EHCP Annual Reviews

EHCP Annual Reviews

Information about how an EHCP is reviewed.

Council for Disabled Children video on Annual Reviews.

If your child has an Education, Health and Care plan (EHCP), it should be regularly reviewed by the local authority. In Worcestershire your child’s school, educational setting or early years provider are responsible for arranging and facilitating the Annual Review. If your child is over 5 then it should be at least once a year, and if they are aged 0 to 5 then the plan should be reviewed more frequently, every 3 to 6 months. When your young person is in Year 9 and above, the reviews must include a focus on preparing for adulthood (we’ve included more information about this below).

EHCP’s are living documents, which should be used to actively monitor your child or young person’s progress towards their outcomes and long-term aspirations, which is why they should be regularly reviewed. You can request an Annual Review at any time, as long as you have good reason, such as you believe that there is an urgent need for a change to the plan.

An Annual Review is an opportunity to provide any updated medical advice or a new diagnosis. It’s important to remember that the only people who know which medical professionals are involved with your child or young person, are you and your child or young person. Other agencies are not routinely told about any new diagnosis or medical advice.

Annual reviews:

  • must be undertaken in partnership with you, their parent, and your child or young person and
  • must take account of their views, wishes and feelings, including their right to request a personal budget.
  • must be focused on your child or young person’s progress towards achieving the outcomes in their EHCP, as well as considering whether the outcomes and any targets are still appropriate

Annual reviews should also:

  • gather and assess information so that it can be used by your child or young person’s early years settings, schools or colleges to support their progress and their access to teaching and learning.
  • review the special educational provision made for your child or young person to make sure it is being effective in ensuring access to teaching and learning and good progress.
  • review the health and social care provision made for your child or young person and its effectiveness in ensuring good progress towards outcomes.
  • consider the continuing appropriateness of the EHC plan in the light of your child or young person’s progress during the previous year or changed circumstances and whether changes are required including any changes to outcomes, enhanced provision, change of educational establishment or whether the EHC plan should be discontinued.
  • set new interim targets for the coming year and where appropriate, agree new outcomes.
  • review any interim targets set by the early years provider, school or college or other education provider

Timings

Timings of the reviews are as follows:

  • the first Annual Review of your child or young person’s EHCP must be held within 12 months of the date of when the EHCP was issued, and then within 12 months of any previous review
  • the local authority’s decision following the review meeting must be notified to you, the child’s parent, or young person within four weeks of the review meeting

Early Years Annual Review

When do we need to complete an Annual Review in the Early Years?

SEN CoP: Reviewing an EHCP page 198

Reviews of EHC plans for children aged 0 to 5

9.178 Local authorities should consider reviewing an EHC plan for a child under five at least every three to six months to ensure that the provision continues to be appropriate. Such reviews would complement the duty to carry out a review at least annually but may be streamlined and not necessarily require the attendance of the full range of professionals, depending on the needs of the child. The child’s parent must be fully consulted on any proposed changes to the EHC plan and made aware of their right to appeal to the Tribunal.

Transfer between phases of education 

9.179 An EHC plan must be reviewed and amended in sufficient time prior to a child or young person moving between key phases of education, to allow for planning for and, where necessary, commissioning of support and provision at the new institution.

The review and any amendments must be completed by 15 February in the calendar year of the transfer at the latest for transfers into or between schools. 

The key transfers are:

  • early years provider to school

Purpose of the review

The purpose of the review is to:

  • gather and assess information so that it can be used by your child or young person’s early years settings, schools or colleges to support their progress and their access to teaching and learning
  • review the special educational provision made for your child or young person to make sure it is being effective in ensuring access to teaching and learning and good progress
  • review the health and social care provision made for your child or young person and its effectiveness in ensuring good progress towards outcomes
  • consider the continuing appropriateness of the EHC plan in the light of your child or young person’s progress during the previous year or changed circumstances and whether changes are required including any changes to outcomes, enhanced provision, change of educational establishment or whether the EHC plan should be discontinued
  • set new interim targets for the coming year and where appropriate, agree new outcomes
  • review any interim targets set by the early years' provider, school or college or other education provider

Annual review timeline 

Step 1: 4 to 6 weeks prior to meeting  - obtain advice and information about the child including completing the Parental Views and Child’s views forms (or similar) from:

  • all the relevant professionals
  • the parent
  • the child themselves

Step 2: 2 weeks prior to meeting - circulate the reports received along with the invitations to attend the Annual Review meeting

Step 3: The Annual Review meeting

Step 4: Following the meeting the SENCo must complete the WCC Annual Review Report document (that SEND services have sent to you or you have downloaded). This should include recommendations for amendments to the EHCP including details where views differ. This must then be uploaded onto the  WCC portal (with the evidence) and shared with SEND within 2 weeks of the meeting.

Step 5: The LA has 2 weeks (4 weeks from the date of the meeting) to decide to leave the plan unchanged, amend it or cease it and inform the parent, the child and the school/setting of its decision with everyone invited to the meeting within 2 weeks including the LA

Year 9 Annual Review

When a young person is in Year 9 and after, the Annual Review (AR) must include a focus on Preparing for Adulthood (PfA), though it can be helpful if reviews before this have this focus too.

For more information about Preparing for Adulthood and the Year 9 Annual Reviews please see the dedicated section on the website.

Useful links

Year nine review

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