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EDUCATION, HEALTH AND CARE CONNECTIONS

EHC plans and SEND support in Manchester

Explore local authority plan totals, requests and observed timeliness, then follow the council’s Local Offer and assessment routes.

Find the local support route

Manchester City Council: council website. Find its SEND Local Offer, children’s services and assessment information.

Published local authority evidence

January 2026 Local authority SEN2 return

Active EHC plans at January

9,874 plans

9,874 plans was reported for “Active EHC plans at January”. DfE SEN2 all-plan/request aggregate.

Definition and source

Published measure: Active EHC plans at January

DfE SEN2 all-plan/request aggregate. The 2026 release describes January 2026 plans or calendar-year 2025 activity. Published local authority figures are not NHS diagnostic waits or forecasts for an individual. The data collection changed in 2023; earlier observations are excluded.

Education, health and care plans · Coverage and method

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January 2023January 2026 · vertical scale 09,874. Gaps remain gaps.

Read the values by period
PeriodPublished value
January 20236,471 plans
January 20247,798 plans
January 20258,875 plans
January 20269,874 plans

2025 calendar year Local authority SEN2 return

Requests for an EHC needs assessment

2,269 requests

2,269 requests was reported for “Requests for an EHC needs assessment”. DfE SEN2 all-plan/request aggregate.

Definition and source

Published measure: Requests for an EHC needs assessment

DfE SEN2 all-plan/request aggregate. The 2026 release describes January 2026 plans or calendar-year 2025 activity. Published local authority figures are not NHS diagnostic waits or forecasts for an individual. The data collection changed in 2023; earlier observations are excluded.

Education, health and care plans · Coverage and method

See how this has changed

2023 calendar year2025 calendar year · vertical scale 02,305. Gaps remain gaps.

Read the values by period
PeriodPublished value
2023 calendar year2,093 requests
2024 calendar year2,305 requests
2025 calendar year2,269 requests

2025 calendar year Local authority SEN2 return

Plans issued within 20 weeks, including exceptions

54.5%

54.5% was reported for “Plans issued within 20 weeks, including exceptions”. DfE SEN2 all-plan/request aggregate.

Definition and source

Published measure: Plans issued within 20 weeks, including exceptions

The calculation uses a denominator of 1,524; see the source for the eligible group.

DfE SEN2 all-plan/request aggregate. The 2026 release describes January 2026 plans or calendar-year 2025 activity. Published local authority figures are not NHS diagnostic waits or forecasts for an individual. The data collection changed in 2023; earlier observations are excluded. Including and excluding permitted exceptions are separate cohorts. Timeliness cohorts can differ from new-plan counts because dates and coverage differ.

Education, health and care plans · Coverage and method

See how this has changed

2023 calendar year2025 calendar year · vertical scale 0100%. Gaps remain gaps.

Read the values by period
PeriodPublished value
2023 calendar year51%
2024 calendar year63.5%
2025 calendar year54.5%

2025 calendar year Local authority SEN2 return

Plans issued within 20 weeks, excluding exceptions

74.2%

74.2% was reported for “Plans issued within 20 weeks, excluding exceptions”. DfE SEN2 all-plan/request aggregate.

Definition and source

Published measure: Plans issued within 20 weeks, excluding exceptions

The calculation uses a denominator of 1,115; see the source for the eligible group.

DfE SEN2 all-plan/request aggregate. The 2026 release describes January 2026 plans or calendar-year 2025 activity. Published local authority figures are not NHS diagnostic waits or forecasts for an individual. The data collection changed in 2023; earlier observations are excluded. Including and excluding permitted exceptions are separate cohorts. Timeliness cohorts can differ from new-plan counts because dates and coverage differ.

Education, health and care plans · Coverage and method

See how this has changed

2023 calendar year2025 calendar year · vertical scale 0100%. Gaps remain gaps.

Read the values by period
PeriodPublished value
2023 calendar year61.6%
2024 calendar year76.8%
2025 calendar year74.2%
Explore 9 additional measures

2025 calendar year Local authority SEN2 return

New EHC plans started in the year

1,612 plans

1,612 plans was reported for “New EHC plans started in the year”. DfE SEN2 all-plan/request aggregate.

