This page explains in more detail what an annual review of an EHC plan is, the steps, and where you can get more information and help.
The information on this page is taken from the SEND code of practice 2015.
It would be helpful to read the following pages and leaflets for further information.
What is an annual review of an EHC plan?
The local authority must review your child’s or young person’s education health care (EHC) plan to:
Review their progress
Make sure that the EHC plan is up to date
Help them to meet their outcomes
How often should an annual review happen?
The EHC plan must be reviewed a minimum of every 12 months from the date the first final EHC plan was issued or within 12 months from the end of the last annual review.
Children under five should have their review within three to six months, but at least every 12 months.
Sometimes there are situations when an annual review may happen earlier, for example if there are significant changes in your child’s or young person’s needs, or a new diagnosis. This is sometimes called an emergency or early annual review. The education setting can ask for one, but only the local authority can decide if an emergency annual review should happen.
Who is responsible for an annual review?
It is the local authorities duty to make sure the annual review process is completed.
Your role
It is important that your child or young person and you are actively involved with and at the centre of the annual review process.
Yours, your child’s, or young person’s views, wishes and feelings should be gathered before the meeting and considered throughout the annual review process.
They should be supported to participate in a way that is meaningful and accessible to them.
What are the steps for an annual review of an EHC plan?
The annual review process is broken down into legal steps that must be followed.
Although the local authority is responsible for the annual review process, it will pass on responsibility for some steps to the headteacher or principal of the education setting.
Key points:
The local authority must review an EHC Plan at least every 12 months
You and your child or young person should be involved in the review process
You should receive reports at least two weeks before the review meeting
The local authority must tell you its decision within four weeks of the review meeting
If the local authority decides not to amend or decides to cease the EHC plan, you have a right of appeal to the SEND tribunal
The annual review process includes:
Step 1 – Informing the education setting
The local authority informs the headteacher which children and young peoples’ annual reviews need to be held in the coming term.
Step 2 - Obtaining information and advice
The headteacher (usually the Special Needs Co-ordinator (SENCO or named person at their college will do this), must obtain written information and advice(reports) about your child from the following people:
You and your child
The education setting
A member of the local authority
A social care professional
A health care professional. For example, a speech and language therapist or a child, and adolescent mental health service (CAMHS)
Other professionals who are involved in supporting your child or young person should also contribute, for example a teaching assistant, specialist teacher, literacy support service or educational psychologist (EP).
The information and advice should include details about your child’s or young person’s progress and participation in teaching and learning. Also, whether the support they are receiving meets their needs (section B of the EHC plan) and is helping them make progress towards the outcomes (written in section E of their EHC plan).
Step 3 - Organising the annual review meeting
Your child’s or young person’s education setting will organise, hold and chair the annual review meeting.
If they are not in an education setting, the local authority will often carry out all the annual review steps, including setting up the meeting.
The education setting must invite the same people they asked for information and advice from in step 2.
Everyone invited to the annual review meeting must be given at least two weeks’ notice before the meeting date.
You and all the professionals invited to the meeting must also receive the written information and advice gathered at least two weeks before the meeting. This gives everyone time to read through the information and prepare.
If you do not receive this information two weeks before the meeting, you can ask for the annual review meeting to be changed to a later date.
Step 4 - The annual review meeting
The aim of the annual review meeting is to gather everyone’s opinion (view) about how your child or young person is being supported. Your child or young person’s views, wishes, and views of the parents are essential and should be at the centre of this process.
The following points should be discussed, for example,
Focus on progress made towards achieving outcomes written in the EHC plan
Look at the information and advice gathered to see how your child’s or young person’s education setting can use it to support their progress and access (taking part) to teaching and learning.
Review the special educational provision (Section F of the EHC plan) to ensure it is helping your child or young person to access teaching, learning, and supporting their progress.
Review any health and social care provision and checking its impact towards achieving the outcomes
Discuss whether the EHC plan is still suitable considering the progress your child or young person has made during the previous year,
Set new short-term targets for the next year and agree new outcomes (where needed)
If evidence shows that your child or young person’s needs have changed, the annual review can be used to request amendments (changes) to the EHC Plan, including more or different types of support
The headteacher or SENCO should take notes of the meeting, including your child’s or young person’s and your views. Do make sure these are recorded. If they are not, you can email or write to the EHC co-ordinator in the SEN team in Wandsworth following the annual review meeting.
