An annual review tests an EHCP against your child or young person’s life now: what is helping, what is missing and whether the plan still describes the support needed.
In England, the local authority must review an EHCP at least every 12 months. A school may arrange the meeting, but the local authority makes the legal decision.
The annual-review timetable
Stage | What should happen |
|---|---|
Review frequency | At least every 12 months from the plan’s issue date or previous review. For a child under five, reviews should be considered every three to six months. |
Meeting | Views and evidence are gathered, the meeting is held, and a report is circulated. |
Council decision | Within four weeks of the meeting, the local authority must decide in writing to maintain, amend or cease the plan. |
Amendment | It should send notice of the proposed changes and allow at least 15 days for comments and a request for a school or other institution. |
Final amended plan | Normally due within eight weeks of the amendment notice. Phase-transfer deadlines can be sooner. |
Put the meeting date and four-week decision date in your calendar. The meeting report is not the council’s final decision.
What to check at the meeting
Start with the plan. Section B records special educational needs, Section F the provision and Section I the placement. Ask whether they still fit together. If Section F only says “support as required”, ask who provides it, how often and in which situations.
Bring focused evidence rather than a bundle of repeated papers:
attendance or reduced-timetable records;
a short log of difficult transitions, sensory overload or time outside class;
current professional reports and school progress information; and
the child or young person’s own views, including what feels exhausting or unsafe.
Ask for the report and send a short written correction if it does not reflect your view.
Phase transfer: earlier deadlines
For a move to a new stage of education, the final EHCP has to name the next placement by a statutory date. A draft plan or an email saying consultations have begun is not enough.
Move planned for the following September | Final amended EHCP deadline |
|---|---|
Reception, infant to junior, or primary to secondary | 15 February |
Post-16 provision, including college | 31 March |
Raise a requested placement early. Explain how it can meet the needs in Section B and deliver Section F provision.
If the council will not change the plan
The four-week letter should say whether the EHCP will be maintained, amended or ceased. Save it. You can challenge a decision not to amend, a decision to cease, or the contents of a final amended plan.
In most cases, register an appeal within two months of the decision letter or one month from the mediation certificate, whichever is later. A placement-only appeal does not require a certificate; other education appeals generally require contact with a mediation adviser first. Health and social-care concerns can accompany a valid education appeal, but recommendations about them are not binding in the same way as education decisions.
A simpler way to get organised
Caira can help organise documents you are permitted to share, compare a draft EHCP with the evidence and turn dates into clear questions. It cannot decide what the council or tribunal will do.
Common mistakes
Treating the school’s report as the final council decision.
Waiting for a phase-transfer offer before raising missing provision in Section F.
Sending evidence without saying which EHCP section it supports or challenges.
Missing an appeal deadline because a mediation certificate was not requested in time.
Questions people often hesitate to ask
The school sent the report to the council. Do I just wait?
Note the meeting date. If four weeks pass without the local authority’s written decision, ask the SEND team for it and keep a copy of the request.
Can I ask for a different school at an annual review?
Yes. Explain why the setting is suitable for the needs and provision in the EHCP. For phase transfer, raise it early enough for consultation and a final plan by February or March.
My child is under five. Does “annual” mean once a year?
At least once a year, but for an under-five the local authority should consider a review every three to six months.
This article is general information, not legal, financial, medical or tax advice.
