SEND Support Plan

A SEND Support plan can be drawn up by a class teacher, with the advice of a SENCO where appropriate, to help the parent and the school identify the child's needs and interventions to meet them. It is a teaching and learning plan and should set out goals and actions for the child that are different from or additional to those that are in place for the rest of the class.

SEND Support Plans are not legal documents, and schools do not have to use them.

Purpose

The purpose of a SEND Support Plan is to inform the teacher and others working with the child of specific outcomes (goals) for the child and how these will be reached. A SEND Support Plan allows schools and staff to plan for progression, monitor the effectiveness of teaching, monitor the provision for additional support needs within the school, collaborate with parents and other members of staff and help the child become more involved in their own learning and work towards specific targets.

Content

A SEND Support Plan should contain targets, provision and outcomes. It should have 3 or 4 short-term targets set for or by the child, the teaching strategies to be used to achieve those targets, the provision that will be put in place, say when the plan is to be reviewed and identify outcomes which show the child’s progress against his/her previous targets.

Information that could be included in a SEND Support Plan might include:

• Any likes, dislikes or anxieties that the child may have
• Assessment information
• Details of any other plans the child may have (e.g. health)
• Details of the child’s additional support needs
• Details of who will be providing the support
• How success will be measured
• What contribution a parent can make
• Information and timescales for reviewing the Plan.

Targets set in the individual plan should be ‘SMART'.

The plan should be developed with the child and a copy should be given to the parent, child and teaching staff. It is good practice to invite parents and the child to give their views at meetings held to review the progress made under the current plan and set agree the intended outcomes for the next plan.

The Islington SENCO Network have collaborated to develop a SEND Support Plan template, which synthesises the ‘Achievement for All’ approach to individual planning with our local development work on Education, Health and Care Plans.