Shropshire Council

Annuals Reviews should still be carried out virtually

24 June 2020 Last updated at 12:57

Update from Julia Dean, SEN Service Manager

You are aware that the statutory responsibility to conduct an annual review for a child with an Education and Health Care Plan (EHCP) has not been relaxed. Shropshire SEN Team therefore request that schools conduct the annual review meeting within the identified timeframe and return documentation to the SEN Team as usual. The lockdown situation has meant that many schools have been proactive in developing different ways of conducting the annual review to ensure that the meeting remains person centred. SEN officers and other professionals have shared positive feedback where they have attended annual reviews that have been conducted via Teams; parents have also commented on the success of these meetings, despite some initial feeling of trepidation, mainly regarding the technology.  

As we move forward I am requesting that all annual review meetings are arranged using ‘Teams’ and that all professionals working with the child/yp are invited to attend the meeting or contribute a written report. This may involve parents/carers attending a Teams meeting whilst at school or attending the meeting from home.  Please contact the SEN Team if you have concerns about how to set up a ‘Teams’ annual review meeting to include parents.

Please can you also check that you have no outstanding reviews for this academic year and make the necessary arrangements to get these completed by the end of term if possible.

Children and young people who are due to transition in September 2021 will require a transition review to be completed. Due to the statutory deadline dates we need to adhere to, for all those due in the autumn term we ask that these are completed and returned to the SEN Team by October half term.  

  1. Reminders:

Thank you for continuing to review your risk assessments for vulnerable pupils. Please send updated risk assessments to; educationaccessservice@shropshire.gov.uk

Completed templates to identify the provision that is being delivered to individuals with an EHCP as part of the, ‘reasonable endeavours’ need to be returned, by the end of each month, to;

senteam@shropshire.gov.uk