ISP vs IEP vs EHCP: the difference, explained

ISPs, IEPs and EHCPs are three different SEND plans operating in UK schools right now. They sound similar, they overlap in content, but they're different documents with different legal status, different purposes, and different processes. The SEND Reform White Paper is changing the relationship between them, which makes this a good moment to be clear about what each one actually is.

The short answer: IEPs were the old non-statutory plan. ISPs are the new statutory plan replacing them. EHCPs are the highest tier of statutory plan, sitting above both. By September 2029, IEPs are gone, ISPs are universal at SEN Support level, and EHCPs continue at the top of the system for pupils with the most significant needs.

The longer answer is below.

IEP — Individual Education Plan

IEPs are the oldest of the three. They've been used in UK schools since the 1990s and were the standard non-statutory SEND plan throughout the 2014 SEND Code of Practice era.

Status: Non-statutory. Schools weren't legally required to use them.

Who they were for: Pupils on SEN Support who needed individualised provision tracked.

Format: No national format. Schools and trusts each developed their own. Common content included pupil background, areas of need, targets and provision.

Reviews: Typically termly, sometimes half-termly.

Co-production: Variable. Some schools involved parents meaningfully; many didn't.

Status under the White Paper: Being replaced by ISPs. Schools using IEPs today should plan to migrate to the ISP format ahead of September 2029.

The strength of IEPs was flexibility — schools could shape them around their context. The weakness was inconsistency. A pupil moving between schools often arrived with an IEP no one else recognised. The lack of statutory force meant some schools didn't bother with IEPs at all, and others used them but didn't review them.

ISP — Individual Support Plan

ISPs are the new statutory plan introduced by the SEND Reform White Paper (February 2026), replacing IEPs as the standard SEN Support plan.

Status: Statutory from September 2029. Required for every pupil on SEN Support.

Who they're for: Approximately 1.7 million pupils in England currently identified as needing SEN Support. Not for pupils with EHCPs (who already have a statutory plan), and not for pupils whose needs are met through universal Quality First Teaching alone.

Format: Five sections, mapped to a national schema being published by the DfE through 2027:

1. Strengths and needs
2. Barriers
3. Provision
4. Outcomes
5. Review

Reviews: Annual at minimum. Termly is best practice and the working assumption for most good schools.

Co-production: Mandatory. Plans must be written with parents, not just shared with them. Co-production must be evidenced.

Inspection: Ofsted's updated SEND framework will inspect against the ISP standard from autumn 2026 (trial) and 2027 (full).

ISPs aren't a new idea — they're a formalisation of what good IEPs already were. What's new is the legal status, the national format, and the co-production requirement. By bringing SEN Support into a structured statutory framework, the White Paper is pulling the floor up: every pupil identified as needing SEN Support gets a plan, every plan follows the same format, every plan is co-produced.

For a deeper look at writing ISPs to the new standard, see our practical guide to writing an ISP.

EHCP — Education, Health and Care Plan

EHCPs are the highest tier of statutory SEND plan. They were introduced by the Children and Families Act 2014, replacing the old "statements of special educational needs."

Status: Statutory. Held by the local authority, not the school. Funded by the LA's high-needs budget.

Who they're for: Pupils whose needs cannot be met through SEN Support alone — typically pupils with the most significant needs across education, health, and care. As of 2024, around 576,000 children in England held an EHCP.

Format: A multi-section plan covering:

• Section A: Views, interests and aspirations of the child and parents
• Section B: Special educational needs
• Section C: Health needs
• Section D: Social care needs
• Section E: Outcomes
• Section F: Special educational provision
• Section G: Health provision
• Section H: Social care provision
• Section I: Placement (the named school)
• Section J: Personal budget
• Section K: Advice and information

Reviews: Annual. Statutorily required. Held by the school but coordinated with the LA, parents, and any involved professionals.

Co-production: Required since 2014. Parents are statutory partners in the EHCP process.

Application process: Schools apply on the pupil's behalf, with evidence (the EHCP evidence pack). The LA decides whether to issue an EHCP. If issued, the LA writes the plan, drawing on the school's evidence and the pupil's needs assessment.

