A child or young person’s EHCP may need to be reviewed and/or revised over time as needs may change and the provision to meet changing needs may also need to be reconsidered and revised.
In relation to children under 5, reviews should be carried out three - six monthly (although in practice this does not appear to happen). Otherwise annual reviews should take place every 12 months. In practice, the annual review is carried out by the school, who then report back to the Local Authority.
The 12 months period starts from when the plan is first made and then every 12 months from when it was last reviewed.
In certain circumstances, it may be possible to request an interim or emergency review, as opposed to waiting until the next review date.
The purpose of a review is to:
The Local Authority must:
A meeting must be held to carry out the review. The child’s parent or young person must be invited, the headteacher of the school, a SENAR officer, a relevant healthcare professional, and an officer from Children’s Services (also known as Social Services).
The purpose of the review is to allow the Local Authority to make a decision on continuing the plan in its current form, amending it, or ceasing it (i.e. ending the EHCP). The Local Authority must communicate this decision within four weeks of the review.
The above is a general outline in relation to Annual Reviews, if you require advice and assistance or representation in connection with an Annual Review, or a decision arising from the Annual Review, please contact us on a no obligation basis to see how we can help.