EHCP for SLCN — prepare your pack with support | EHCP Clarity
SLCN guide

EHCP for SLCN — get your pack ready with support

Local authorities often move speech and language therapy into Section G to avoid their delivery duty. Send what you have. A case professional prepares the document. You review it. You send it.

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What is your EHCP situation?

Tell us where you are. We match the document you need to send, then an assigned case professional prepares it. You review it. You send it.

What we prepare for this

Request letter · £249

The letter you send to the council to ask for an EHC needs assessment.

  • The document you send
  • How to send it, and what to attach
  • One revision round of factual corrections

One case professional prepares and checks it. You review it. You send it.

Typically 5 working days after we have what we need.

Other documents: request letter £249 · appeal grounds £349 · challenge to the plan £449

Sample of a request letter · mock names
The most recent school assessment data from March 2025 shows that [CHILD] is working at a level approximately three years below his chronological age in reading and writing, and at least two years below in spoken language and verbal comprehension.

Read the full examples · What each price includes

Case preparation support only · Not legal advice or tribunal representation

Quick answer

SLCN sits under Communication and Interaction, one of the four areas of need. A current SLT assessment with quantified recommendations is usually central. The most important Section F point: SLT provision required for educational access belongs in Section F, not Section G — Section G provision is not legally enforceable in the same way. Specify hours, qualifications, named approaches, and review conditions.

What SLCN covers

SLCN is the educational term used in the SEND Code of Practice 2015. It includes children whose underlying clinical picture may be:

  • Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) — persistent language difficulties not explained by other conditions
  • Speech sound disorder / phonological difficulties
  • Stammering or other fluency difficulties
  • Selective mutism (where it presents primarily as a communication need)
  • Social communication differences (often co-occurring with autism)
  • Language delay associated with other conditions (Down's syndrome, hearing impairment, etc.)
  • Acquired language difficulties following illness or injury

Section F vs Section G — the most important point

Speech and Language Therapy is delivered by NHS clinicians (or commissioned independents), but in EHCP terms it is usually treated as special educational provision when it is required to enable the child to access education. The principle was established in cases such as Bromley LBC v SENT and is reflected in the SEND Code of Practice 2015 (paragraph 9.74).

Section F provision must be delivered (the local authority carries the duty under section 42 of the Children and Families Act 2014). Section G provision (health) sits with the NHS and does not carry the same enforceable educational duty. local authorities sometimes draft EHCPs with SLT in Section G to limit their exposure — parents and tribunals routinely move it back into Section F.

What strong cases do next

  1. 1

    Get a current SLT assessment

    If your child is on an NHS SLT caseload, request a current detailed report. If waits are long or the NHS SLT service is no longer involved, an independent SLT assessment is widely accepted. The report should be recent (typically within 12 months) and should quantify recommended provision.

  2. 2

    Document school's communication environment and strategies

    Record what school has tried — visual supports, communication-friendly classroom strategies, small-group language groups, individual programmes. Note what has helped and what has not. This builds the picture of why ordinary provision is not enough.

  3. 3

    Get evidence of impact across the curriculum

    SLCN affects access to all learning — not just literacy. Document impact on understanding instructions, accessing the curriculum, social interaction, peer relationships, mental health, and behaviour where relevant.

3 further steps when you submit or appeal — Requesting, appealing, and negotiating Section F are where most parents need help — that is what we prepare for you.

This guide shows what strong cases look like. We prepare the request letter, appeal grounds, or plan letter for your route.

Match my situation →Get yours prepared — From £249

Building your SLCN EHCP case

  • Current SLT assessment (NHS or independent), within 12 months
  • School records of communication strategies tried and outcomes
  • EP report describing cognitive and learning profile
  • Examples of curriculum access difficulties
  • Evidence of social and emotional impact (peer relationships, frustration, withdrawal)

3 more items depending on your case. Plus turning this evidence into one coherent pack an LA or tribunal takes seriously.

This guide shows what strong cases look like. We prepare the request letter, appeal grounds, or plan letter for your route.

Match my situation →Get yours prepared — From £249

Common local authority pushbacks on SLCN EHCPs

  1. "SLT will go in Section G" — push back: provision required for educational access belongs in Section F.
  2. "Indirect SLT delivery is enough" — sometimes true, sometimes not. The SLT report should specify the balance of direct and indirect work.
  3. "School can deliver universal language strategies" — these are part of ordinary provision; the EHCP test is whether more is needed.
  4. "Therapy is not specified, just monitored" — Section F must be detailed and specific and should normally be quantified, not "as recommended by SLT".
  5. "NHS SLT report is out of date" — request a current one, or commission an independent assessment.

This guide shows what strong cases look like. We prepare the request letter, appeal grounds, or plan letter for your route.

Match my situation →Get yours prepared — From £249

Frequently asked questions

England · SEND

What does SLCN stand for?
SLCN stands for Speech, Language and Communication Needs. It covers a wide range of difficulties with speaking, understanding language, social communication, fluency (stammering), and the use of language in context. SLCN is named in the SEND Code of Practice 2015 under 'Communication and Interaction', one of the four broad areas of need.
Can my child get an EHCP for SLCN alone?
Yes. SLCN is a recognised primary area of need. Many children have an EHCP where SLCN is the only or the primary need — including children with developmental language disorder (DLD), severe phonological difficulties, or significant social communication needs.
What is the difference between DLD and SLCN?
SLCN is the broad educational umbrella term used in the SEND framework. Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) is a specific clinical diagnosis describing persistent language difficulties not explained by other conditions. A child can have DLD as their underlying clinical picture and SLCN as their educational area of need.
Does my child need an SLT report?
An NHS or independent Speech and Language Therapy (SLT) assessment is usually central to an SLCN EHCP. The report should describe the child's profile, recommend specific provision (frequency, duration, type), and explain why this is required to access learning. NHS SLT waits can be long; private SLT reports are accepted.
Where does SLT provision sit — Section F or Section G?
If SLT is required to enable the child to access education, it is special educational provision and goes in Section F (not Section G). This is established by the principle in the SEND Code of Practice 2015 and confirmed in case law (e.g. Bromley LBC v SENT). local authorities sometimes try to place it in Section G to escape the legal duty to deliver it — Section F is the correct place.
What does specified SLT provision look like?
Section F SLT provision should typically state: hours per week of direct SLT input, hours per week of indirect work (programmes delivered by trained TA under SLT supervision), the qualified SLT's role in monitoring, the named approach or programme, and the conditions under which provision is reviewed.
Will my child grow out of SLCN?
Some early speech difficulties resolve with input. Persistent SLCN, including DLD, is generally lifelong and does not 'grow out'. The case for an EHCP rests on current and likely future need for special educational provision — not on optimistic projections.

Related guides

Sources and further reading

  1. SEND Code of Practice 2015 — Statutory guidance, including paragraph 9.74 on health vs educational provision
  2. Children and Families Act 2014 — section 42 — Duty on local authorities to deliver Section F provision
  3. Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists — Professional body — guidance on SLT provision
  4. I CAN — children's communication charity — Information on SLCN and DLD
  5. IPSEA — getting an EHC plan — Free legally based guidance