Why is a Year 9 annual review different?

A young person’s annual review (AR) in Year 9 and all those after, must, in law, focus on Preparing for Adulthood (PfA). This can be an exciting time for your young person but may also be a little daunting for you all, however it’s so important to start putting the things in place now to help your young person achieve what they want to in their adult years. You can find out more about annual reviews, and in particular year 9 ones on the SEND Local Offer here, EHCP Annual Reviews.

The SEND code of practice: 0 to 25 years tells us that any planning for PfA must be person centred and the local authority should ensure that the young person has the support they need (perhaps an advocate, you can find information about them here: Your rights regarding making decisions to fully participate in this planning and to make decisions. Person centred means listening to what your young person wants and working together to put the support in place which will help them to achieve their ambitions.

Preparing for Adulthood is looking at all aspects of your young person’s life, not just their educational ambitions, but starting to think about where they want to live, what employment interests them, how they can stay healthy and be part of the community. These are known as the Preparing for Adulthood outcomes; and you can find out more about them on the SEND Local Offer.

The Year 9 annual review is about looking at the EHCP, recognising how far the young person has come, and reviewing what needs to happen now to make sure that it supports them moving forwards into adulthood. It may be that, up until now, you have completed most of the paperwork for your young person’s EHCP, because you have advocated and supported them and know them very well. Now that they are getting older it is important that they have a better understanding of what it looks like and what is says about them. Make sure you read it with them or ask a trusted adult to help from school if that is not so easy for you to do. While it is good to look at the progress made, the focus should be on adapting the plan to make sure it reflects the needs and the provision to achieve the ambitions of the young person, building on the skills they have already developed. Remember what they want to achieve may be a little different from your ambitions for them. It is important that you are able to listen to their ideas and plan together, so you start to enable them to have the confidence and ability to make their own decisions. This is a key part of preparing them for adulthood.