Dysgraphia EHCP UK: Getting an Education Health and Care Plan for Writing Difficulties

Your child's school in England says they're providing "SEN Support" for handwriting difficulties. But the support amounts to a pencil grip, occasional TA time, and a reminder to "try harder." Meanwhile, your child still can't produce legible written work, their self-esteem is collapsing, and the gap between what they say and what they write grows every term.

If SEN Support isn't meeting your child's needs, an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) may be the next step. Here's how the system works for dysgraphia.

The UK Framework for Dysgraphia

England doesn't use the term "dysgraphia" in its statutory framework. A child's writing-related needs may be considered under the relevant SEND areas of need, including cognition and learning; dysgraphia is not a separate statutory category.

Assessment routes in England:

Specialist Teacher Assessment by a teacher holding an Assessment Practising Certificate (APC) can identify specific learning difficulties including written expression disorders. This is often the first formal step.

Educational Psychologist (EP) Assessment provides a more comprehensive evaluation. EPs registered with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) can assess cognitive processing, academic achievement, and the relationship between the two — critical for establishing the discrepancy between verbal ability and written output that characterizes dysgraphia.

NHS Occupational Therapy is needed if the primary barrier is motor-based. A paediatric OT can assess fine-motor control, visual-motor integration, and handwriting speed. NHS waitlists for OT assessments routinely stretch 12–24 months, so request a referral as early as possible — and document the wait as evidence that the child's needs aren't being met in the interim.

DCD/Dyspraxia diagnosis requires a paediatric clinical evaluation through NHS Community Paediatrics, applying European Academy for Childhood Disability (EACD) guidelines. School-based evaluations cannot provide a medical DCD diagnosis.

SEN Support: School-Level Support

Under the SEND Code of Practice, schools provide SEN Support using the Assess-Plan-Do-Review cycle. This is a common support route, but families can request an EHC needs assessment directly and do not have to complete a set number of cycles first. For dysgraphia, effective SEN Support should include:

• Keyboarding access for extended written tasks
• Reduced handwriting requirements with alternative response formats
• Access to speech-to-text technology
• Targeted occupational therapy or motor skills intervention
• Explicit handwriting instruction (brief, daily, multisensory)
• Graphic organizers for composition tasks

Document what the school has provided and, critically, whether it's working. If SEN Support has not produced meaningful progress in written output, that can be evidence for escalation.

When to Request an EHC Needs Assessment

You have the right to request an EHC needs assessment directly from your Local Authority — you don't need the school's permission or agreement. The LA must decide whether to assess within six weeks.

Under section 36(8) of the Children and Families Act 2014, the local authority must assess if it considers that your child has or may have special educational needs and that it may be necessary for special educational provision to be made through an EHC plan. Evidence that supports your request includes:

• EP or specialist teacher assessment documenting significant written expression difficulties
• OT assessment showing motor deficits affecting handwriting
• School records showing SEN Support has been provided but hasn't produced adequate progress
• Evidence of the impact on your child's access to the curriculum — falling behind in subjects that require written output
• Your child's views about the barriers they experience

If the LA refuses to assess, you can appeal to the First-tier Tribunal (SEND).

What Goes in an EHCP for Dysgraphia

An EHCP has legally enforceable sections. Section F (special educational provision) is where specific support is specified:

Assistive technology provision: The plan should name specific tools — keyboarding access, speech-to-text software, word prediction — and specify that these are available for all written tasks, not just some.

Occupational therapy: If OT is needed, ask for the provision to be clearly specified in the plan. Section F covers special educational provision; Section G covers health provision. The local authority should identify how the assessed provision will be delivered and funded.

Specialist teaching: Direct instruction in touch-typing, structured composition strategies, and spelling (Structured Literacy/Orton-Gillingham approaches for spelling-based dysgraphia).

Access arrangements: For SATs and other formal assessments, the EHCP supports applications for extra time, a scribe, or use of a word processor — though exam access arrangements are technically granted by the school under JCQ regulations, an EHCP strengthens the application.

Common Problems and How to Respond

"The child's reading is fine, so there's no SpLD." Dysgraphia can exist without any reading difficulty. A child with motor-based or language-based dysgraphia may read well but struggle severely with writing. The SEND Code of Practice recognises writing as a distinct area of learning.

"We're already providing SEN Support." SEN Support that isn't producing results is evidence for, not against, an EHCP. Document the lack of progress and submit it with your request.

"The LA says they won't assess." You have an absolute right to appeal a refusal to the First-tier Tribunal. Many LAs rely on parents not knowing this or being too exhausted to pursue it.

The Dysgraphia Support & Writing Accommodation Kit covers both US and UK pathways, including EHCP application evidence checklists, SEN Support documentation templates, and goal-setting frameworks that map to the UK statutory requirements.