1. Transfer Review Briefings
Mainstream schools
June 2015

2. Agenda Who needs a Transfer Review What is a Transfer Review
How to do a Transfer Review
When to do what
Who can help

3. Who needs a Transfer Review
All children or young people with a statement of SEN who are:
transferring from one provision to a new provision in September 2016;
in year 9 in September 2015;
moving in or out of a special school.
Those with an LDA can request a transfer review.

4. 2500 This is the number we have to do in Essex from 2015-16
No more staff in schools, health or education
Attempts to increase staffing in the LA was unsuccessful ( 10 EP posts advertised- 0 applicants)

5. First date is the date by which the LA has to have the plan completed by.
Second date is the last day that can be day 1 of the 14 week process. So ignore the heading.
The day 1 of the Transfer Review Process must be that date or earlier.

6. What is a Transfer Review
A Transfer Review is a process of assessment that will consider if a child or young person needs an EHCP to meet their needs
The assessment should be done over time in a person centered way
The process must include a meeting to which parents are invited
Advice from Health, Social Care, Education and Psychology must be requested if needed
There is 14 weeks to complete the process
All children and young people with a Statement must have a Transfer Review (an assessment). A Transfer Review is not a meeting bur a process of assessment during which a meeting must be held. The assessment will determine who needs an EHCP to have their needs met. So not all children with a Statement will have an EHCP
The criteria for an EHCP are the same as they were for a statement. The level of need is considered and then consideration of whether the resources normally available in the setting can meet the identified needs. If resources can meet needs then an EHCP will not be required. If usual resources can not meet needs then and EHCP will be issued.
We only have 14 weeks once the process starts so we need to do as much as we can before the clock starts

7. This term – before we go statutory
Consider all the information you have for the child/young person
Complete Information Gathering Form for Transfer Reviews with parents
Send a copy to the Area Office and Parents by 10 July 2015
Let professionals know that you think more advice will be needed and you will be officially requesting it in the autumn term.
You will already be developing your ways of working to align with what is required here. You will be working in a person centred way.
You need to gather all the information and consider what your views are about what information is known and what is not
Who can help you get the info?
Have you got reports already that are useful?
Can you get input this term?
Let the professionals know as soon as you think you will need them – before the clock starts – they will have a better change to plan
If ST an or EP is in how are you using their time?
Remember only ask for advice if you really need it – be specific about why you need it, what value will it add?
This form needs to be completed with the parents either in person or over the telephone. If you do it over the phone remember to send them a copy of the form so they know what you are looking at. You need to explain what a transfer review is and let them know that is it a process of assessment. If a child needs a plan they will get one and if they do not then that is great news.
Parents must sign the form – please send back to the area office by 10 July

8. This term – before we go statutory
Consider all the person centered work you have done or could do this term
Gather views, aspirations, hope dreams
An Annual Review is an excellent opportunity to do some of this work
Use the person centred tools to help with this

9. This is where a lot of information can be found to help you
The Local Offer

10. 1.Gather all papers and known information and consider the EHC Needs Assessment (Transfer Review) Information Gathering Form and the EHC Needs Assessment Report
2. Complete the EHC Needs Assessment (Transfer Review) Information Gathering Form with the parents
3. Inform professionals if you will want a report for the TR Meeting to give maximum time. A formal request will follow next term as required
The EHC Needs Assessment report is the document that you will send back to the LA once you have completed your section of the assessment.
You need to start looking at it in the pre statutory phase so that you know what information is needed and then you can think about what you have and what you need.
You need to transfer relevant information from other reports and sources into the EHC Needs Assessment report as you go being aware that the meeting with parents and child or young person in the statutory phase will be the opportunity for you all to agree that the person centred work is reflected appropriately and what is important to the child or young person is reflected in the plan and what is important for the child or young person is there too.
Meaningful engagement of parents and children /young people is the key.

11. Next term when we go Statutory
Only 14 weeks to do it all
Once the statutory clock has started needed to use time as efficiently as possible
If you need to call in statutory advice then need to give 6 weeks
If no more advice needed then meeting and the start date can be the same

12. 2. Continue to gather info and pre populate the EHC Needs Assessment Report as advice and information comes in.
3. Hold the meeting and return papers to the LA Area Office within 5 working days.
1. Send Request for Advice letter to professionals if you require statutory advice.
The Letter to request statutory advice ( attachments 4 and 5 in the pack) is the first thing you need to do once the clock has started
There is a list of useful contact details in the pack to help you know where to send your requests. ( item 7)
Your start date and meeting date will be determined by whether you are requesting advice and you should have decided this by 10 July. The start date is the day you send the letter requesting advice with a meeting 8 weeks later
If you are not requesting advice your start date and meeting date can be the same
Remember the last date that you have as day 1 but don’t leave them all to the last date!

