A finalised EHCP with Section I blank or containing phrases like "a specialist placement to be identified" is not a completed plan. It is a plan that has been issued in a legally incomplete state.
The EHCP must name the school or other institution. Where the local authority has assessed that a specialist placement is needed, they have a duty to identify and name it, not simply acknowledge the need.
Why does this happen? Most commonly, it is a capacity problem. Local specialist schools are often full. The local authority issues the plan knowing that no placement has been secured, rather than waiting until one is available, because issuing the plan meets their statutory deadline even though the placement does not yet exist.
This leaves children out of education. In some cases for months. In the worst cases, for years.
What you can do. First, request in writing the specific school or schools the local authority is considering for Section I. Ask for a timetable with a date by which a named placement will be confirmed. Get this in writing.
Second, if your child is out of school as a result, the local authority has a duty to provide suitable education in the interim under s.19 of the Education Act 1996. This can include home tuition or other provision. Make a formal request for this if you have not done so.
Third, if you disagree with the type of placement the local authority is proposing (for example, you want a specialist independent school and they are proposing a mainstream school with a resource base), you can appeal Section I of the EHCP to the Tribunal. This is one of the most common appeal grounds.
A blank Section I is not the end of the process. It is the point at which you apply the most pressure.