To postpone annual review?

[MyOtherCarIsAPorsche]

Just found out that DGS has his annual review on Thursday. (We thought it was in November because his last one was.) My daughter has been contacted by school this morning to ask if she's attending.

We have not received any paperwork: no formal invite or any reports which I assumed had to be sent out two weeks before. We don't even have anything to fill in with our views/concerns.

We know that the tasks which were 'prescribed' on his last EHCP are not being done on a daily basis. We know that personal care is not being done. He is not even helped with regards to home time - he leaves the class carrying separate items with him: rucksack hanging wide open, water bottle, lunch box, book bag, coat dragging on the floor. All other children leave with their coats on and all items in their rucksacks which are on their backs. DGS comes out like a little waif and stray struggling to carry everything and dropping stuff on the floor. Most days there is something missing - lunch box, water bottle, shoes, socks, coat, fleece. When I ask where these items are the teacher shouts T... where did you leave xyz? Of course he doesn't know. It upsets me to see him at the back of the class struggling whilst everyone else skips out and strides off home whilst I'm dressing him and making sure he has everything with him.

I've no idea what to say at the review and feel rushed thinking that nothing will change anyway. I'm going to support my daughter who is autistic and struggles with face to face meetings and paperwork.

Should he have been seen by Ed Psych? Not that it mattered last time because her recommendations (which we thought were thorough and realistic) and prescriptive section F has been ignored.

DGS - global delay, speech delay, epilepsy, in reception class.

At parent's evening in December, the teacher told DD that she'd 'thrown in the towel' as far as phonics is concerned 'because he just wants to play'. She can't have even read the EHCP.

Have you approached the school and tried to work with them to address what’s been going on before now?

It’s this sort of situation where I feel AI can be massively helpful.
I’d share the reports and guidance, share what your experiences are then ask AI to prepare you a list of questions and what you’d like to see as next steps to enable the meeting to go ahead, inc adding you for all school notifications?

At parent's evening in December, the teacher told DD that she'd 'thrown in the towel' as far as phonics is concerned 'because he just wants to play'. She can't have even read the EHCP.

Did your daughter tell you this?

I imagine the teacher meant that phonics had been put on the back burner whilst more immediate issues relating to him were addressed.

I would email the school and say 'We've only just heard about the annual review and haven't had any paperwork for it. We also haven't been asked our views and had those circulated. Could you send out the paperwork and rearrange the meeting for two weeks after we've sent you our views.

I'm going to support my daughter who is autistic and struggles with face to face meetings and paperwork.

So it is quite possible that advance notice was issued.

Regarding the dates, did you expect it to be November 2026? And he’s just had his previous annual review in November 2025? Or it didn’t happen november 2025 and it’s been delayed to January?

At parent's evening in December, the teacher told DD that she'd 'thrown in the towel' as far as phonics is concerned 'because he just wants to play'.

I would say that a reception child with an EHCP and global delay probably does just want to play and probably isn't ready for phonics. What age is developmentally working at?

Even if the class teacher hasn't read every EHCP document (in some schools these are filed away), surely he has all the targets/provisions on an IEP/My Plan type document that she HAS read??

I don't understand why you have an Annual Review in January when the last was in November though? Do you mean November 25? If he's under 5, he should have a review every 6 months, but if they just did it before Christmas, that makes no sense.

Are you sure this isn't just a usual termly review meeting?

You won't get another EP assessment, no.

Can you ring the school now and find out what's going on? If it's an actual AR, then say you need two weeks' notice and can you have all paperwork sent home to you asap?

@SmittenApple

the school have been approached multiple times. the teacher said the words 'thrown in the towel' - it says nothing about phonics on his EHCP - it does list more than 20 recommendations which add up to much more than an hour per day in the time it takes to complete the tasks. Eg. 2 x 10 min, 1 x 15 min, 1x 5 min ....

when I arrived at lunchtime to pick him up for an appointment one day he could not be found. It took 3 adults more than 10 min to locate him. This is after we appealed his first EHCP to include supervision for use of toilet, playtimes and lunchtimes due to the nature of his epilepsy.

we have asked for evidence of support to be recorded multiple times

we we have asked multiple times for help with toilet use as the skin on his bottom is constantly blistered (this is already on the EHCP).

there's hardly a day goes by without asking for his belongings which are missing and 'could he be helped at the end of the day so he's on par with his classmates?'

school contact me as they would any other parent - I'm on the email list and have access to 'classrooms' platform for all three DGC. I take and pick up the DGC more than mum does due to her working pattern - school know this. I'm usually the one who attends parents evenings/book looks because they more than likely occur when DD is on shift.

we knew that the annual review was due - just didn't get much notice or access to the reports which we know should be sent out to all involved two weeks before the review takes place.

@ItsOnlyHobnobs

His last one was early November 24 so we were expecting one November 25.

His last one was early November 24 so we were expecting one November 25.

It's overdue by 2 months??

Did you not speak to the SENCo about this between October and now?

I'd give your case officer at the LA a ring and ask for advice.

She hasn't been invited or received any reports. School would have given any paperwork to me anyway - they have done for the past 6 years.

the phone call she'd had this morning was the first she'd heard of it.

we have nothing to fill in, as we did have previously, to give our views. This information we want to provide should have been circulated to all involved two weeks ago.

That is not the meaning of "thrown in the towel". If a teacher had said that about my child i would be furious

Pick up the phone to the school and liaise directly with them not via your daughter

@Shinyandnew1

we asked for a date in September, before October half term, November and December. Last three requests were in writing - messages on classrooms and emails.

