What is an Annual Review?
EHCPs (Education, Heath and Care Plan) must be reviewed at least every 12 months. The focus of the review is to look over a child or young person's progress and interventions in the past year and decide whether the outcomes are still appropriate for the forthcoming year.
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Who should attend an AR?
The child
You as the parent or legal guardian of the child
The school SENCo or Assistant SENCo
A representative from the local authority
Any other person that you feel appropriate that knows the child very well - A Teaching Assistant for example
Purpose
To review the attainment, intervention and progress of the past year, and to plan interventions, write outcome goals and to discuss how funding is spent for the next academic year.
Content of meeting
The child’s opinion of how he or she feels intervention/school is going is absolutely paramount. The child’s well-being and happiness will also be asked about. All comments should be recorded and reported on after the meeting.
As the parent or legal guardian of the child, your opinion and input is imperative. Your feedback and views must always be considered and respected.
All interventions should be explained and their outcomes remarked on. You should consider if it is worth continuing with that specific intervention next year (dependent on the effectiveness), adapt or change it completely. They should also justify why they feel that this intervention was/is appropriate.
Spending of additional funds should be reviewed. The school must justify how they have spent the money that has been allocated to the child in that past year. They would have prepared a break down of costs, and it should be rigorously checked. Conversations then should determine how the funding is spent for the next academic year.
Goals and targets will be set for next year with periodic (normally termly) reviews. Each goal will state how the school propose to reach that and which teacher or key person will be associated with it. For example; {Child’s name} will pronounce lateral /s/ correctly when speaking during session on 3 out of 5 occasions -1:1 Speech and language intervention once a week for 30 minutes until next AR- Speech and Language Specialist {name}
All goals and targets must be realistic and achievable.
Questions that should be answered during an annual review
Is the child happy at school?
Which specific individual interventions have been tried? Have they worked? Why?
What does the child want to achieve by next year? Academically, socially and emotionally?
How much money has been specifically spent on the child? Compare this with the level of funding (£6000 per student per academic year - Element 1 (Mainstream placement with EHCP no top up) 2018)
What other interventions are available? Consider outside agencies -such as private therapists and online resources such as EdPlace.com etc.
When will goals be reviewed? Termly or bi-termly?
When will you send me the amended document?
How can EdPlace help?
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Resources to take with you to an AR
- Copy of the EHCP
- Report for previous AR (if available)
- Up-to-date funding information
- Most recent school report
- Written questions that you want to ask
- Pen and paper in case you want to write notes or thoughts
- Bottle of water as AR’s can be lengthy
After the AR
When you receive the annual review document, thoroughly check it through and make sure that you are happy that everything has been amended as discussed.
Contact the SENCo and tell them that you have received it.
Pre-warn your child of any changes to their intervention plan, so that they can prepare themselves for new sessions and arrangements.
It is important to remember that you do not have to wait until the Annual Review to question intervention for your child if you don’t feel that it is helping. Contact the school SENCo and discuss your child’s education whenever you feel it necessary to do so.