Step 5 – After the annual review meeting:
Within two weeks of the meeting:
The headteacher (usually the SENCO or named person at their college) of your child’s or young person’s education setting will write up and send out an annual review report (using the Wandsworth Annual Review report template) to everybody invited to the review meeting, including you and the local authority (usually EHC co-ordinator) who must receive a copy of this
The annual review report will also include any reports gathered as part of the annual review process
The annual review report should provide clear recommendations on any changes to the EHC plan (if needed) and will give information on any differences in views
The local authority will review and make a decision about the current EHC plan based on what is written in this report.
Within four weeks of the meeting: The local authority must send you a letter (a notification) to inform you, your young person (if they are 16 or over) and their education setting of the outcome(decision) of the annual review.
The decision the local authority will make, will be one of the following:
Keeping the EHC plan as it is (no changes)
Amending the EHC plan (e.g. changing what’s written in the EHC plan for example, such as section B (their needs) and or F (the help/support they need or proposing to name a new education setting in Section I.)
Ceasing (ending) the EHCP. This could be because the local authority, your child, or you feel that they no longer need the support given through an EHC plan
If the local authority decides not to amend the EHC plan or proposes to cease it then they must notify you and your young person (aged 16 to 25) in the above letter, of your right to appeal
Find out more information about challenging decisions and appealing.
You can also read our Right of Appeal to the SEND Tribunal information sheet.
Amending the EHC plan
If the local authority decides to make amendments to the EHC plan, they must also inform you of what the proposed amendments will be. This means the local authority must also include a copy of the proposed (draft) amended EHC plan, with the outcome of the annual review letter you receive.
You will be given fifteen calendar days to give your views on the proposed amendments.
When you receive the decision letter, this means the annual review process has ended. Although any amendments the local authority are going to make to the EHC plan will still need to be made. The final EHC plan must be issued as soon as practicable and within a further eight weeks maximum. Therefore, the local authority must send you the final amended EHC plan within a maximum of twelve weeks of the annual review meeting.
Preparing for an annual review meeting
As mentioned earlier, information and advice (reports) must be given to you at least two weeks before the annual review meeting date.
This will give you time to read through the reports so that you can ask any questions at the annual review meeting.
You can also send in your child’s or young person’s and your views before the meeting. The education setting may be able to help your child or young person and you to write your views for the annual review or you can use our templates:
You may wish to consider:
What has gone well since the last annual review?
What progress has your child or young person made towards their outcomes?
What is your child or young person finding difficult?
Are the outcomes in section E still relevant, or do they need updating?
Are your child or young person’s views, wishes, feelings, strengths, interests and aspirations reflected in section A (“My Story”), especially when moving from primary to secondary school or from year 11 onwards?
Are any needs missing from sections B, C or D?
Is the support and provision in sections F, G and H helping your child or young person make progress and meet their needs?
Does your child or young person need any additional or different support?
Are health and social care services providing the support specified in the EHC Plan?
Does the current school, college or education setting remain suitable?
Are there any concerns you would like to discuss at the annual review?
What changes, if any, would you like to see in the EHC plan?
If your child or young person is in Year 9 or above, what are their future goals and aspirations for adulthood?
If your child is in Year 9 or older
From Year 9 onwards, annual reviews must include a focus on preparing for adulthood.
This includes:
Employment, higher education and training
Independent living
Friends, relationships and community inclusion
Good health and wellbeing
Young people should be encouraged to discuss their future aspirations and goals
Where can I get more information, advice, or support on the annual review process?
If you have questions about your child’s or young person’s annual review, you can:
Speak to the SENCO at their school or named person at their college
Contact their EHC co-ordinator in the Special Needs Assessment Service (SNAS)
Read Chapter 9, page 194 onwards, in the SEND Code of Practice 2015
The annual review process - Independent Provider of Special Education Advice (IPSEA)
Leaflets and templates
You can download our leaflets and templates: