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EHCP annual reviews
Annual Review or Phase Transition? Let’s make sure it leads to meaningful progress.
We help you prepare effectively by reviewing your child’s EHCP alongside the professional evidence and any recommendations for change. We support you to identify the amendments required and ensure that the final EHCP accurately reflects your child’s current needs, provision and appropriate placement.
The annual review should be a key opportunity to review progress. Too often, that opportunity is missed.
The annual review is an important opportunity to assess your child’s progress and ensure their EHCP still accurately reflects their needs. Too often, updated evidence and requested changes are overlooked, provision is removed without justification, or the plan remains vague and difficult to enforce.
An annual review is a formal legal process, not simply a meeting. Specific steps must be completed before, during and after it, and the Local Authority must properly consider the evidence and any requested amendments.
We support families throughout the process, helping you prepare, identify the changes needed and check that the final EHCP accurately reflects your child’s needs, provision and agreed amendments.
How we support you
How we help with EHCP Annual Reviews
Reviewing your child’s current EHCP and identifying areas that require amendment or updating
Cross-referencing professional evidence against the existing EHCP before the meeting
Helping you prepare the amendments and key points you wish to raise
Reviewing any proposed amendments issued after the meeting
Checking the final EHCP to ensure that the agreed changes have been accurately reflected
Advising you on the next steps where the final EHCP does not properly reflect the evidence or discussions held during the review
You’re not alone
When families usually need this support
Families often seek support when one of these situations sounds familiar.
★★★★★
“Her support, kind words and encouragement gave us enough courage every time to keep standing and keep fighting.”
Mariska De Vos
Parent we supported
The annual review meeting is approaching and evidence needs to be reviewed and organised beforehand
Updated professional reports need to be accurately reflected throughout the review process
Recommendations discussed at the annual review have not been included in the amended EHCP
The wording in the current EHCP no longer accurately reflects their child’s needs
They are unclear about the Local Authority’s responsibilities following the annual review meeting
The final EHCP issued following the annual review is incomplete, unclear or legally weak
Our EHCP annual reviews Options
EHCP Annual Review Support Options
The annual review is more than just a meeting. It is an important opportunity to ensure that your child’s EHCP remains accurate, up to date and legally enforceable.
Getting the process right can make a significant difference to the support your child receives. We offer different levels of annual review support, depending on the amount of review, preparation and guidance you require.
Before
Support before the review
A detailed review of your child’s EHCP and professional evidence before the meeting, helping you understand what changes should be requested and ensuring recommendations are reflected clearly and accurately.
Includes
Review of your child’s current EHCP to identify areas requiring amendment
Cross-referencing professional evidence against the existing plan
Help understanding and preparing the amendments you wish to request
You go into the meeting clear on what to request and why, with the evidence to back it up.
During
Ongoing support through the process
Support preparing for the annual review meeting, reviewing proposed amendments from the Local Authority and checking that any final EHCP accurately reflects the discussions and evidence provided.
Includes
Preparation for the annual review meeting
Reviewing proposed amendments from the Local Authority
Checking the final EHCP accurately reflects the discussions and evidence
We stay alongside you across the whole process, from preparation through to the final plan.
EHCP Annual Review Meeting
Attendance at the meeting
Where you would value someone alongside you, we can attend the annual review meeting itself, helping make sure key issues are raised and your child’s needs are properly represented.
Includes
Attendance at the annual review meeting with you
Making sure key issues are raised and your child’s needs represented
Follow-up review of the outcome and any proposed amendments
You not alone in the room. We help make sure the right points are heard and recorded.
How we support you
Support before, during or after the Annual Review
Every family needs a different level of support during the annual review process. We can review your child’s EHCP and professional evidence, identify required amendments, help you prepare for or attend the meeting, review the Local Authority’s proposed changes and check the final plan.
We also identify gaps between needs and provision, strengthen vague wording and advise on next steps where the amended EHCP does not properly reflect the evidence or your child’s needs.
