Annual review

[claw2]

AR is in a few months and im trying to get my head around it, its my first so don't really know what to expect. I understand that professionals involved will be asked to prepare reports and so will I.

Is there an idiots guide to AR anywhere?

Is there a template for parental reports?

How did you prepare and what did you include?

So far I have asked school if they have any plans or plan to obtain input or reports from EP or AS advisory and what other professionals will be asked to prepare reports. That's as far as I have got.

I think it varies from area to area. DD1's are quite a casual affair - just the HT/DHT, class teacher and any written reports from SALT, etc.

This guide is produced by Hampshire. Lots of Authorities model their processes on Hampshire.

Thanks Lougle

Claw, DS has had his ARs at a number of placements and I have had no 2 alike. It is run by the school and designed by the school Afaics.

You should get reports 2 weeks before, but you can hand in your own on the day if you want it to be a response iyswim.

Same here - my kids have been in a lot of different settings across different LAs. Each of the meetings was done in a different way, and the parental form was structured differently each time. The most important thing is the flow of the meeting itself, and that's down to the people there; you're bound to have been to much worse in your time.

I wouldn't worry too much if you haven't been given much guidance from the school. For the ones I've done, there's definitely been an inverse relationship between the amount of structure and the effectiveness of the meeting.

So the AR I had at one LA (one of Star's favourites) was structured to the nth degree, with a Ben Hur-style script and cast of professionals. The template asked for detailed, specific written parental input. Which I gave them, in spades: positive feedback and areas for improvement. It went down like a turd in a water strike, and the meeting didn't help anyone. Lots of pain ensued over very minor differences; the meeting was 3 hours long, with plenty remaining to sort out afterwards.

An AR I had in a different LA was poles apart; I turned up with a written report answering 2 questions (are you happy with DS's progress this year? Is there anything else you would like to say?). The meeting was 40 minutes long, just the key front-line professionals turned up, we talked, agreed, hammered out some recommended language to tweak the statement, found out stuff we could all do better, job done.

Various professionals were invited to previous annual reviews but rarely if ever showed. The SENCO usually chaired it along with the class teacher and a TA if these people were also available at that time to attend.

What Lougle has provided is indeed a good template of how it all works.
School usually give out the documents for parents to complete and return a couple of weeks beforehand.

The most taxing reviews for me were the transitional ones i.e the Y2 (due to incompetence by county) and the Y5 reviews but the teacher went above and beyond for DS so I am grateful to that person even now some years later. The last EP report was done in Y5 because that's when the transitional review for secondary school takes place.

DS has been along to all but one of the reviews but he is only there for a small part of the meeting (say 10 minutes at most).

I have found some worse than others although nowadays its a bit easier because I have found my voice more and I also have DH go along as well because he can use his office persona voice on them to great effect!!!.

Do not let them treat you like a mushroom i.e kept in the dark and fed on bullshit!!.

At the review I will basically be asking to change literally the whole statement. So I would at least like school to look at my report prior to the meeting.

I am just going through the statement now, is it ok for me to quote what EP has said for example under the communication and interaction heading if EP comment relates to speech and language need in part 2?

Ooo, that reminds me - mine have all been different, but my DSs have always been asked for their views, and they've been recorded in written form before or during the AR meeting. School normally make this happen, but you could always do it yourself if you think it's better done at your end.

DS1 stayed for and took part in the whole of the last one - it wasn't something I'd make him do again. Mostly because he found it embarassing, but also because no innocent human should have to put themselves through an hour of education jargon....

Sorry more a statement question than AR, although the two are combined! Can I quote what CAMHS have said ie 'ds needing continued support with verbalising his feelings and emotions, in order for his self harming to find a different form of expression'

Can I list that as a speech and language need? Im scrabbling about trying to find SAL needs to list, without any up to date assessments!