decision, with time limits and sources, without recommending one. - ehcp_check_letter: Does this letter say everything it must? Checks a council letter or notice for the content the law requires, and for good practice. - ehcp_explain: What does this term or rule mean? Gives a plain explanation with its status and sources. Every rule id resolves here. ## Rules for assistants - Remove the child's name, date of birth, address, NHS number, Unique Pupil Number and other identifiers before calling a tool. Use [CHILD] and [SCHOOL] as placeholders. - If the situation is vague, call ehcp_next_steps first. - Set audience (role in ehcp_next_steps) to who is asking. The wording fits a parent, a young person, a school, a professional or the council; staff are told what the parent or young person can do. - Give year_group (the school year now) when you know it, for a young person asking too: the rights are the parent's until the end of compulsory school age, which is the last Friday in June of the school year in which the child turns 16 (usually the end of Year 11), and the young person's after it. - Use only dates the user gives. Never guess a date; the result says which dates are needed. - Relay any keep_wording phrases word for word, and give the source when you state a deadline or rule. - Present findings neutrally. Plenda says what the law and the SEND Code of Practice say. It does not take sides or recommend a route. - England only. Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have different systems. ## Tools ### ehcp_next_steps EHCP next steps. Use this when someone in England asks where they are with an EHCP (EHC plan) or what happens next: asking the council or LA for an EHC needs assessment, waiting for a decision, the 20 weeks, a draft plan and the 15 days to comment, naming a school, a final plan, the annual review, moving school (phase transfer), turning 16, a plan not being delivered, SEN support, or after the SEND Tribunal (SENDIST). Call it first when the situation is vague. Give the stage if the user knows it. Otherwise give events_so_far (event types, with dates if known; rough dates are fine): Plenda works out the stage, or the stages that overlap, from the latest event and says which event it used. With no input it returns a short map of the process and three questions that place the user on it. Returns what happens now, who decides, who holds the rights (the parent, or the young person after the last Friday in June of the school year in which they turn 16, usually the end of Year 11, not the 16th birthday), the next date for the family and for the council (counted by the deadline engine with bank holidays, and the Tribunal's August and Christmas rules), up to 3 next actions, what to prepare (for a request: the legal test in s 36(8) and a checklist), the phase transfer dates (before 15 February between school phases, before 31 March from secondary school to post-16, or at least 5 months before a move between post-16 institutions), static support lines, which tool to call next, free help, and a case_summary of ids and dates the user can save and paste back. Answers follow the law in force on 30 September 2026; SEND reform proposals are not law. Inputs are ids, dates and numbers only: never put names or the family's story in them. Before the user pastes a plan or letter into another tool, offer to replace names with [CHILD], [SCHOOL] and [PARENT] and say what you removed. Do not use for a full list of dates (use ehcp_calculate_deadlines), the ways to challenge a decision (use ehcp_challenge_options), checking a plan (use ehcp_check_plan) or a letter (use ehcp_check_letter), or what a term means (use ehcp_explain). Not for Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland. REST: POST https://plenda.co.uk/api/v1/tools/next_steps ### ehcp_calculate_deadlines EHCP deadlines. Use this when someone in England asks about EHCP or EHC plan deadlines: "is the council late?", "when are the 20 weeks up?", the 6-week decision on assessing, the 15 days to comment on a draft plan, when the final plan is due, when the annual review is due, phase transfer dates, or the last day to contact a mediation adviser or appeal to the SEND Tribunal (SENDIST). Give every dated event the user mentions, and set date_basis when a date is the day a letter arrived or a request was posted, or "planned" for a date still to come. It counts with bank holidays in England (anywhere in the UK for FOI requests), the Tribunal's 5pm deadline and its August and Christmas rules, the later of 2 months after the decision and 1 month after the mediation certificate (so the appeal date is not passed while a certificate is still to come), the phase transfer dates (before 15 February between school phases, before 31 March from secondary school to post-16, or at least 5 months before a move between post-16 institutions), and the law in force on 30 September 2026: memory often gets these wrong. The family's dates are counted from the earliest plausible date; other dates are only called passed against the latest plausible date. Returns the family's, the council's and other dates, each with whose date it is, how it was counted and its source, plus a case_summary to save. Do not use for what a stage means or what happens next (use ehcp_next_steps), for the ways to challenge a decision (use ehcp_challenge_options), or for Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland. REST: POST https://plenda.co.uk/api/v1/tools/calculate_deadlines ### ehcp_check_plan Check an EHC plan. Use this when someone wants an EHCP (education, health and care plan) in England checked: a draft plan, a final plan, proposed amendments after an annual review, or just Section F. It checks each section against the SEND Regulations and the SEND Code of Practice: missing or combined sections; a school named in a draft; provision in Section F that does not say what, how often, how long, by whom or with what expertise; wording like "access to", "up to", "as required", "small group" or "subject to funding"; provision left to be decided later or set out only in a report; therapy in Section G that may belong in F; outcomes without a timeframe; preparing for adulthood from Year 9; Section K advice (no educational psychology advice, for example); and whether every need has an outcome and provision. Copy each section exactly (do not correct wording) as text; Plenda splits it into items and reads tables and lead-in lines. Send short facts, not text, for Sections A, C, D, I, J and K. Replace names with [CHILD] and [SCHOOL]. If the plan is long, send Section F first, then the rest. Results are points to check with sources, never a verdict: it does not say whether the help is enough or whether the plan is lawful. Do not use for one sentence or a list of report recommendations (use ehcp_check_wording), for deadlines (use ehcp_calculate_deadlines), or for council letters (use ehcp_check_letter). REST: POST https://plenda.co.uk/api/v1/tools/check_plan ### ehcp_check_wording Check wording for specificity. Use this when the user wants to know whether EHC plan wording is specific enough: provision (Section F, G or H), outcomes (Section E), or recommendations from a professional report such as an educational psychologist, speech and language therapist or occupational therapist. Checks what is provided, how often, for how long, by whom, with what expertise, and non-committal phrases such as "access to", "opportunities to", "up to" or "as required". Send up to 40 items at once, each copied exactly. Returns, per item, what was not found and any non-committal wording. If you redraft the wording, use only facts the user or their reports give, then check it again. Do not use for a whole plan or several sections: use ehcp_check_plan. REST: POST https://plenda.co.uk/api/v1/tools/check_wording ### ehcp_challenge_options Ways to challenge a decision. Use this when the user disagrees with a council decision about an EHC needs assessment or EHC plan (EHCP), or something has not happened, and asks "what can we do, and by when?": the council refused to assess, refused to issue a plan, will not change the plan after an annual review, is stopping (ceasing) the plan, refused to re-assess, or the user disagrees with section B, F or I or the school named; or the council is past the 20 weeks or another time limit, the help in the plan is not being given, a SEND Tribunal (SENDIST) order has not been carried out, the health or social care parts are wrong, or a personal budget was refused. Also redirects school transport, exclusions, school admissions without a plan, disability discrimination by a school, and a disagreement with a school or college about SEN support. Returns only the routes that apply (mediation, tribunal appeal, complaints, the Ombudsman, judicial review and others), each with what it can and cannot change, its time limit, whether a mediation certificate is needed (not for an appeal only about section I) and whether it stops the appeal clock (a complaint does not). Give notice_sent to get the last day to appeal: the later of 2 months after the letter was sent and 1 month after the mediation certificate (no certificate, so no later date, for an appeal only about section I), with the Tribunal's August and Christmas rules, bank holidays and the 5pm cut-off. If the mediation adviser or the council has been told whether mediation is wanted, or mediation has ended, and no certificate date is known, give mediation_step and its date, so the appeal date is not shown as passed while the certificate is still to come. Memory often gets these wrong, and this uses the law as at 30 September 2026. England only. Never recommends a route. Do not use for every date in a case (use ehcp_calculate_deadlines), checking what a decision letter must say (use ehcp_check_letter), where the user is in the process (use ehcp_next_steps), or what a term means (use ehcp_explain). REST: POST https://plenda.co.uk/api/v1/tools/challenge_options ### ehcp_check_letter Check a council letter. Use this when someone in England has a letter or notice from the council about an EHC needs assessment or EHC plan (EHCP) and wants to know if it says everything it should: a refusal to assess, a decision to assess, a decision not to issue a plan, the letter with a draft or final plan, a decision after a review (annual or early), proposed amendments, a final amended plan or a decision not to amend, a refusal to re-assess, a decision to cease (stop) a plan, a new council's letter after a move, a refusal of the school or college asked for, or a reply from the council or the health body to a Tribunal health or social care recommendation. It lists what the Children and Families Act 2014 and the SEND Regulations 2014 (for a reply