EHCP Support in Darlington: Deadlines, Performance & Local Help

Darlington issued 72.5% of new EHCPs within the statutory 20-week deadline in 2024. That is above the national average of 46.4% — by 26.1 percentage points.

Based on 172 new EHC plans issued by Darlington in 2024.

In plain English: if you applied for an EHCP in Darlington this year, statistically around 73 in every 100 families received their plan on time. The remaining 28 in 100 waited longer than the law allows. A missed deadline does not weaken your rights — the council still has the same legal duty to issue the plan, and you have routes to challenge delay.

Source: DfE — Education, health and care plans, England (annual statistics). Data year: 2024.

SEN Team

Last verified: 11 June 2026 · source

SENDIASS (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Information, Advice and Support Service) is a free, statutory and impartial service for parents, carers and young people.

Find your local SENDIASS service via Darlington's Local Offer.

Anyone — a parent, the young person (16+), or someone acting on their behalf (school, GP) — can ask Darlington for an Education, Health and Care needs assessment. The request is a short written letter or email to the SEN team explaining why your child may need provision beyond what is normally available in school.

The council has 6 weeks to decide whether to assess. If they agree, the full process to issue a final plan must complete within 20 weeks of your original request.

Read our step-by-step guide →

If Darlington misses the 6-week assessment decision or the 20-week final plan deadline, you have clear options: chase in writing, escalate to the council's complaints process, complain to the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman, or apply for judicial review in serious cases. Exemptions are narrow and listed in Regulation 13(3) of the SEND Regulations 2014.

What to do if your council misses the 20-week deadline →

• Deadline tracker — log the date you submitted your request and we'll show your statutory milestones.
• Letter templates — request an assessment, chase a missed deadline, challenge a refusal.
• How to challenge an EHCP refusal
• What Section F of an EHCP must legally contain