Preparing for your child's Annual Review: a SENDCO's parent guide

The school has emailed about your child's Annual Review. It is in three weeks. You attended the last one and remember mostly that you nodded a lot and the SENDCO did most of the talking and the plan was “maintained” and nothing really changed. The plan is now eighteen months old and the provision in it bears very little resemblance to what is actually happening. You want to change that. This article is the four weeks of preparation, the meeting itself, and what happens after, in the order they happen.

A statutory process, not just a meeting. The meeting is the centre piece, but the review runs over several weeks end-to-end.

The Annual Review is set out in section 44 of the Children and Families Act 2014 and chapter 9 of the SEND Code of Practice 2015. The LA has a duty to review every EHC plan at least once every twelve months. Reviews happen earlier in three situations: phase transfer (Year 5 to Year 6, Year 10 to Year 11), where the child's needs have changed significantly, or where you formally request an early review (you have a right to do this). (CFA 2014, s.44; SEND Code 2015, chapter 9. See References.)

The school runs the meeting on behalf of the LA. The LA makes the decision afterwards on whether to maintain, amend or cease the plan.

Four key dates. Knowing them lets you push for what should happen, not just what does.

Reality check: many LAs miss the 4-week and 8-week deadlines. IPSEA reports that LA delay is one of the most common parent complaints. If your LA is over the deadline, write to them citing the statutory timeline and ask for a date. Persistent breaches are grounds for a complaint to the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman.

Most parents arrive at the meeting under-prepared and rely on the SENDCO to drive. Reverse this.

The kitchen table, four weeks outThe current plan, printed

1. Four weeks out: re-read the current plan. Print it. Highlight every claim about provision in Section F. Mark where the reality differs from the plan.
2. Three weeks out: request all current reports. Ask the SENDCO for the SEN information report, any TA tracking, any EP, OT, SaLT, CAMHS reports from the last 12 months.
3. Two weeks out: gather your evidence. A short diary of the last 2 weeks: meltdowns, sleep, school attendance, anything you want to flag. Take photos or videos where useful.
4. One week out: write your parent contribution. Use the LA's template form (usually called the EHC2 or parent-views form). Write what your child does well, what is hard, what you want to change about each section of the plan. Send it to the SENDCO and request that it be distributed before the meeting.
5. Two days out: prepare a one-page agenda for yourself. Three things you want changed in F. Two questions you want answered. One outcome you want agreed.

Brief, organised, written.

• A printed copy of the current EHCP.
• Your written parent contribution.
• The diary of the last fortnight (2 sides of A4 at most).
• Any professional reports you have privately commissioned (e.g., independent EP).
• Notes on the three changes you want to F, and the agreed outcomes for each.
• An ally where possible: another parent, a SENDIASS adviser, a relative who knows the child well. Two adults holding the conversation is significantly more effective than one.
• A phone or laptop to take written notes during the meeting (or to record with consent, which most schools will agree to).

A standard Annual Review meeting follows a predictable pattern. Knowing the shape lets you intervene at the right points. A typical 60 to 90-minute Annual Review meeting runs through:

1. Introductions and the child's views (if attending).
2. School's report on progress in the last year, against outcomes in Section E.
3. Parent's views (this is your moment).
4. Professionals' reports (any specialists attending).
5. Discussion of whether Sections B, E and F still describe the child accurately and the provision delivered.
6. Agreed amendments and outcomes for the next year.
7. Sign-off and next steps.

What to push on

• Specific changes to Section F. Name the exact provision and the exact change you want.
• Outdated needs in Section B. If your child has a new diagnosis, or a previous need has resolved, ask for B to be updated.
• Outcomes in Section E. Outcomes should be specific, measurable, achievable in the year, relevant, and time-bound. Vague outcomes (“will improve communication”) are no use to anyone.
• Whether what F says is actually being delivered. If the plan says weekly SaLT and the child has had three sessions this year, flag it.
• Anything missing. Sensory needs, mental health, transitions, social-emotional needs that have emerged since the last review.

The LA has three decisions available after the review. Each has its own consequences.

The Annual Review at Year 5 to Year 6 transition and Year 10 to Year 11 transition has a tighter statutory deadline.

The process should start in Year 5 with the Autumn Term Annual Review focused on phase transfer. By the spring term, the parent has expressed preferences, the LA has consulted schools, and the placement is being agreed. (SEND Regulations 2014, Regulation 18; SEND Code 2015, paragraphs 9.179-9.182.)

See our piece on primary to secondary SEND transition for the month-by-month timeline.

Three routes. Use them in order.

1. Comment on the draft amended plan within the 15-day window. Submit a redraft of any section you want changed, in writing.
2. Mediation. You can ask for mediation with the LA after a decision is made. See our piece on EHCP refused for the mediation framework.
3. Appeal to the SEND Tribunal. Within 2 months of the LA decision letter, with a mediation certificate. You can appeal: a decision to maintain without amendment when you wanted amendment, the contents of an amended plan, a decision to cease.

Whether the Annual Review is in three weeks or six months, three things matter now. The IPSEA Annual Review pages are free, UK-specific, and the most authoritative source for parents; their template letters cover the parent contribution and follow-up.

If you want a second pair of hands, a Remarkable Minds SEND specialist will sit with you and help you audit the current plan, draft the parent contribution, plan the meeting agenda, and rehearse the conversation. Find a specialist (£60 for a 45-minute video call).

The sources behind every claim in this article.

• Statutory basis. Children and Families Act 2014, s.44; SEND Regulations 2014, Regulation 18 (phase transfer); SEND Code of Practice 2015, chapter 9 (paragraphs 9.166-9.182).
• IPSEA on Annual Reviews. IPSEA, The annual review process; IPSEA, Annual review hub; IPSEA template letters for parent contribution and follow-up.
• SENDIASS preparation guides. Leicestershire SENDIASS, Preparing for an annual review; Leeds SENDIASS preparation guide.
• Free SEND advice. IPSEA tribunal helpline 0300 030 0080; SOSSEN 020 8538 3731; your local SENDIASS.

This article is general information about the SEND statutory framework, not legal advice for your specific case. It has been reviewed by a UK SEND specialist but does not replace advice from IPSEA, SOSSEN, your SENDIASS, or a SEN solicitor.