Before the meeting
A detailed review of the EHCP and professional evidence, so you know what to request.
Throughout the process
Preparing for the meeting, reviewing LA amendments and checking the final plan.
At the meeting
Someone alongside you, making sure key issues are raised and recorded.
Our support can include reviewing current EHCP wording, cross-referencing professional evidence, strengthening provision so that it is specific and enforceable, identifying gaps between needs and provision, and helping you understand any next steps if the amended EHCP does not properly reflect your child’s needs.
All of our work is underpinned by the SEND legal framework, with a clear focus on ensuring that any proposed amendments are lawful, clearly worded and legally enforceable.
Our process
How our EHCP annual review support for parents works
1.
Get in Touch
Tell us when the annual review is taking place and what you hope to achieve. We will recommend the most appropriate level of support for your circumstances.
2.
We review your documents
You provide your child’s current EHCP, updated professional reports and any annual review paperwork. We review everything carefully and identify what needs to change and why.
3.
You receive clear, practical support
We annotate the EHCP with clear, legally grounded amendments and cross-reference the proposed changes against the professional evidence. You receive a prepared version to use before and during the meeting.
4.
We review the updated plan
Once the Local Authority issues its decision or an amended EHCP following the review, we check it against the evidence, discussions and amendments requested. Where anything has been missed or not properly reflected, we advise you on the next steps.
Is this the right support for you?
This service is particularly helpful for you if you want your child’s annual review to result in meaningful changes to their EHCP, with wording that accurately reflects their current needs and the provision required to meet them.
This service is usually most helpful when…
Your child’s annual review meeting or phase transition is approaching and you want to feel fully prepared
Updated professional evidence needs to be properly reflected before the meeting
Sections B and F no longer accurately reflect your child’s current needs and provision
Changes discussed at the annual review have not been included in the amended EHCP
You want clarity and reassurance before responding to the Local Authority’s proposed amendments
This may not be the right fit if…
You are requesting an EHC needs assessment and an EHCP has not yet been issued
You have received your child’s first draft EHCP and require an initial draft check
You require appeal or Tribunal support following the issue of a final EHCP
Free download
7 Things to Check Before You Accept a Draft EHCP
A practical guide to help you identify unclear wording, missing provision, and the key sections that matter before your EHCP is finalised.
Trusted by families across England
Real reviews from parents and carers we’ve supported through EHCPs, appeals and Tribunals.
Questions & answers
Frequently asked questions about EHCP annual reviews
Still unsure about something? We’re always happy to talk it through.
Why families choose us
You are in safe, experienced hands
We are a multi-award-winning team of independent SEND advocates and consultants with backgrounds in healthcare, education and law.
Every member of our team has personal experience of navigating the SEND system, either as a neurodivergent person, as a parent advocating for their own child/ren, or both. That lived experience sits alongside our professional knowledge and shapes the practical, compassionate support we provide.
Our team holds Advanced IPSEA SEND Law Level 3 training at a minimum, undertakes ongoing professional development and keeps up to date with relevant case law, statutory guidance and developments in SEND law. Where appropriate, we may also seek specialist legal input on more complex matters.
We are proud of the recognition our work has received, but we are most proud of the families who continue to place their trust in us and the outcomes we have helped them achieve for their children.
SEND GUIDANCE
Helpful guidance for families navigating SEND
Explore related support
Other ways we can help
EHCP Draft Checking Service
Detailed review of a draft EHCP plan before it is finalised.
Tribunal Support
Practical guidance, preparation and strategic support where a formal appeal or mediation becomes necessary.
Refusal to Issue Appeals
Support when the Local Authority fails to properly issue an EHCP following an EHC needs assessment.
Here when you’re ready
The annual review is an important opportunity to ensure your child’s EHCP reflects their needs.
Contact us for professional support throughout the process, helping you approach the review with confidence and work towards an EHCP that properly reflects your child’s individual needs.