Page: https://wfsenddata.org.uk/ehcp-annual-review.html
Figures last updated: 2026-10-25

# What should happen at an annual review?

Short answer. The council must review your child's EHC plan at least every 12 months. You should get at least 2 weeks' notice of the review meeting, and the reports at least 2 weeks before it. After the meeting the council has 4 weeks to tell you whether it will keep, change or end the plan. In 2025, Waltham Forest completed 49% of the reviews due (England 57%), and made its decision within 4 weeks after 23% of them (England 48%).

DfE figures for reviews due in 2025. This is not legal advice.

## The steps and the legal deadlines

These steps apply when your child is at a school, nursery or college. The council can ask the head teacher to arrange the review meeting ([SEND Regulations 2014, regulation 20(1)](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2014/1530/contents)).

- The review is due within 12 months of the plan being issued, or of the last review ([Children and Families Act 2014, section 44(1)](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2014/6/section/44)).
- You are invited to the meeting with at least 2 weeks' notice. The school, the council's SEND service, health and social care must be invited too ([SEND Regulations 2014, regulation 20(2) and (3)](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2014/1530/contents)).
- You get the reports at least 2 weeks before the meeting. Whoever arranges the meeting must ask everyone invited for advice and information about your child, and send it round ([SEND Regulations 2014, regulation 20(4)](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2014/1530/contents)).
- The meeting looks at your child's progress towards the outcomes in the plan, and whether they are still right. The council must take account of your views and your child's ([SEND Regulations 2014, regulations 19 and 20(5)](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2014/1530/contents)). From Year 9, it must also cover preparing for adulthood and independent living ([SEND Regulations 2014, regulation 20(6)](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2014/1530/contents)).
- A report of the meeting is sent to everyone invited within 2 weeks, with recommendations for any changes to the plan ([SEND Regulations 2014, regulation 20(7) and (9)](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2014/1530/contents)).
- The council decides: 4 weeks after the meeting. It must tell you whether it will keep the plan as it is, change it or end it ([SEND Regulations 2014, regulation 20(10)](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2014/1530/contents)).
- If it changes the plan, it sends you the proposed changes and the evidence for them. You have at least 15 days to comment and ask for a particular school. The final plan is due within 8 weeks of the proposed changes being sent ([SEND Regulations 2014, regulation 22](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2014/1530/contents)).

Enter the date of the meeting in the [deadlines calculator](https://wfsenddata.org.uk/deadlines.html#annual-review) to see each date.

## If your child is changing school

If your child is moving to a new phase of education, such as from nursery to primary school or from primary to secondary school, the plan must be reviewed and, if needed, changed to name the new school by 15 February in the year of the move. For a move from secondary school to a college or other post-16 setting, the date is 31 March ([SEND Regulations 2014, regulation 18(1)](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2014/1530/contents)). With a deadline in February or March, the review usually needs to happen in the autumn term before, so ask the school when it will be if you haven't heard. The plan must name the new school by the deadline, so you can tell the school and the council early which schools you want to be considered. See [special school places](https://wfsenddata.org.uk/places.html) and [SEND in each school](https://wfsenddata.org.uk/schools.html).

## Reviews in Waltham Forest

Annual reviews in 2025

| Area | Reviews due that were completed | Decisions made within 4 weeks |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Waltham Forest | 49.1% | 23.4% |
| London | 47.4% | 42.3% |
| England | 56.8% | 47.6% |

Source: DfE, [Education, health and care plans](https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/education-health-and-care-plans): [Number of annual reviews of EHC plans](https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-catalogue/data-set/49159ef4-a116-47d7-9e16-61feb9981089) (downloaded 2026-10-25). Reviews due in 2025.

3,339 Waltham Forest plans were due a review in 2025, and 1,638 reviews were completed. The council made its decision within 4 weeks after 23.4% of them, 26th of 31 London boroughs (1st = best).

The council's own monitoring showed 12% of Year 9 reviews done on time in August 2025 ([London Borough of Waltham Forest, SEND Local Area Improvement Plan - Highlight Report (September 2025) (October 2025), p. 17](https://democracy.walthamforest.gov.uk/documents/s105503/Appendix%201%201%20-%20SEND%20Improvement%20Plan%20-%20HWB%20-%20Highlight%20Report%20-%20Sept%2025.pdf)). It hasn't published this figure since. Ofsted asked the council and the NHS to make sure reviews from Year 9 reflect young people's "aspirations and ambitions" ([Ofsted and Care Quality Commission, Area SEND inspection of Waltham Forest Local Area Partnership (April 2025), p. 6](https://files.ofsted.gov.uk/v1/file/50273312)).

The council says it is clearing a backlog of overdue reviews, and that "a significant number of EHC plans are likely to be ceased" once it has ([London Borough of Waltham Forest, SEND Sufficiency Plan 2025-30 (in the Schools Forum pack, 10 December 2025) (December 2025), p. 20](https://thehub-beta.walthamforest.gov.uk/sites/default/files/2025-12/10th_December_2025_School_Forum_Report.pdf)). So far, 5 of the 1,638 reviews completed in 2025 ended the plan. For the trends and the council's own figures, see [annual reviews](https://wfsenddata.org.uk/reviews.html).

## If the review is late or you disagree

- If the review doesn't happen, or the decision is late, you can complain to the council and then to the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman. See [how to complain](https://wfsenddata.org.uk/resources.html#complaints).
- If the council decides not to change the plan, or to end it, you can appeal to the SEND Tribunal ([Children and Families Act 2014, section 51(2)(e) and (f)](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2014/6/section/51)). Its decision letter must tell you how ([SEND Regulations 2014, regulation 20(11)](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2014/1530/contents)).
- If it changes the plan, you can appeal against what the new plan says, or the school it names, once it is final ([Children and Families Act 2014, section 51(3)(b)](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2014/6/section/51)).

See [how to appeal](https://wfsenddata.org.uk/ehcp-refused.html). For free advice, contact [IPSEA](https://www.ipsea.org.uk/) or [Waltham Forest SENDIASS](https://www.walthamforestsendiass.org.uk/).

## What these figures don't tell you

- The DfE figures cover 2025 only, so they can't show whether things are getting better or worse.
- The council's own monitoring measures reviews done on time, which is not the same as the DfE's measure, so the figures don't match.
- The council has said data from its case management system is inaccurate ([London Borough of Waltham Forest, SEND Improvement Plan - Progress So Far (October 2025), p. 5](https://democracy.walthamforest.gov.uk/documents/s105502/The%20Integrated%20meeting%20of%20Waltham%20Forest%20Health%20SP%20FINAL.pdf)).

## More guides for families

- [How do I ask for an EHC needs assessment?](https://wfsenddata.org.uk/ehcp-assessment-request.html)
- [How long does an EHC plan take?](https://wfsenddata.org.uk/ehcp-waiting-time.html)
- [What if the council refuses an assessment or a plan?](https://wfsenddata.org.uk/ehcp-refused.html)
- [Can my child get a special school place?](https://wfsenddata.org.uk/special-school-places.html)
- [How long is the wait for an autism assessment?](https://wfsenddata.org.uk/autism-assessment-waiting-time.html)
- [How long is the wait for an ADHD assessment?](https://wfsenddata.org.uk/adhd-assessment-waiting-time.html)