Definition and source

Published measure: New EHC plans started in the year

DfE SEN2 all-plan/request aggregate. The 2026 release describes January 2026 plans or calendar-year 2025 activity. Published local authority figures are not NHS diagnostic waits or forecasts for an individual. The data collection changed in 2023; earlier observations are excluded.

Education, health and care plans · Coverage and method

See how this has changed

2023 calendar year2025 calendar year · vertical scale 01,612. Gaps remain gaps.

Read the values by period
PeriodPublished value
2023 calendar year1,598 plans
2024 calendar year1,593 plans
2025 calendar year1,612 plans

2025 calendar year Local authority SEN2 return

Requests with a decision to assess

1,601 requests

1,601 requests was reported for “Requests with a decision to assess”. DfE SEN2 all-plan/request aggregate.

Definition and source

Published measure: Requests with a decision to assess

DfE SEN2 all-plan/request aggregate. The 2026 release describes January 2026 plans or calendar-year 2025 activity. Published local authority figures are not NHS diagnostic waits or forecasts for an individual. The data collection changed in 2023; earlier observations are excluded.

Education, health and care plans · Coverage and method

See how this has changed

2023 calendar year2025 calendar year · vertical scale 01,703. Gaps remain gaps.

Read the values by period
PeriodPublished value
2023 calendar year1,703 requests
2024 calendar year1,614 requests
2025 calendar year1,601 requests

2025 calendar year Local authority SEN2 return

Requests with a decision not to assess

520 requests

520 requests was reported for “Requests with a decision not to assess”. DfE SEN2 all-plan/request aggregate.

Definition and source

Published measure: Requests with a decision not to assess

DfE SEN2 all-plan/request aggregate. The 2026 release describes January 2026 plans or calendar-year 2025 activity. Published local authority figures are not NHS diagnostic waits or forecasts for an individual. The data collection changed in 2023; earlier observations are excluded.

Education, health and care plans · Coverage and method

See how this has changed

2023 calendar year2025 calendar year · vertical scale 0546. Gaps remain gaps.

Read the values by period
PeriodPublished value
2023 calendar year244 requests
2024 calendar year546 requests
2025 calendar year520 requests

2025 calendar year Local authority SEN2 return

Requests with no decision yet recorded

144 requests

144 requests was reported for “Requests with no decision yet recorded”. DfE SEN2 all-plan/request aggregate.

Definition and source

Published measure: Requests with no decision yet recorded

DfE SEN2 all-plan/request aggregate. The 2026 release describes January 2026 plans or calendar-year 2025 activity. Published local authority figures are not NHS diagnostic waits or forecasts for an individual. The data collection changed in 2023; earlier observations are excluded.

Education, health and care plans · Coverage and method

See how this has changed

2023 calendar year2025 calendar year · vertical scale 0144. Gaps remain gaps.

Read the values by period
PeriodPublished value
2023 calendar year136 requests
2024 calendar year138 requests
2025 calendar year144 requests

2025 calendar year Local authority SEN2 return

Requests withdrawn

4 requests

4 requests was reported for “Requests withdrawn”. DfE SEN2 all-plan/request aggregate.

Definition and source

Published measure: Requests withdrawn

DfE SEN2 all-plan/request aggregate. The 2026 release describes January 2026 plans or calendar-year 2025 activity. Published local authority figures are not NHS diagnostic waits or forecasts for an individual. The data collection changed in 2023; earlier observations are excluded.

Education, health and care plans · Coverage and method

See how this has changed

2023 calendar year2025 calendar year · vertical scale 010. Gaps remain gaps.

Read the values by period
PeriodPublished value
2023 calendar year10 requests
2024 calendar year7 requests
2025 calendar year4 requests

2025 calendar year Local authority SEN2 return

Plans issued in the timeliness cohort, including exceptions

1,524 plans

1,524 plans was reported for “Plans issued in the timeliness cohort, including exceptions”. DfE SEN2 all-plan/request aggregate.

