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The annual review of an EHC plan

How the annual review is meant to run, what is circulated beforehand, what you can raise in the meeting, and what the council decides afterwards.

Timing

Estimated deadline

Plans are reviewed at least every 12 months, and the council must tell you its decision within four weeks of the meeting. An appeal deadline runs from that decision letter, or from the final amended plan where one is issued.

What this page covers

The review is the one point in the year where the plan is formally looked at again. Knowing the sequence makes it easier to prepare for.

Evidence to gather

  • The current planThe review is measured against what the plan currently says.
  • School progress informationIt shows whether the provision in the plan is working.
  • Recent professional reportsAnything written since the last review that describes changed needs.
  • Your own notes on what has changedThe day-to-day picture that no report captures.

The steps

  1. 1

    Know when it is due

    An EHC plan must be reviewed at least every 12 months. You can also ask for a review sooner if your child’s needs have changed.

  2. 2

    Ask for the papers before the meeting

    The advice and information gathered for the review must be circulated to everyone invited at least two weeks before it. If it has not arrived, ask for it.

  3. 3

    Write down what has changed

    What is working, what is not, and what is different since the plan was written. Bring it in writing so it goes into the record rather than only being said.

  4. 4

    Wait for the council’s decision, then check it

    Within four weeks of the meeting the council must tell you whether it will keep the plan as it is, amend it, or cease to maintain it.

  5. 5

    A "no change" decision can be appealed too

    A decision to keep the plan exactly as it is — a decision not to amend — can be appealed from that decision letter, and so can a decision to cease the plan. Where the council decides to amend, the appeal right comes with the final amended plan when it is issued, not with the decision to amend.

Where this comes from3 sources

  • SEND code of practice: 0 to 25 years

    Department for Education and Department of Health and Social Care

    Last checked

  • The Special Educational Needs and Disability Regulations 2014

    Department for Education (SI 2014/1530)

    Last checked

  • First-tier Tribunal (Special Educational Needs and Disability)

    HM Courts & Tribunals Service

    Last checked

Before your next review

The free check helps you set out what has changed since the plan was written, and what to raise.

Start the free check