Education Health and Care Needs Assessments and Plans
Annual reviews
We can give information and advice on what happens during a review of an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHC Plan), and how you can make sure that you and your child or young person are fully involved in the process.
The purpose of annual reviews
Your child or young persons's EHC Plan will need to change as they grow and their goals and aspirations change.
The purpose of an EHC Plan annual review is to keep the contents of the EHC Plan up to date and relevant and to check the provision is helping them to make progress towards the aspirations and the outcomes in their plan.
The annual review creates an opportunity for parents, carers and the child or young person to meet with professionals and those who support them to:
- review progress
- consider whether the provision in the EHC Plan is still needed
- discuss any necessary changes to the EHC Plan
From the early years it is important to discuss how the child or young person is being prepared for adulthood. By the age of 14 (year 9), considering preparation for adulthood must happen during every annual review. Read more on preparing your child for adult life.
See further advice from the Council for Disabled Children: What is an annual review?
When to review an EHC Plan
When a child or young person has an EHC Plan by law it must be reviewed by the local authority at least every 12 months. If your child is in Early Years then their EHC Plan should be reviewed every 3 to 6 months (SEND Code of Practice 9.178).
For children and young people moving between phases of education education (called 'phase transition') the annual review and any amendments, including the name of the setting they will attend in September, must be completed by:
- 15 February, for children moving from early years to primary and primary to secondary
- 31 March, for young people moving on from secondary school to further education or training
This means that children and young people in phase transition year groups must have their annual EHC review in the autumn term before the move, so the local authority has enough time to find a suitable setting for them to move to.
Read the SEND Code of Practice (sections 9.179 to 9.183) for more information about transfer between phases of education.
You can also request early annual reviews with the local authority.
The annual review process
The local authority must ensure that an annual meeting to review your child’s EHC Plan takes place. Usually this task arranged by the child or young person's educational setting will lead the review process and then provide a report of the meeting and any proposed changes to the local authority.
You and your child or young person must be given 4 weeks’ notice of the date of the meeting, and any professional relevant to your child’s EHC Plan must also be invited to attend or share a report. You will also be asked to share your views in writing if you choose to.
However, a shorter minimum notice of 2 weeks is needed if an early annual review is being called because something has changed. An early review can be held at any time. You or a young person can ask for an early review if you believe that there is an urgent need for a change to the child or young person’s EHC Plan, which might be because of changes in need, concerns around attendance or behaviour or the setting is no longer suitable.
The IPSEA website includes advice about asking for an early review of an EHC Plan, as well as a draft letter for parents to request a review.
The annual review is not just a meeting, but a 12 week process, and it is important to take some time to look carefully at the EHC Plan as well as any notes or minutes from previous reviews, any reports from professionals, plus other relevant information that has been sent to you since the previous review and think about what you and your child or young person want to get across in the review process.
Any information needed for the review meeting should be shared with you 2 weeks before the meeting so you have time to prepare.
Some things to consider might be:
- has your child or young person made adequate progress towards meeting each target or outcome in their EHC Plan?
- if progress has not been made, what are the barriers stopping this?
- has the education, health or social care provision and support your child or young person gets made a difference?
- if your child or young person has not made progress in some areas, what do you think needs to change?
- is there something else which could work better, are new strategies needed or perhaps some new advice?
- have there been any new assessments or observations?
Looking towards to coming year and thinking about the next EHC Plan:
- have your child or young person’s needs changed?
- are there any new outcomes you would like to see in the EHC Plan?
- what provision and support will be needed for these?
- is the education setting named in the EHC Plan still appropriate?
- is your child or young person due to start primary or secondary school or college or are they preparing for adulthood?
- would you, or the young person, like to ask for a personal budget?
There are 4 steps to the review process:
- gathering of views and information
- annual review meeting
- a report and recommendations
- local authority decision
At step 4, the local authority decision, the outcome may be that the EHC Plan should:
- stay as it is (called maintaining the plan)
- be changed (called amending the plan)
- come to an end (called ceasing the plan)
The review is not completed till all 4 steps have been completed. The local authority have 4 weeks from receiving the review paperwork to let you know what they are going to do next. If changes are proposed you will have 15 calendar days to check the proposed amended plan and comment before it is finalised.
An EHC Plan will cease in cases where:
- the outcomes have all been achieved
- the young person does not want to continue in further education or training
- the young person goes to university
- the young person is over the age of 25
The local authority will send you a letter to tell you their decision and it is important to keep this letter safe as you will need it if you choose to appeal anything about the EHCP.
You have 2 months from the date of the local authority decision letter to make an appeal.
See further information about appeals and mediation, including information about appealing an annual review decision.
The ISPEA website also includes general advice on how to submit an appeal.
See further information about the annual review process:
- Annual reviews (York SEND Local Offer)
- Annual review process (IPSEA)
- Further information about Annual Reviews (SOSSEN)