EHCPs are the heaviest tier of plan and the most consequential. They guarantee specific provision (Section F is legally enforceable), they unlock LA funding, and they follow the pupil between schools.

For a section-by-section guide to building an EHCP evidence pack, see our EHCP evidence pack template article.

How they fit together

The three plans aren't separate systems — they're tiers of the same system.

Tier 1: Quality First Teaching (universal). The default offer. No plan required. Most pupils, most of the time.

Tier 2: SEN Support, with an ISP. Pupils who need additional or different provision beyond Quality First Teaching. From September 2029, every pupil at this tier has an ISP. Around 1.7 million pupils in England are at this tier today.

Tier 3: EHCP. Pupils whose needs cannot be met within SEN Support. The plan is held by the LA and unlocks specific provision and funding. Around 576,000 pupils in England are at this tier.

A pupil typically progresses up the tiers as evidence builds. Quality First Teaching first. SEN Support with an ISP if that's not enough. EHCP application if the ISP can't deliver what the pupil needs.

The data flows up. The ISP becomes the basis of the EHCP evidence pack. The APDR cycles within the ISP are the graduated approach evidence the LA needs. By the time a pupil reaches EHCP application, the ISP history is most of the case.

This is why getting ISPs right matters even for pupils who don't end up on EHCPs. ISPs are doing two jobs: structuring SEN Support provision in their own right, and building the evidence base in case the pupil needs to escalate.

What changes during the transition (2026-2029)

Schools today have a mixed reality. Some pupils have IEPs. Some have ISPs piloted ahead of the deadline. Some have EHCPs. Some have nothing formal.

The transition plan most schools should be running:

2026 (now): Audit existing plans. Pick a small group of pupils (say 10) and pilot the ISP format. Train staff on the new structure.

2027: Migrate all SEN Support pupils to the ISP format. Run termly APDR cycles. Build co-production into every cycle.

2028: Run a mock inspection against the new Ofsted SEND framework. Identify gaps. Fix them.

September 2029: Statutory deadline. All SEN Support pupils on ISPs. All cycles documented. All co-production evidenced.

EHCPs continue throughout — they're not affected by the ISP timeline. But the evidence base for EHCP applications will increasingly come from ISP cycles, so getting ISPs right makes EHCP applications stronger.

Frequently asked questions

Can a pupil have both an ISP and an EHCP? No. Pupils with an EHCP have their plan at the LA level. They don't need an ISP because the EHCP serves the same function (and more). The ISP standard applies to pupils on SEN Support — the tier below EHCP.

What happens to existing IEPs? They're replaced by ISPs ahead of September 2029. Schools should migrate gradually rather than wait for the deadline. Historical IEPs can be retained as a record of what was previously in place.

Do ISPs replace EHCPs? No. ISPs operate at the SEN Support tier. EHCPs operate at the highest-needs tier. They coexist; they don't replace each other.

Is the EHCP system also being reformed? The White Paper makes some adjustments to EHCPs — clearer outcome statements, tighter LA decision timeframes, more consistent national formats — but doesn't replace them. The bigger reform is at the SEN Support tier with the introduction of ISPs.

What about pupils with diagnosed conditions but no plan at all? A diagnosis isn't a plan. A pupil with a diagnosis who's coping well with Quality First Teaching doesn't need a plan. A pupil with the same diagnosis who's struggling does — and that plan is an ISP if the school can meet the needs, or an EHCP referral if it can't.

Can pupils move down the tiers as well as up? Yes. A pupil who improves on Quality First Teaching can come off SEN Support. A pupil with an EHCP whose needs reduce can move down to SEN Support with an ISP. The system is supposed to be responsive in both directions.

What's the difference in legal weight? ISPs are statutory but don't carry the same legal force as EHCPs. EHCPs guarantee specific provision in Section F, enforceable through tribunal. ISPs require provision but are subject to the school's reasonable resources test rather than guaranteed funding from the LA.

What we built

SENDCo View handles all three plan types. ISPs are the primary workflow — the five-section structure is built in, with termly APDR cycles and parent co-production through the parent portal. EHCP evidence packs are generated from the same data in one click. Historical IEPs migrate in as legacy records.

If your school is still working out the transition, our Preparing for ISPs — A 12-Month Plan guide walks through the steps. Download it free.