11/06/2026
🎂 WHY AN EHCP IS LIKE A CAKE RECIPE (PART 1) 👩🍳
As an expert SEND practitioner and consultant, I spend my days reviewing draft EHCPs. Quite often, I review plans that parents have already signed and authorised.
I know firsthand how overwhelming this process is. When a thick stack of paperwork lands on your desk, it is completely natural to want to sign it just to get the support started.
But time and again, I see families left heartbroken because the plan they signed didn't actually deliver what was promised.
It almost always comes down to the exact wording.
An EHCP is a legal document. It needs to be a precise recipe, not a vague guess.
The Specific Recipe (A Good EHCP):
"150g butter, 150g sugar, 3 eggs, bake at 180°C for 25 mins."
* Result: Perfect cake every time. It is specified, quantified, and measurable.
The Ambiguous Recipe (A Weak EHCP):
"Some butter, a bit of sugar, a few eggs, bake until done."
* Result: An absolute flop.
If an EHCP says "access to support" instead of "15 hours of 1:1 Teaching Assistant support," you cannot measure it or enforce it.
Without that precision, the "cake" (the child's progress) will fail to rise.
In my next post, I’ll share why a vague recipe always leads to an underfunded trip.
Keep an eye out for Part 2!
