Ñý¾«¶¯Âþ

By law, your child or young person's (CYP) Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan must be reviewed at least once every 12 months. If you child attends an Early Years setting their EHC plan should be reviewed every 3 to 6 months. This is to make sure the plan:

• remains relevant to their needs
• provides the right support
• allows the achievement of desired outcomes.

This must be completed on or before the anniversary of when the EHC plan was first issued or the anniversary of the last review.

If your child’s needs change significantly, it may be necessary for the plan to be re-assessed instead. Talk to your child's school or setting if you think that an early or emergency review may be necessary. You can also contact for more information and additional resources, including links to .

'What is an annual review?' video from the Council for Disabled Children

Annual Reviews in Ñý¾«¶¯Âþ

The local authority (Ñý¾«¶¯Âþ) is responsible for arranging the Annual Review process, but gathering evidence can be delegated to the school or college. Evidence will include:

• your and your child’s views
• updated information and advice from the education setting and other professionals

Annual review meetings are usually held in an educational setting (for example, your child's early years provider, school or college) or they could be held virtually. You will be invited by your child's educational setting to the meeting. The review includes working with you and your child and asking you what you think about progress that has been made and what you want to happen. It must take account of the views, wishes and feelings of you and your child, including their right to request a Personal Budget.

If a child is looked after by Ñý¾«¶¯Âþ (SCC), there is an expectation that the child or young person's Personal Education Plan (PEP) meeting will be held at the same time as the Annual review.

What happens next?

The Annual Review will assess to what extent the provision in the EHC plan has supported the achievement of the outcomes set out in Section E of your child's EHC plan.

The notes and recommendations from the review meeting are gathered to decide whether to update the plan, keep it as it is, or stop the plan. We will do this within four weeks of the review meeting, and we will notify you in writing of our decision.

This SEND decision making – process diagram (PDF) explains what happens after an Annual Review. It highlights:

• Who is involved in the review (families and our Multi Agency Team)
• The role of the Area SEND Manager in decision making
• How outcomes are shared with families
• What additional services may be involved (for example: Speech and Language or the Transitions Team)

The basis upon which an EHC plan will stop is if the child or young person:

• goes to university
• gets a job
• tells us they no longer want their EHC plan
• no longer needs support in excess of what schools or colleges can offer as part of the Special Educational Needs (SEN) statement on their website

Further information

• Education, Health and Care plan reviews

Files available to download

• Guidance on Section 41 and Non-Section 41 Schools preference (PDF)
  Guidance for parents on requesting a section 41 or non-section 41 school in an Education, Health and Care Plan
• Decision making process for an annual review of Education Health and Care plan (PDF)
  How the council decides whether to make changes to an Education Health and Care plan following an annual review and who supports that decision