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Year 5 Missed Annual Review
My son has an EHCP and is entering Year 6. His Year 5 Annual Review was missed, which is a major issue because our preferred secondary school has a practice of requiring the EHCP consultation to be sent before June of Year 5 for consideration. Now, the primary school staff and SENCO are putting pressure on us during a transition meeting, arguing that the school is 'too academic and busy' for him and pointing to his 'Working Towards Standards' profile to steer us toward alternative placements. We want to name our preferred secondary school as our absolute first preference on the Phase Transfer form. In practice, what are our legal rights regarding this missed Year 5 review and the secondary school's June timeline, and can the school or local authority override our choice based on subjective claims that a school is 'too academic'?
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Secondary school naming with appeal pending - Y5 transition timing
I have an appeal pending with a hearing in the first months of next year. We've just had our annual review and the school amended the EHCP but noted that there's an appeal ongoing.
They're saying we'll need another annual review after the appeal to name the secondary school. My child is in Y5, and they've warned the secondary could refuse him if they see the EHCP post-appeal.
I've heard it's better to request secondary placement earlier rather than waiting until June 2026. The secondary school SENCO confirmed they usually get requests much earlier than June.
Questions:
Should I request secondary placement now or wait until after the tribunal?
Can the LA delay naming a secondary school until the appeal's resolved?
Could requesting now affect my appeal?
Thanks for any advice!