How long does an EHC plan take in Waltham Forest?
Short answer. Of the new EHC plans Waltham Forest issued in 2025, 26% (about 1 in 4) were issued within the 20-week legal limit. 60% took between 20 weeks and a year, and 14% (about 1 in 7) took more than a year. In London 62% were on time, and in England 46%. The council's own latest figure (July 2026 report) is 12% within 20 weeks.
Department for Education figures for plans issued in 2025. The next figures, for 2026, are due on 24 June 2027. This is how long other families waited, not a prediction for your child.
How long new plans took in 2025
| Area | New plans issued | Within 20 weeks | 20 weeks to a year | More than a year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Waltham Forest | 549 | 25.7% | 60.5% | 13.8% |
| London | 13,874 | 61.6% | 35.6% | 2.7% |
| England | 95,411 | 46.1% | 43.5% | 10.3% |
Source: DfE, Education, health and care plans: Timeliness of new education, health and care plans, including those issued within the statutory 20 weeks (downloaded 2026-10-25). Plans where a legal exception to the 20 weeks applied are left out.
Waltham Forest used to issue about nine in ten new plans on time, well above London and England (see the full trend). Since then the share issued within 20 weeks has fallen each year: 90.7% in 2023, 50.8% in 2024, 25.7% in 2025. The share taking more than a year went from none in 2023 to 13.8% in 2025.
The council's own monitoring shows no recovery yet. Its latest figure (July 2026 report) is 12% within 20 weeks (London Borough of Waltham Forest, Schools Forum report pack, 8 July 2026 (DSG outturn 2025-26; SEND Reform Plan) (July 2026), p. 178). These figures come from the council's case management system, which the council has said may be inaccurate (London Borough of Waltham Forest, SEND Improvement Plan - Progress So Far (October 2025), p. 5).
The steps and the legal deadlines
- Someone asks for an assessment. A parent, a young person or a school can ask the council directly (Children and Families Act 2014, section 36(1)).
- The council decides whether to assess: 6 weeks. In 2025, Waltham Forest made 84.9% of these decisions within 6 weeks (England 87.4%). Most of the delay comes after this step.
- Professionals send their advice: 6 weeks from when the council asks them, for example an educational psychologist or a health service (SEND Regulations 2014, regulation 8). The council says delays in educational psychologist advice are the main reason plans are late (London Borough of Waltham Forest, SEND Improvement Plan - Progress So Far (October 2025), p. 4).
- You get a draft plan and at least 15 days to comment and ask for a school (SEND Regulations 2014, regulation 13(1)).
- The final plan: 20 weeks from the request (SEND Regulations 2014, regulation 13(2)).
Enter the date of your own request in the deadlines calculator to see each date.
Does my child need a diagnosis to get an EHC needs assessment?
No. The council must assess if your child has or may have special educational needs and may need support through an EHC plan. A diagnosis is not part of the legal test, and parents can ask for an assessment themselves (Children and Families Act 2014, section 36(8)). You don't need to wait for an autism or ADHD assessment before asking. See the waits for autism and ADHD assessments.
What these figures don't tell you
- They count plans by the year they were issued, so a request made in 2024 that ended in a plan in 2025 counts in 2025.
- They only include requests that ended with a plan. Families who were refused an assessment, or assessed and refused a plan, aren't counted.
- They can't tell you how long your own child will wait. That depends on how quickly advice comes in, and on how busy the council is when you apply.
If the deadlines are missed
The deadlines are legal duties, not targets. If one is missed you can complain to the council, and then to the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (see complaints and appeals). If the council refuses to assess or refuses to issue a plan, you can appeal to the SEND Tribunal. You must usually speak to a mediation adviser first (Children and Families Act 2014, section 55). For free advice, contact IPSEA or Waltham Forest's SEND information, advice and support service (SENDIASS).
For charts, rankings against other London boroughs and more of the council's own figures, see assessments and timeliness.