Question: What is being done about the EHC plans of young children?

Answer passage (source: UK):
page_title: Guidance Supporting children and young people with SEND as schools and colleges prepare for wider opening
section_headers: Questions and answers
Does school or college provision have to be delivered as it usually is for children and young people with EHC plans?
section_content: Due to the unprecedented circumstances presented by coronavirus, the section
42 Children and Families Act 2014 duty to secure the provision within an EHC
plan has been temporarily modified so that local authorities and health
commissioning bodies must use their ‘reasonable endeavors’ to discharge this
duty. This means that local authorities and health bodies must consider what
they need to provide for each individual child or young person with an EHC
plan during the period that the modified section 42 duty is in force. For some
children and young people, the provision specified in their plan will continue
to be delivered, but for others, the provision may need temporarily to be
different to that which is set out in their EHC plan.
More information is available in the guidance on changes to the law on
education, health and care needs assessments and plans due to
coronavirus.
As per the actions for education and childcare settings to prepare for wider
opening from 1 June 2020
guidance, no school will be penalised if it is unable to offer a
broad and balanced curriculum to its pupils during this period.
*[EHC]: education, health and care plan

Reviewer feedback on this answer:
Has detailed information about how EHC plans may be modified because of the pandemic.
This response talks about the implementation of new provisions with the EHC, but doesn't list all of the factors. What is good however is the fact that links to further information are included.

Reviewer ratings:
Excellent
Excellent

Answer passage (source: UK):
page_title: Guidance Supporting vulnerable children and young people during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak - actions for educational providers and other partners
section_headers: Attendance of vulnerable children and young people
Attendance of children and young people who have an education, health and care (EHC) plan
section_content: This group includes children and young people with an EHC plan attending all
educational settings. For all children and young people with EHC plans, we are
asking local authorities to follow the guidance to conduct a risk
assessment - in consultation with educational
settings and parents/carers - to determine whether children and young people’s
needs can be met as safely or more safely in the educational environment. We
are asking local authorities and educational providers to keep risk
assessments under review, in case circumstances change and a different
decision is more appropriate.
For children and young people with an EHC plan in mainstream settings:

those in year groups specifically targeted for return should return to school, where medical advice suggests they are not clinically vulnerable to coronavirus, informed by their risk assessments, and are not shielding and protecting people defined on medical grounds as clinically extremely vulnerable
those in other year groups should continue to attend or not depending on their individual risk assessments

Schools, colleges and local authorities should ensure risk assessments are
kept up to date so that pupils and students can be brought back in, in any
year group, where circumstances change, for example if it is becoming
unsustainable for parents and carers to care for their child week-round.
This includes children and young people who are placed in special units and
resourced provision attached to a mainstream school, since they are recorded
on the roll of the mainstream school.
Schools, colleges and local authorities have latitude to use special
educational needs and disability (SEND) risk
assessments also for children and young people who
have SEND without an EHC plan, where they feel it would be beneficial, for
instance for children on SEN support who have complex needs. This means they
can use this as a mechanism to bring back pupils and students with SEND who
need it, in other year groups, even if they do not have an EHC plan.
For all children and young people with an EHC plan in special educational
settings, such as special schools, special post-16 institutions and hospital
schools, settings should encourage attendance based on the child’s risk
assessment and on the ability of the setting to provide for their needs, and
not using the child’s year group as a primary deciding factor, both because
all children and young people in these settings are considered vulnerable and
because year groups may not be indicative of key transition points. In line
with the guidance on implementing protective measures in education and
childcare settings
and the guidance for special schools, specialist colleges, local authorities
and any other
settings, special schools and special post-16
institutions should:

consult risk assessments conducted and where children and young people are attending their specialist setting, they should continue to do so
work with local authorities and families to continually review risk assessments and bring children and young people back to face to face education where circumstances change, for example where it is becoming unsustainable for a family to care for a child week-round
consider how to increase the numbers of children and young people accessing on-site education from the week commencing 1 June, including where appropriate by considering what the key transition points are, and ensure that as many children as can be safely catered for are able to attend their setting
consider a range of options to enable as many children as possible to benefit from attending their setting, such as creating part-time attendance rotas

Hospital schools should:

aim to provide educational services for as many pupils in these settings as is possible, in line with risk assessment and social distancing guidelines and where headteachers agree with medical practitioners that it is safe and feasible to do so
use their discretion in considering how to provide education services - taking into consideration issues of safety, capacity and so on - and how to prioritise pupils if this is required, including through a phased return approach
work closely with hospitals and NHS trusts so that children and young people in hospital schools are able to receive their education, including through access to classrooms where appropriate

[EHC]: education, health and care
  [SEND]: special educational needs and disability

Reviewer feedback on this answer:
Has extensive information about how EHC plans will be affected during the pandemic.
This response includes information about what steps young children with EHC should take, as well as information about what steps schools and hospitals should take for young children with the EHC.

Reviewer ratings:
Excellent
Excellent

Answer passage (source: UK):
page_title: Guidance Supporting children and young people with SEND as schools and colleges prepare for wider opening
section_headers: Questions and answers
Are all children and young people with EHC plans expected to attend?
section_content: Vulnerable children and young people are expected to attend, if it is
appropriate for them (for example where there are no shielding concerns for
the child or young person or their household, and/or following a risk
assessment for children or young people with an EHC plan). This is so they can
access the educational and wellbeing benefits of attending. Vulnerable
children and young people – regardless of year group – who have not been
attending in the recent period are expected to return to nursery, early years,
school or college provision if it is now appropriate for them to do so.
There is further information on attendance outlined in the guidance on
actions for educational and childcare settings to prepare for wider opening
from 1 June 2020.
*[EHC]: education, health and care plan

Reviewer feedback on this answer:
Briefly mentions people with EHC plans, but doesn't provided detailed specific information.
While there is mention of EHC in the response, I'm not sure whether it is helpful or not because it is an extremely vague response.

Reviewer ratings:
Bad
Could be Improved