Definition and source

Published measure: Plans issued in the timeliness cohort, including exceptions

DfE SEN2 all-plan/request aggregate. The 2026 release describes January 2026 plans or calendar-year 2025 activity. Published local authority figures are not NHS diagnostic waits or forecasts for an individual. The data collection changed in 2023; earlier observations are excluded. Including and excluding permitted exceptions are separate cohorts. Timeliness cohorts can differ from new-plan counts because dates and coverage differ.

Education, health and care plans · Coverage and method

See how this has changed

2023 calendar year2025 calendar year · vertical scale 01,657. Gaps remain gaps.

Read the values by period
PeriodPublished value
2023 calendar year1,584 plans
2024 calendar year1,657 plans
2025 calendar year1,524 plans

2025 calendar year Local authority SEN2 return

Plans issued in the timeliness cohort, excluding exceptions

1,115 plans

1,115 plans was reported for “Plans issued in the timeliness cohort, excluding exceptions”. DfE SEN2 all-plan/request aggregate.

Definition and source

Published measure: Plans issued in the timeliness cohort, excluding exceptions

DfE SEN2 all-plan/request aggregate. The 2026 release describes January 2026 plans or calendar-year 2025 activity. Published local authority figures are not NHS diagnostic waits or forecasts for an individual. The data collection changed in 2023; earlier observations are excluded. Including and excluding permitted exceptions are separate cohorts. Timeliness cohorts can differ from new-plan counts because dates and coverage differ.

Education, health and care plans · Coverage and method

See how this has changed

2023 calendar year2025 calendar year · vertical scale 01,355. Gaps remain gaps.

Read the values by period
PeriodPublished value
2023 calendar year1,305 plans
2024 calendar year1,355 plans
2025 calendar year1,115 plans

2025 calendar year Local authority SEN2 return

Average observed time to issue a plan, including exceptions

21.7 weeks

21.7 weeks was reported for “Average observed time to issue a plan, including exceptions”. DfE SEN2 all-plan/request aggregate.

Definition and source

Published measure: Average observed time to issue a plan, including exceptions

DfE SEN2 all-plan/request aggregate. The 2026 release describes January 2026 plans or calendar-year 2025 activity. Published local authority figures are not NHS diagnostic waits or forecasts for an individual. The data collection changed in 2023; earlier observations are excluded. Including and excluding permitted exceptions are separate cohorts. Timeliness cohorts can differ from new-plan counts because dates and coverage differ.

Education, health and care plans · Coverage and method

See how this has changed

2023 calendar year2025 calendar year · vertical scale 021.7. Gaps remain gaps.

Read the values by period
PeriodPublished value
2023 calendar year20.1 weeks
2024 calendar year21.1 weeks
2025 calendar year21.7 weeks

2025 calendar year Local authority SEN2 return

Average observed time to issue a plan, excluding exceptions

14.6 weeks

14.6 weeks was reported for “Average observed time to issue a plan, excluding exceptions”. DfE SEN2 all-plan/request aggregate.

Definition and source

Published measure: Average observed time to issue a plan, excluding exceptions

DfE SEN2 all-plan/request aggregate. The 2026 release describes January 2026 plans or calendar-year 2025 activity. Published local authority figures are not NHS diagnostic waits or forecasts for an individual. The data collection changed in 2023; earlier observations are excluded. Including and excluding permitted exceptions are separate cohorts. Timeliness cohorts can differ from new-plan counts because dates and coverage differ.

Education, health and care plans · Coverage and method

See how this has changed

2023 calendar year2025 calendar year · vertical scale 016. Gaps remain gaps.

Read the values by period
PeriodPublished value
2023 calendar year14.4 weeks
2024 calendar year16 weeks
2025 calendar year14.6 weeks

Source and interpretation

Department for Education: Education, health and care plans, reporting year 2026. Published 25 June and updated 30 June 2026. Reused under the Open Government Licence.

The collection changed in 2023, so earlier observations are excluded from these trends. Values marked unavailable, not applicable or suppressed remain separate from zero. Read the source footnotes for council-specific quality issues.

Official SEND support guidance · Find local council support