Support in education

Annual reviews

An annual review is a yearlyprocesswhere everyone involved looks at a child’s Education,Healthand Care Plan (EHCP) to check if the support is working and whether anything needs to change. Parents, teachers, the SENCO, and other professionals share updates about how the child is doing and what progress they have made. The review helps to make sure the plan still matches the child’s needs and that the right support is in place for the yearahead.

What schools must do

• organise the meeting ingood time
• provide at least 2 weeks’ notice
• circulate reports 2 weeks before
• record child and family views
• review progress and outcomes
• recommend whether tomaintain, amend or cease the plan
• send the review report to the Local Authority within 2 weeks

Local Authority responsibilities

Within 4 weeks of the review meeting, the LA must decide to:

• maintain the EHCP
• amend it
• cease it

If amending:

• draft amendments shared within 2 weeks
• final EHCP issued within 8 weeks

It is the local authority’s duty to review an EHCP every year, not to amend it every year.The purpose of the annual review is to check how well the plan is working and whether the child’s needs or circumstances have changed. In most cases, the EHCP will stay the same because many children’s needsremainstable over time, and the support in place continues to beappropriate. Amendments are only needed when the child’s needs, outcomes, or provision have clearly changed and the current plan no longer reflects what theyrequire. The annual review is therefore a chance to reflect and update understanding, not a guarantee that the plan itself will be rewritten each year.

Phase transfers

A phase transfer ensures the EHCP reflects the child’s needs when moving into a new stage of education.

Key transition points

• Early Years to Year 1
• Year 2 to Year 3(infants to juniors)
• Year 6 to Year 7
• Year 9 (preparation for adulthood)
• Year 11 to post‑16
• post‑18 where appropriate

Key deadlines

• Primary to secondary: final plan by15 February
• Year 2 to Year 3:15 February
• Post16: final plan by31 March

Choosing a school or college

Parents and young people can express a preference.

The LAmust alsoconsider:

• suitability
• impact on others
• efficient use of public funds

More information on schools in Stoke-on-Trent can be found hereEducation – Local Offer

Funding – how SEND support is paid for

Funding depends on a child or young person’s age and setting.

Early years funding

• Universal early years funding supports inclusive practice
• SEN Inclusion Fundingcan be applied for by settings to provide extra support
• Disability Access Fund (DAF)supports3- and 4-year-oldsreceiving DLA

See more information here:Extra Help for Your Child in Nursery or Preschool: SENIF & DAF – Local Offer

School funding (Elements 1–3)

Element 1:

• General school funding for all pupils, including SEND

Element 2:

• Funding for SEND Support, including up to £6,000 ofadditionalprovision where needed

Find details here:SEND funding – Local Offer

Element 3:

• Top-upfunding for children with more complex needs, often linked to an EHC plan

Parents can ask schools how SEND funding supports their child.

Post 16 and specialist funding

Post‑16 providers and specialist settings receive funding through a combination of:

• Core funding
• SEND support funding
• Local Authoritytop-upfunding whererequired

Personal budgets and direct payments

APersonal Budgetis money set aside by the Local Authority to help arrange some of the support in your child’s Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP). Its purpose is to give you and your child more choice and control over how parts of the plan are delivered.

A Personal Budget doesnotchange what support your child is entitled to. It simply gives you more involvement in organising it.

Who can have a Personal Budget?

• Parents of a child with an EHCP
• Young people with an EHCP (from the end of the school year in which they turn 16)

When you can ask for one

You can request a Personal Budget:

• When the Local Authority agrees to create an EHCP after an assessment
• At any annual review of an existing EHCP

If you are unsure whether this is the right choice, you can talk it through with your SEN Casework Officer.

How decisions are made

When you request a Personal Budget, the Local Authority looks at:

• Whether the support in the EHCP can realistically be delivered this way
• Whether it is the best (and most efficient) use of funding
• Whether the money can be separated from services already provided

Your request will be discussed with you so you can understand what may be possible.

If the Local Authority cannot agree

If a Personal Budget is not possible, the Local Authority will:

• Tell you the reasons
• Continue to work with you to personalise support in other ways
• Tell you how to ask for the decision to be reviewed

When Personal Budgets cannot be used

A Personal Budgetcannotbe used to:

• Pay for a school or college place
• Buy general SEND support for children who are on SEN Support
• Pay for support that professionals have said is not needed

A Personal Budget does not give extra oradditionalsupport — it only changeshowagreed support is arranged.

Ways a Personal Budget can be managed

There are three main ways to use a Personal Budget:

• Direct payments:You receive the money and arrange the support yourself.
• Notional budget:The Local Authority, school or setting holds the money and arranges the support for you.
• Third‑party arrangement:The money is given to someone else (an individual or organisation) who manages the support on your behalf.

Families can use just one of these options, or a mixture.