Only one fifth of children with have been transferred to new plans

Between September 2014 - when local authorities were first required to transfer statements to EHC plans - and Janaury 2016, 47,005 transfers were made, according to DfE data.

There are still 182,105 statements that need to be transfered to EHC plans, with only 27 months left until the deadline in April 2018. Local authorities have so far had 16 months to transfer young people up to the age of 21 over to the new plans.

It has also been revealed that fewer EHC plans were issued within the time limit. Only 59 per cent of EHC plans were made in 2015 were made within the 20-week time limit, which is five percentage points lower than the previous year.

The data shows differences in the length of time it has taken local authorities across the country to complete the process of transferring an EHC plan.

The lowest percentage of EHC plans completed in time was in the East of England, where only 48 per cent of statement were issued within the deadline. By contrast, in Outer London, 71 per cent of new EHC plans were issued within the deadline.

Roy Perry, chairman of the Local Government Association’s children and young people board, said:
 
“Preparing EHC plans for children with special educational needs is a complex process, and one that local authorities take extremely seriously.

"The majority of children had a plan in place by the end of February, with councils working hard alongside families and teachers to make sure that all children who need extra support have the most appropriate plans in place by the time they move up to secondary school.

"All children will receive support throughout the process, making sure that when they make the transition from primary to secondary school, they are prepared for the change and ready to make the best possible start in their new school.”

Earlier this month the Labour Party launched a review of SEN provision, claiming that too many children are not getting the support they require.