What happens once I have an EHCP?

All children are regularly assessed in their educations setting, however, children with special educational needs or disabilities require closer monitoring and regular EHCP reviews to ensure that they are progressing according to their age, ability and aptitude.

All education, health and care plans (EHCPs should be reviewed at least termly to help check that your child is making progress towards the agreed outcomes.

An EHCP must be reviewed in full, with relevant SEND support services, at least once every twelve months. This is usually called an annual review.

Meetings and reviews should be positively focused to explore a better and more positive future for the child or young person. The positive approach for meetings and reviews should focus less on what’s wrong, and more on what we would like to happen.

Your views (and those of your child) are an important part of the review meetings.

The timing of annual reviews should reflect the circumstances of your child, such as changing schools.

If you need more support please reach out to your assigned SENAR case worker. Details of who your dedicated case worker is can be found here: SENAR – Local Offer Birmingham

Annual Review Process for EHCP's

Annual EHCP Reviews

If your child has an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) the Local Authority must review that plan at least every year.

This means that a review of the progress the child or young person is making towards the objectives in the EHCP must take place at least every 12 months. EHCPs can be reviewed more frequently where needed.

For pupils in mainstream schools the annual reviews in Year 5 are the key ones where there should be a discussion about what type of school they should attend for the next phase.

If a place at a special school or a resource base attached to a mainstream school is recommended, the pupil’s papers will have to go to a decision making group for consideration. This will also apply to the review in Year 10 if a place at a special school for post–16 provision is to be requested.

If a specialist place is agreed, the pupil’s EHCP must be amended by the end of February so that they can move to their new school the following September.

Your child’s school or setting will invite you and any relevant professionals to the review meeting. The school or setting will then request written advice about your child’s progress and the appropriateness of the EHCP from you and any professionals the Local Authority and/or school thinks are appropriate.

At least two weeks before the review meeting, the school or setting will circulate any written evidence and invite comments. Your views are very important.

When providing your written advice and reading the advice from others involved in the annual review, you may want to think about the topics you covered when you originally provided parental advice for your child’s education, health and care assessment and checked your child’s EHCP.

Often the review meeting will only involve you, teachers from your child’s school or setting and perhaps someone from the Local Authority.

Other professionals do not usually attend a routine annual review meeting, but will attend to discuss specific needs, or if the annual review meeting is to discuss your child’s transition.

You can take a friend or relative to support you.

Your child may also attend all or part of the review meeting as appropriate. The older they are, the more likely they will be involved.

The review meeting should consider if your child’s EHCP is still appropriate, if there any amendments to be made to the EHCP and if the local authority should continue to maintain the EHCP.

The meeting should look at the progress made in relation to the previous targets and provide a new set of targets for your child for the coming year. These should meet the outcomes set out in the EHCP.

No later than ten days after the review meeting, the school or setting must prepare and submit a report to the Local Authority.

The report will summarise the meeting’s conclusions and include recommendations, with reasons, as to whether the EHCP should be amended or maintained. The school or setting will also send a copy of the report to you and any professionals involved with the review process.

The Local Authority will decide whether to make any changes to your child’s EHCP.

They can decide to:

  • amend (change) the Education, Health and Care Plan,
  • leave the Education, Health and Care Plan unchanged,
  • cease to maintain (or end) the Education, Health and Care Plan.

Before the school meeting/review – be prepared!

Do I know:

  • Where the meeting is? (Route, parking etc)
  • The time? (When? How long will it last?)
  • Who will be there? why it is happening?
  • What I want to achieve?
  • What outcomes might others want?
  • How am I feeling – how might I behave?
  • How are others feeling – how might they behave?
  • Have I written down all the questions I want to ask?
  • Have I got all the information and paperwork I need?
  • Will someone be taking notes? (Possibly a partner or friend)
  • do I want someone to go with me? (A partner, friend etc)
  • have I got the views of my child or will my child be there?

After the Meeting:

  • Have I understood everything that was said? (It may be helpful to confirm this by email or letter with the school or setting),
  • Am I happy with the way things have gone?
  • Do I feel that agreements have been reached that we can all stick to?
  • Does everyone know what they are doing next?
  • What am I doing next?
  • Is someone co–ordinating action?
  • Will I get notes or minutes of the meeting?
  • If it is an Annual Review meeting, will I see the Annual Review form before it is sent to the Local Authority?
  • When are we going to review progress?