What should be in a school support plan, and how often is it reviewed?

The short answer

A useful school support plan connects a specific need or barrier to provision that can be delivered and reviewed. Include the child's views and strengths, the situations being addressed, what support or adjustment will happen, where and how often, who is responsible, the intended outcome, what information will be used at review and the review date. Record how the child accesses help and what happens if the usual person or place is unavailable. Distinguish observation from explanation and keep health, safety or emergency instructions prominent where relevant. Plan names and legal status differ across the UK. In England, a SEN Support plan should sit within assess, plan, do, review; Wales uses statutory IDPs for learners with ALN; Scotland may use several planning formats and CSPs only in defined circumstances; Northern Ireland currently uses school plans and statements. Review timing should fit the need, with urgent barriers addressed sooner than routine progress meetings.

• Connect every provision to a named need, barrier or intended outcome.
• Record the child's view in a form they can understand and use.
• State where, when, how often and by whom support will be provided.
• Include a fallback when the usual adult, room or timetable is unavailable.
• At review, separate whether provision happened from whether it helped.
• Do not confuse an informal school plan with the statutory plan used in the child's nation.