Plan

Making the most of planning

During the planning stage teachers, support staff, special educational needs co-ordinator (SENCO), the child and their family should agree on support required and the expected outcomes.

The following prompt questions may help with this process:

• How will you explore and prioritise target area(s) of need that have been identified through the assessment process?
• How will you communicate and work with the child or young person, their parent carers and other adults to provide consistency of approach and build upon their existing strengths?
• What resources will you need to provide support for the child and young person? How can these also be used to build upon their strengths?
• What resources do you already have that could be useful? Is there an inventory that is regularly updated? Are all staff aware of the resources and how to access them?
• Are there any staff training needs? Consider those of support staff that may interact with the child or young person. Think about staff deployment including appropriate training and the quality of working relationships with the child or young person.
• Do interventions need to be modelled?
• Who will have ownership of, and responsibility for, delivering the plan?
• How will the planning be recorded? 
• Does all planning focuses on measurable outcomes? All planning should be Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, Time limited (SMART)
• How will progress be measured? Consider holistic progress including the child or young person’s social and emotional development as well as academic progress.
• Has a review date been agreed and who will be responsible for arranging this?
• Refer to outside agencies as appropriate. Be aware of waiting times. How will you continue to support the child or young person whilst seeking external advice?
• How will you maintain a focus on promoting age appropriate independent learning skills? Include developing independence activities in your planning and target setting.
• How have the plans been developed and shared with the child, young person and their parent carer? How will they be involved in reviewing the plans and progress that is made?

Last updated 28 April 2023