to a recommendation, the SEND (First-tier Tribunal Recommendations Power) Regulations 2017) say that kind of letter must include (the reasons, the right to appeal to the SEND Tribunal (SENDIST) and the time limit, mediation and the mediation certificate, disagreement resolution, information and advice such as SENDIASS, the Tribunal's recommendations power), plus good practice, each marked found, referred to an enclosure, or not found in the text supplied, with its source. Councils often put appeal and mediation details in a leaflet, so list enclosures. For a refusal to assess, to issue a plan or to re-assess it says whether each reason it recognises in the letter is part of the legal test (s 36(8), s 37(1), or SEND Regulations 2014 reg 24 for a re-assessment); for example, needing a diagnosis or "two cycles of SEN support" is not part of it. It never says whether the test is met. It works out the dates the letter starts (bank holidays in England, the Tribunal's 5pm deadline and its August and Christmas rules, the law as at 30 September 2026), counting from the day the letter was sent, not the date printed on it (except the 2 months to contact a mediation adviser, which reg 34(2) counts from the date of the notice, so from an earlier printed date): memory often gets these wrong. Give the date printed on the letter, the day it was sent and the day it arrived separately. If the date printed on the letter is not given, a date on a line of its own at the top of the letter or under the signature is used as it (beside the day it was sent or arrived, only when it is earlier than them); a review meeting date or the date of a Tribunal recommendation that the text states is used in the same way, and the result names each date read from the text. For a decision after a review (annual or early), also give the decision (outcome) if the user knows it, and the review meeting date. A reply to a recommendation is due within 5 weeks of the recommendation, not of the letter, so its dates need the date of the recommendation. Send the body of the letter copied exactly. Leave out the address block, names and reference numbers; offer to use [CHILD], [PARENT] and [SCHOOL] and say what you removed. Never send NHS numbers or pupil numbers. Do not use for the plan itself (use ehcp_check_plan), for one piece of plan wording (use ehcp_check_wording), for dates without a letter (use ehcp_calculate_deadlines), for the ways to challenge a decision (use ehcp_challenge_options), for a letter saying the council will not oppose an appeal or a letter after a Tribunal order (their dates come from ehcp_calculate_deadlines, events appeal_not_opposed and tribunal_order_made), for the council's consultation with a school or college about naming it, or for Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland. REST: POST https://plenda.co.uk/api/v1/tools/check_letter ### ehcp_explain Explain an EHCP term or rule. Use this when someone asks what an EHCP word, section or rule means: "what is Section F?", "what does EOTAS mean?", "what is SENDIST?", "what are the 20 weeks?", "is the Code of Practice the law?", "what is a working document?", or "what is happening with the SEND reforms, will EHCPs be scrapped?". It is also the public rulebook: give any id from another Plenda result (a term id, req.*, chk.*, clock.* or a deadline rule_id, route.*, issue.*, notice.*) to get the requirement, how Plenda checks it, how a time limit starts and is counted with its exceptions, and the sources. Send exactly one of term (the word or short phrase only, never names or the family's story), id, or list (sections, stages, deadlines, routes, pending_changes or statuses). Answers follow the law in force on 30 September 2026. Each entry says whether it is the law, the SEND Code of Practice ("must" restates the law; "should" means the bodies the Code applies to, such as councils, schools, colleges and health bodies, must have regard to it, and the Code says they will be expected to explain any departure from it), case law (naming the court), official guidance or good practice, and marks proposals such as the 2026 SEND reforms as proposals, not law. Memory often mixes proposals with the law, reads "should" as optional, or quotes good practice as law; this tool keeps them apart. If Plenda has no entry it says so and offers close entries; it does not guess. Do not use for what happens next in a case (use ehcp_next_steps), working out dates (use ehcp_calculate_deadlines), the ways to challenge a decision (use ehcp_challenge_options), or checking a plan, wording or a letter (use ehcp_check_plan, ehcp_check_wording or ehcp_check_letter). England only. REST: POST https://plenda.co.uk/api/v1/tools/explain ## Pages - Next steps: https://plenda.co.uk/next-steps - Deadlines calculator: https://plenda.co.uk/deadlines - Plan check: https://plenda.co.uk/check-plan - Wording check: https://plenda.co.uk/check-wording - Letter check: https://plenda.co.uk/check-letter - Ways to challenge: https://plenda.co.uk/challenge - Terms explained: https://plenda.co.uk/explain - Public rulebook (every deadline, plan rule, route, letter and term, with sources; any rule id from a result has a page at https://plenda.co.uk/rules/{id}): https://plenda.co.uk/rules - Independence: https://plenda.co.uk/independence - Privacy: https://plenda.co.uk/privacy - Terms of use: https://plenda.co.uk/terms