How support is planned

Planning is an ongoing process that helps your child’s school or nursery keep track of your child’s learning and development. It can help people who work with your child make sure the right support is in place.

Planning involves:

Planning will look different depending on your child’s needs. Schools and nurseries should plan and keep under review all pupils’ learning and development. This is called ‘personal learning planning’. If your child needs extra help with their learning, they may need more individualised planning.

Your child’s school or nursery should include you when they are planning your child’s support. You know your child best and can share your understanding of their needs. You might be asked to share your thoughts in a meeting or in writing.

Here are some things that you might want to share:

Sometimes, an informal verbal agreement can be enough to make sure that your child gets the support they need. Other times, a written support plan may be helpful. Your child’s school should work with you and your child to find the best strategy.

There are different types of written support plans which can be used depending on your child’s needs. Different local authorities may call these plans by different names.

The main plans used to support children’s learning are:

Individualised Educational Programmes (IEPs) are used when a child has more significant support that needs detailed planning. This kind of plan may also be called an Additional Support Plan, Support and Strategies Plan, Wellbeing Assessment Plan, or other names.

An IEP should set out your child’s needs and the support they require. For example, they may need changes to the curriculum, special equipment, or support staff to help them.

IEPs can also include short-term goals and how these will be reached. IEPs should be reviewed regularly, usually every school term. You and your child should be involved in creating their IEP and you should get a copy.

Other professionals who work with your child may contribute to an IEP. For example, an educational psychologist, health professional, or social worker. They can share their understanding of your child’s needs and suggest things that might help.

Co-ordinated support plans (CSPs) are a legal document used to help co-ordinate support across different agencies. There are criteria which a child or young person must meet to get a CSP. This includes having multiple or complex support needs, and requiring significant support from education, and also at least one other agency (like health or social work). You can find out more about CSPs on our Co-ordinated support plans page or in our CSP factsheet.

Child’s Plans are for children and young people who need additional support to meet their wellbeing needs. It is used by all the professionals who work with the child. A child’s plan sets out the needs that have been identified and any actions to meet those needs. It may also include information from their IEP or CSP if they have one.

You should first talk to the person responsible for additional support for learning at your child’s school or nursery. It can be helpful to think about and write down the reasons why you think it might help.

For example, it might help everyone involved to:

If your child’s school or nursery do not agree that a written plan is needed, there are steps you can take. These are explained in our ‘Avoiding and solving problems‘ factsheet.

Staged intervention is a framework that professionals can use to plan support. It helps them to decide what level of support and what type of plan a learner might need. Each local authority may organise it a little differently. Usually, there are 3 or 4 stages.

Staged intervention planning is mostly for professionals to help identify the level of support your child needs, but they should involve you in their planning. You can ask the person responsible for support for learning at your child’s school or nursery to explain what level your child is on, and what this means for them.

If you disagree with the stage that your child has been placed in, you could discuss your concerns with the person responsible for additional support for learning at your child’s school or nursery. You could ask for your child’s needs to be reassessed. If you are still concerned, there are further steps you can take. These are explained in our ‘Avoiding and solving problems‘ factsheet.

For more information on staged intervention, have a look from page 5 of our Planning your child’s support factsheet.