Heard nothing until today

You should have received paper work two weeks in advance. This may help https://www.ipsea.org.uk/Handlers/Download.ashx?IDMF=2d4c595f-f2cc-4d55-bd8b-dbb97871a06b

School would have given any paperwork to me anyway - they have done for the past 6 years.

Is the child in reception, did you say? I presume there are older siblings as well then if you've known them 6 years.

What did the SENCo say all those times when you have been requesting a date for this AR? That's bizarre, it's a statutory part of their job?!

I'd probably email the senco and Cc the head in-asking why you had been ignored, why the AR is now delayed (the meeting should be held, the paperwork returned to the LA and everything agreed within the 12 months, so the meeting is often held weeks before the 12m date) and say that you can't have the AR on Thursday without being given 2 weeks notice and without the paperwork.

I'd ring the LA now as well.

Has the SENCo been off sick/left suddenly or something?

You must have the right notice and reports must be shared so tell them no, and to rearrange it and ensure the appropriate paperwork is completed and shared beforehand.

Updated advice and information (although not necessarily full EP assessments. Most ARs do not include a full EP assessment in the same way that is undertaken during EHCNAs. DD can request that if it is necessary. Although the LA may not agree.) should have been circulated at least 2 weeks prior to the annual review. When this doesn’t happen, as long as there is sufficient time to read the information, some parents decide to still go ahead if there are pressing concerns on the basis of not wanting to waste time. If DD doesn’t want to, she/you can request to postpone.

If provision detailed, specified and quantified in F isn’t being provided, have DGS’s parents contacted the LA? They are the ones ultimately responsible for ensuring it is provided. If contacting the LA didn’t work, have they looked at a pre-action letter?

Similarly, the LA is ultimately responsible for ensuring the AR process is followed correctly, so when an AR wasn’t held on time, did DD, with your help if necessary, contact the LA?

so when an AR wasn’t held on time, did DD, with your help if necessary, contact the LA?

This!

If I was the parents/grandparent and knew it had gone past the 12m date, I'd have been contacting everyone I could think of every day from November.

Class teacher, senco, head, CoG, LA, SaLT...

I have printed copies of the three times I've contacted school about the annual review. One copy is hopefully going with the AR bundle which will include our views/concerns.

Dd wants to go ahead with the meeting on Thursday because it's her day off this week and she doesn't want to 'mess anyone about'.

I rang school about missing paperwork after DD rang me. No one in the office knew anything about it and we're still non the wiser.

I'm wondering if I write my views/concerns on a piece of paper they'll be taken into account or thrown in the bin.

Even if we get to see any reports tomorrow it's a bit late to consult and comment on them.

DGS was assessed as being two and a half years behind his chronological age but this was November 24. He was 4 years old. We don't have any further assessment information. Which is why we wanted a report from school.

at the end of nursery (in the school) we had nothing to say which level/age he was working at/towards: it was general comments.

when I asked to see what was being done with regards to following the EHCP they said it wasn't written down but a TA worked with him every day. When I asked to see any notes of tasks/work covered and evidence of progress I heard nothing further.

The pre and post teaching reinforcement we were promised more than a year ago is either not working or not happening. I was wanting to explore other possible strategies well in advance of the meeting.

Any ideas?

I rang school about missing paperwork after DD rang me. No one in the office knew anything about it and we're still non the wiser.

No one knew anything about the review?

Or do they confirm that they did send out paperwork but it’s not been received by your daughter?

I would proceed with the review. Why wait? You clearly know the issues you wish to raise and why do you need more time ?

they have absolutely not sent out any paperwork - no formal invite, no reports, no form template to fill in for our/dgs views

dd was unaware of review until she got a phone call from early years teacher this morning asking if she was attending

the office told me that they were unaware of an annual review this Thursday when I asked for what we should have already received. I'll see what they say when I go to collect DGC shortly. I would have liked to have filled in our views before now. Indeed, they are supposed to have been circulated with everyone concerned two weeks ago.

Dd has since had a call from head teacher to say that the teacher report hasn't been done and we will get it after school tomorrow. This probably happened because DD rang sendiass during her lunch break. Sendiass are trying to get someone to 'attend' remotely.

i wanted to go through reports with colleagues/friends beforehand. It doesn't give me any time to meet up with anyone.

DD’s views should be taken into account as part of the AR process.

Being promised provision isn’t the same as provision being legally enforceable. DD needs to look at what is detailed, specified and quantified in F. She needs to pay close attention to the wording. Vague and woolly wording means it isn’t enforceable.

If DD wants to go ahead on Thursday and receives the updated advice and information tomorrow, would she have time to set side tomorrow or early Thursday to go through it, make notes, etc. or not?

DD should be careful with SENDIASS. Some are good but too many repeat the LA’s unlawful policies.

Any ideas?

Yes, I would delay the review for two weeks starting from when you get all the paperwork.

It's so overdue now, that you might as well wait a couple of weeks and do it properly. Get sendiass there, read their report, speak to who you want to speak to.

You say you have three bits of evidence saying you contacted them asking when the AR would be...what were their replies to this?

There will be an assessment section on the AR paperwork which they will have to fill in.

Schools often don't write a report for an AR though-their bit goes in the review section for each Outcome.

Did you answer whether the SENCo has been ill/left, @MyOtherCarIsAPorsche ? Apologies if I missed that. It seems odd that an Annual Review is being done so late with no reason.

A school near me had their senco leave very suddenly after a period of awful illness and I know some of their ARs didn't get done in time. Yes, that should not have happened but there was a reason why it did.

Advice and information from the school should be circulated prior to the AR meeting. That is what the OP is meaning.

Sadly, it isn’t rare for ARs to be held late without reason.