13. How to do it Complete the Information Gathering Form
Considering what information you have and what you need
Discuss with parents
You set the date for the start of the process and the date for the meeting
You need to take note of the notice period for each element
If you and the parents agree that you have all the information needed, or you think you can get it before the you have to go statutory then you can set the start date for the process and the Transfer Review Meeting date as the same day.
More detail here about how to do it

14. How to do it
Return the Information Gathering Form to the SAS Team at the Area Office by 10 July 2015 Start to complete the EHC Needs Assessment Report in preparation for discussion at the meeting Use the information you already have and think about where it would go in the report See additional information
There is a version of the EHC Needs Assessment Report with some guidance in it about what to put where item 8 in the pack
And some top tips too ( item 9)

15. How to do it You need to remember the following:
parents need at least 2 weeks notice of the start of the process;
parents need at least 2 weeks notice of the meeting date;
6 weeks is required if you are formally requesting advice;
documents should be circulated 2 weeks before the meeting;
all papers need to be returned to the Area Office within 5 working days of the Transfer Review Meeting.
If you copy the parents in to the Information Gathering Form then they will have had at least 2 weeks of both the start date for the process and the meeting date.
Please send the documents back to us password protected with passwords sent in a second
Please scan the supporting documents but please send a WORD version of the EHC Needs Assessment Report
If you embed PDF documents in to a WORD document you can easily add a password. ( Insert Object)
Send them to the annual review address for your area as set out in the Useful Contact ( item 7) in the pack

16. The Statutory Process
Week 1 Remember to send the Letter to request Advice for a Transfer Review formally requesting advice if needed. Week 6 Circulate the information in preparation for the meeting Week 8 Hold the Transfer Review Meeting and complete the EHC Needs Assessment Report Week 8-9 Return the paperwork to SAS Week 9-10 LA determines if an EHCP is needed and creates a draft plan as require Week LA consults with parents and finalises the plan
Summary when requesting advice

17. The Statutory Process – if no new advice is needed
Week 1 Hold the meeting and complete the EHC Needs Assessment Report Week 2-3 Return the paperwork to SAS Week 3-10 LA determines if an EHCP is needed and creates a draft plan as require Week LA consults with parents and finalises the plan
Summary when not requesting advice
No extra days so not a short cut to he services. This is statutory and so if we are asked for it we must provide it. We are trying to ensure we continue you to offer all our services but the more statutory work we are asked to do the less time we will have to do other work.

18. Remember the last dates that day 1 can be

19. The Transfer Review Meeting
1. Welcome and Introductions
2. Purpose of the meeting
3. Facilitated discussion focusing on:
What people like and admire about the child or young person?
What is important to the child or young person, from their perspective?
What is important for the child or young person, from others’ perspective?
What is working well?
What is not working well?
What progress has been made as evidenced in the educational setting’s written report?
Any other issues
Most of the work for these questions will have been done outside of the meeting and the meeting is an opportunity to ensure that the answers to these these questions are represented in the plan is accurate. You also need to work collaboratively to complete the final version of the EHC Needs Assessment Report.

20. During the meeting
Look at the EHC Needs Assessment Report and agree what to keep and what to add?
Look at the current Statement of SEN what is still relevant and what is not?
Please annotate the Statement of SEN indicating what is relevant and what is not now. Please add this to the evidence

21. After the meeting Complete the EHC Needs Assessment Report in WORD
Send all documents to the relevant area office within 5 working days of the meeting.
Add a copies of all supporting documents ( reports, One Page Profiles, copy of current Statement of SEN )
Already covered this but repetition supports learning

22. Information Gathering Form
This form needs to be completed with parents once you have considered all the information you already have
Remember:
the criteria for an EHCP
only ask when you really need
timelines
return to Area Office by 10 July 2015
send parents a copy
Summary of each form that need to be completed
This is the first

23. Requesting Advice
This is the letter to officially request statutory advice if it is needed.
It should send in week 1 as soon after the start of the Transfer Review as possible. Ensure reports are sent back to school in time for circulation before the Transfer Review Meeting giving professionals 6 weeks to return their advice.
You do not need to send this if you already have:
reports;
and a clear picture of the child/young person’s needs;
gathered or are gathering new reports before the statutory clock has begun.
This is the updated letter and attachment. The letter is PDF and the attachment is WORD. Both get sent to the person from whom you are requesting advice. If you have spoken to the EP/SALT separately and you know they are sending or have sent advice that is great. We must not request advice if we already have it ( CoP)

24. EHC Needs Assessment Report
This is the document you will send to the Area Office after the Transfer Review Meeting. It should summaries all the information about the child and young person. Including all the evidence.
If must include needs, outcomes and provision
You should start to add information to the report as soon as you get it, do not wait until the meeting.
At the meeting you should discuss the report and change it in line with the advice, reports and parents hopes dreams and aspirations.
Second column bullet here
This is the report and needs to be completed as you go and finalised with parents. This needs to be sent as a WORD document to the annual review addresses in the useful contacts page ( item 7)

25. Where to get more guidance
iSEssex
Assistant EPs
Specialist Teachers
The Local Offer

26. Some answers The LA write the EHCP they hold the legal responsibility
The LA decide if a plan in needed
The LA informs parents and consults on the plan as required
The Local Offer has information for parents and is being updated to support preparation for Transfer Reviews – iSEssex can help – see full guidance document for more information