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Transitioning to College Without an EHCP? Here’s the Paperwork You Need to Send Right Now

18.5.26 – Applied for college? 2 tasks for you to do now to support your young person.

Transitioning to College Without an EHCP? Here’s the Paperwork You Need to Send Right Now 📝

This week, I had a fantastic and incredibly reassuring meeting with Janice and her team over at West Herts College. We spent some time talking specifically about our Dacorum families whose young people are transitioning into college this autumn.

A big topic of conversation was how we support young people who have identified SEND needs—perhaps they are currently navigating school without a formal, diagnosed level of need, or they simply do not have an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) in place.

I asked Janice how families can best help their young person ensure a smooth, stress-free start in September. Her answer was Step 1: Preparation is absolute key, and sharing past paperwork early changes everything.

Even without an EHCP, colleges can provide a huge amount of support—but they need to know what worked for your child in school so they can mimic it as closely as possible.

Here are the two vital pieces of paperwork you need to gather and send to West Herts College as soon as possible:

1. Exam Access Arrangements (The JCQ Form)

If your young person had special arrangements made for them during their GCSEs—such as extra time in exams, being able to take tests in a separate quiet room, using a laptop, or having specific resources—the school would have an official JCQ form agreeing to this.

  • While the school holds the master copy, a copy is usually sent home to parents, too.

  • The Action: Track down this form. If you can send this to the college early, it allows their team to get those exact examination arrangements sorted for them ahead of time.

2. Day-to-Day Learning Plans (Pupil Passports)

Did your young person have specific, day-to-day adjustments made to their educational journey at school? For example, did they:

  • Use a different door to enter the building to avoid crowds?

  • Start their day at a slightly different time?

  • Have certain lessons or quiet time away from the main group?

  • Receive specific interventions to keep them on track?

If they didn't have an EHCP, these adjustments will typically be written down on a document called a Pupil Passport, an Individual Learning Support Plan (ILSP), or a similar name chosen by their school.

  • The Action: Get a copy of this document and send it through. West Herts College genuinely wants to understand what happened before so they can acknowledge your child's exact style of learning and help them adapt to the college environment comfortably.

Please Don’t Wait for the School! ⏳

The biggest takeaway: please do not assume your child's school will pass this information on in a timely manner.

Schools get incredibly busy at the end of the summer term. To give your young person the best possible transition, take action into your own hands.

If you already have copies of these documents at home, send them across electronically or hand them in to the college admissions team now. If you don’t have them, use this moment right now while the schools are still open for the summer term to collect them.

West Herts College Contact Details

Ready to hand over your paperwork or have a question about additional learning support? Get in touch with the admissions and student support teams directly: