Help !! Primary to secondary school transition EHCP

[Larrissaa]

I have a DD who is in Year 5 with 24 hrs per week 1 to 1 support on EHCP at a mainstream school. I am currently visiting schools and I will like her to attend a mainstream school with resource provision which I really like. I have had a look at the EHCP plan and it hasn't been updated since 2018, DD has come a long way since this EHCP was last written and I doubt any school Will want to accept her with the current EHCP. Please how can I go about getting this updated, reflecting her current needs and support as this as all changed. Each time I visit schools they ask for her plan but she is a different person to what the plan states. We have out next annul ehcp review in May. I have mentioned this to school and they have stated that this will be discussed at the next review. Do I need to request for an educational psychologist assessment to help document clearly what support she will be needing in secondary school. I am really lost... Please I need advice on how to navigate primary to secondary transition. Please help... Any advice will be greatly appreciated.....Thank you in advance

Your child’s EHCP will be updated during the Y5 annual review and the school will be responsible for getting up to date reports etc. You will be asked to name a school for secondary and this will be out in the updated EHCP and will be sent to the school you’ve named. They will then respond to say whether they can meet your child’s needs. The schools you are visiting shouldn’t be asking you for the current EHCP. They will need to base their decision on the updated one when it’s sent to them.

The EHCP should be reviewed annually shouldn't it? My sons always has been for the last 6 years.

Ask for a reassessment of need. The la may decline but this will give you the right of appeal. A reassessment also means you can ask for info from anyone that could be considered reasonable.

Have a look at ipsea or sossen websites for info. Sossen have a great advice line too.

Just bear in mind the transition from primary to secondary can be really difficult.

Also a school can only decline a child for set reasons (provind they aren't inde or aren't listed as recognised).

You may find you end up at appeal and have to get your own reports etc.

This absolutely can't be right.

It's a requirement to hold a review annually where the EHCP is updated as the child grows and changes.

A requirement.

It is a requirement and I expect it has been reviewed every year (pls do confirm OP). The problem is that the updated plan is then sent on to the council SEN dept to formally update and then just... don't! That's my experience of EHCP reviews and talking to friends it a common experience. Basically the school SENCO updates it every year but the council won't formally update it until they are basically forced to - often around this time as the child is preparing to transition to secondary. It's rubbish, but I've direct experience of two different local councils and heard the same of many more...

Yes, this is often the case. They’ll have to do it at Y5 though as a secondary school will need to be named.

The normal route to update an EHCP is through annual review. On the AR paperwork there are boxes you can tick that say it needs updating/ needs have changed etc. have you seen the last AR paperwork? You can also request EP involvement through the AR. You just need to be on the ball as it won't happen if you don't ask.

I am on same boat .

all the schools I named shouting at me or passive aggressively rudely saying they r full , won’t meet need .

i just wonder once we got into those named schools ( at tribunal via appeal ) . Once we r IN. R they going to be nice to the insiders ?
or they are just total Dxxk Inside out consistently ?

I mean I underhand they put current insider as priority to protect their resources, not to share their pie etc etc .
but once people got IN. They will switch their attitude to be really nice and inclusive ?

from my experience with primary so far .
if senco is nice to insider . She/ he is also nice and inclusive to outsider . ( even if it’s full ) .

so pls enlighten me about your secondary naming school experiences .

The year 5 AR is a transition review at which plans should be made for secondary school provision.

This is my day job. By law, the EHCP has to be reviewed annually. The school will chair the annual review and each year the outcomes should be reviewed and if they have been met, the school should be putting forward suggestions for new targets. Also, at each of these meetings you can also update your views. The local authority can be reluctant to update the Plan even when changes are suggested but at the year 5 review it is vital to get the Plan up to date for the transition to secondary. At the annual review, ask for a representative from the local authority to attend (they may anyway but I’d check they’re sending someone), and ask for the Plan to be updated so that it is accurate for secondary. They have to follow a specific timescale for Year 5 reviews so check with them what that is.

This IPSEA page explains the phase transfer process. You can use the AR process to request amendments. Although there’s no guarantee the LA will agree to amend or make all the amendments you think are required. If they don’t, you could appeal following the upcoming AR, or you could decide to wait and appeal when you get the finalised amended EHCP naming secondary placement) if you think a reassessment of needs is required you should make that request now. The EHCP must be amended for secondary transfer by the 15th Feb of Y6. To do this a phase transfer review should be held in the autumn term of Y6.

I am 70% happy with EHCP drafting .

just unhappy with all named school saying no F off .

my senco is good .
My council is good .
My drafting is not too bad .
30 hours per year.

But just traumatised by all target schools saying no …

so EHCP is made for what purpose ?

EHCP is only a golden ticket to enter the “unavoidable “ tribunal ? In order to get into target school ?

I spent 6k and 6 months only just got a “ u r qualified to enter tribunal if u want “ ticket ?

Are the named schools best for the child or considered the best schools by other parents though. This is often the problem. 24 hours of 1 to 1 funding suggests a high level of need to be able to thrive in a mainstream secondary. Have you looked at SEN schools, their timetable is more likely to fit your child. At secondary accessing both learning amd social.life becomes very different.

It’s a legal requirement but our la rarely issue an updated ehcp after annual review, it’s generally only done if the parent puts in a formal complaint chasing it up or if it’s a transition year, if not then a child can go from reception to year 5 with no updated ehcp

DS is year 5 and our LA have said that they'll update his EHCP with the annual review paperwork (AR in June) - they're another LA that normally just staples to the back of the EHCP rather than actually updating it.

Should he be seeing an EP so the report is available by the annual review or do we request that he sees one at the AR meeting?

Should the potential secondary come to the AR?

In our area the EHCP can take a year to be written up post annual review but since COVID they've started only sending out the new version at the end of key stage. It doesn't mean the changes aren't set. I would ask them for the latest version.

Here we do all year 5 reviews in October so that transition is talked about, and in that we mention the potential schools families want for secondary then in the year 6 review the chosen school is included as part of the plan.

The “ best “ school is simply for me a secondary school which has a primary in it . As I wanted to avoid the transition pain .
but all told me to F off .
( coincidentally they r good but mixed reputation also in a way kind of marmite , best academic but strict , or amazing facility but current management caused lots staff turn over )

luckily our current senco is amazing so I am now reluctant to go to tribunal at year 3/4 now .

I think I will pay another 2k for an EP at year 5 review .
my senco defly will help my case if she still work there in 2026 .

So my budget is 2k for Ep in 2026 for secondary application .
with this inflation going up . I am sure 1k now for EP will be 2k in 2026 .

then some lawyer fee to go to tribunal if I can’t get into my target secondary school in September 2025 : a state school in my borough .

I can go to tribunal myself but emotionally it’s eating me up . So I will just put some money aside for lawyer for tribunal . Hope the school wana settle out of court before tribunal date .

30 hours :
SALT : 16 hours per year
OT 7 hours

Rest 4-5 hours is mental health anxiety Lego group etc

It's a requirement to hold a review annually where the EHCP is updated as the child grows and changes.

LAs have to review an EHCP at least annually (and can be forced to if they fail to), but they don’t have to amend following each AR (although parents will get the right of appeal following each AR whether the LA amend or not).

In our area the EHCP can take a year to be written up post annual review but since COVID they've started only sending out the new version at the end of key stage.

This is your LA acting unlawfully. They can’t lawfully have such a blanket policy. And following the AR the LA must inform parents if they are going to amend or not within 4 weeks and if they are going to amend send the draft at the same time then finalise within a further 8 weeks. These timescales can be enforced via JR if necessary.

As I wanted to avoid the transition pain .

An all-through school does not guarantee no transition. LA’s must still go through the phase transfer process even if DC is in an all-through school.

Only having 30 hours of support detailed, specified and quantified a year is not a good draft.