What Should Good SEND Provision Look Like?

1. It starts from a clear understanding of need

Good provision is built on an accurate picture of the child, including the parts of their needs that aren’t obvious in the classroom. If nobody can say clearly what the need is, it’s hard to know whether the support is right.

• Can school describe my child’s needs in a way I recognise?

2. Each part of the support has a purpose

Support should not simply exist. It should have a purpose. Every intervention, adjustment or piece of help should link to a specific need, with a clear reason for choosing it.

• Which need is this support for, and why was it chosen?

3. It is specific

“Access to support as needed” can mean almost anything. Good provision says what will happen, how often, for how long, in what group size and who will deliver it.

• Would a new member of staff know exactly what to do from the plan?

4. It happens often enough, and consistently

An intervention that is planned three times a week but often happens once won’t have the intended effect. Consistency across lessons and staff matters as much as the support itself.

• Is the support happening as planned, every week?

5. It works across the whole day

Many difficulties happen outside lessons: at transitions, at lunchtime, on the corridor, during changes to routine. Good provision thinks about the whole school day, not only the timetable.

• What support is there at the times my child finds hardest?

6. Reasonable adjustments remove barriers

Reasonable adjustments should remove barriers, not simply exist on a list. An adjustment that a pupil doesn’t feel able to use, or that some teachers don’t know about, isn’t doing its job.

• How do we know the adjustments are making a difference?

7. Impact is measured and reviewed

Good provision has a starting point, an expected result and a date to check. If it isn’t working, it changes, whether that means more intensity, a different approach, or additional or more specialist support.

• What has changed since the support began, and what happens next if it isn’t working?

8. It involves the child and the family

The child’s own view of what helps, and the family’s knowledge of how things look at home, are part of the evidence. Good provision makes room for both.

• Has my child been asked what helps and what doesn’t?