Advice on annual reviews

Annual reviews 2 Annual reviews Warwickshire Parent Partnership Service For more information about annual reviews you can contact: The Assessment, Statementing and Review Service (ASRS) 22 Northgate Street Warwick CV34 4SP Tel: 01926 412828 Email: sen@warwickshire.gov.uk Website: www.warwickshire.gov.uk/sen Warwickshire Parent Partnership Service ContinYou Unit C1, Grovelands Court Grovelands Estate Longford Road, Exhall Coventry CV7 9NE Tel: 024 7658 8464 Email: pps@continyou.org.uk Terminology DISCS – Disability, Inclusion, Sensory and Communication Service LEA – local education authority LABSS – Learning and Behaviour Support Service SEN – special educational needs SENCO – special educational needs co-ordinator Why have an annual review? All statements of special educational needs (SEN) must be reviewed at least once a year. An annual review is held in order to: ● check that your child has made progress, and that any support has been successful in meeting their needs over the last year ● see whether there has been any change in your child’s circumstances ● think about and plan for the next year, and set new targets ● see whether the statement is still right for your child’s needs. The annual review can be held at any time during the school year. However, when setting the review date, the school should consider your child’s particular circumstances, such as when/whether they are due to change schools. Before the meeting The headteacher/special educational needs co-ordinator (SENCO) should request written advice from: ● parents or carers ● staff who have been working with your child ● anyone that the local education authority (LEA) suggests should be asked for advice. The school should send out copies of any written advice to everyone involved at least two weeks before the meeting. A form is available from the Warwickshire Parent Partnership Service, which can help you when you are writing your advice for the annual review (see the back cover of this leaflet for the Service’s contact details). The meeting is usually held at school during the working day. If it is difficult for you to attend at this time, you should discuss this with the school, which will try to be flexible. Who will attend the annual review? The school must invite: ● parents or carers ● someone from the LEA – this could be the education officer or an educational psychologist (who may send a report if they cannot come) ● your child’s teacher(s). 2 3 There are other people who could be asked to attend: ● your child, if they wish to be at the meeting (if they do not want to attend, they could send their views either in writing, or by talking to you) ● teachers from the support services – Learning and Behaviour Support Service (LABSS), the Disability, Inclusion, Sensory and Communication Service (DISCS), and so on ● a friend or supporter to accompany you ● health professionals involved with your child, such as speech therapists, physiotherapists or occupational therapists. You could discuss who could be invited to the review when the school contacts you to arrange the meeting. At the meeting The annual review should consider the following questions: ● Is a statement still required? ● Is the statement still appropriate for the child’s needs? ● Are any changes needed to the statement? ● Are any new targets needed to meet the objectives in the statement? Your child may attend the meeting to talk about the last year – what has been successful and what might have been better – and to give their thoughts on the coming year. If they do not attend the meeting, someone else, having talked with your child, should put forward their views. The teachers and the SENCO will talk through their reports, including: ● what has worked well ● what progress has been made ● what difficulties have been encountered. Professionals from outside the school, such as the educational psychologist or support service teacher, will also be asked to contribute. 4 5 You will be asked for your views. Some people find they become a bit nervous, as it’s not easy when you are talking about your child. It can be helpful to write down in advance the points that you want to make. You should have the opportunity to ask any questions. It is important to ask for an explanation of anything you don’t understand. The annual review should provide you with a clear picture of the support your child is receiving, the amount of progress they have made, and the targets for the future. After the meeting The school must prepare a report and send it to the LEA no later than 10 days after the review. This should summarise what was agreed at the meeting, and the recommendations made for the coming year. A copy of the report should be sent to all the people who attended the meeting. Some recommendations from the annual review may need to be agreed by the LEA officer. If there are any changes made to the statement, a copy will be sent to you. Transfer to secondary school Advance planning is very important when your child moves to secondary school. This should first be considered at the annual review in Year 5, when it should be possible to discuss the type of provision your child might need at the secondary stage. You will then be able to visit schools and consider all the options at the same time as other parents. In a very few cases, the options may not be clear at the Year 5 review, so it will be necessary to arrange an early annual review in the autumn term of Year 6. The LEA must then amend your child’s statement by 15 February in the year of your child’s transfer. The LEA will write to you, giving details of the arrangements for your child’s secondary placement. This should be completed no later than the beginning of March. It is good practice for the SENCO of your child’s named secondary school to attend a review meeting at the primary school in the summer term before transfer. This will help with planning for the new school year, and will also help to ensure that effective support will be in place. You might also find it useful to arrange a meeting with the secondary school SENCO to discuss future support for your child. Please remember that, if you have any questions or concerns at any time, it is always helpful to talk with the staff involved in supporting your child. 6 7