Phase Transitions – Moving to the Next Stage of Education with an EHCP.
Updated: Sep 4
Phase transition is the move between one phase of education and another, specifically:
Early years education (nursery) to school
Infant school to junior school
Primary school to middle school
Primary school to secondary school
Middle school to secondary school
Secondary school to a post-16 institution
For all children with an EHCP in their final year before a transition to a new phase of education, local authorities have a legal duty to review and amend the child's EHC plan to ensure that an appropriate next setting is named. For all transition except to post-16, the local authority must finalise the updated plan is 15th February in the year in which the child transfers.
What are transition years?
Transition years are when your child moves to a new phase of education. A transition year is detailed in Regulation 2 of the SEN and Disability Regulations 2014:
(a) early years education to school;
(b) infant school to junior school;
(c) primary school to middle school;
(d) primary school to secondary school;
(e) middle school to secondary school, or,
(f) secondary school to a post-16 institution.
This is often called a “phase transfer”.
What happens to an EHCP during a transition year?
Regulation 18 of the SEN Regs states that the EHC plan must be reviewed and amended before:
(a) 31st March if the transfer is from secondary school to a post-16 institution;
(b) 15th February in any other case; or
(c) if a young person is moving from one post-16 institution to another post-16 institution at any other time, at least five months before that transfer takes place.
Transition Review Meeting:
An annual review meeting must be held to start the phase transfer annual review process in the autumn term of the year before the child or young person moves to a new school. These are called Transition Review Meetings.
For more help with how to make the best use of a phased transfer review meeting our Phase Transfer Annual Review webinar here will be useful or consider booking bespoke appeal support. More details of the bespoke support options can be obtained by emailing annualreviews@empoweringSENDfamilies.co.uk
Following the Transition Review Meeting:
LA reviews the plan;
LA sends proposed amendments and a copy of the plan (with section I left blank) to the parent or young person within four weeks of the transition review meeting;
The parent or young person has at least 15 days to respond to the LA’s proposed amendments/content of the plan and to either request that a particular school be named (see our blog Choosing a School for more information);
LA issues a final amended plan, with notice of appeal rights, by the statutory deadlines in Regulation 18.
For more details about schools, see the our blog
Questions & Queries:
What if my school doesn’t arrange a transition review in the autumn term?
Ask the school to arrange a meeting. If they don’t, make a formal complaint to the LA using this model letter.
What if I don’t get a decision and proposed amendments or final plan in the timescales?
Put in a formal complaint to your LA using these YouTube Clips to help you.
What if I don’t get an update naming the next placement by 15th February or 31st March?
Make a formal complaint to the Director of Services at your LA, stating that your child has an EHCP and is in a transition year, and the LA has failed to update their EHCP to name their subsequent placement by the statutory date.
Where do I go from here?
If you require additional support, find out how Empowering Families of Children with SEND can help you here.
If you have any questions, come and find us on our Facebook Group, we are always available to provide professional support there.
Our YouTube channel has over 125 support videos.
For more information about how Empowering Families can help you, email annualreviews@empoweringSENDfamilies.co.uk
And book a meeting with us here.
We are, and always will be, Stronger Together.
You can find testimonials to our bespoke services on our website and Facebook Business page here.
