A clear guide for settings.
Part of the AISK — a free library of practical SEND guides · Read, share and print freely · sendexpertsathand.co.uk/aisk
Schools should meet parents at least three times each year to set clear outcomes and review progress. These discussions should be led by a teacher with good knowledge and understanding of the pupil who is aware of their needs and attainment.
SEND Code of Practice 2015, paragraph 6.65
This guide is designed to be read alongside the SEAH Individual Support Plan template. The review is not the end of the process — it is the beginning of the next one.
An Individual Support Plan review is not an administrative box to tick. It is the moment the plan comes alive — the point at which everyone who knows the child sits together, looks honestly at what has and hasn’t worked, and decides what comes next. Done well, it builds trust, strengthens the relationship between setting and family, and gives the child a clearer path forward. Done poorly — or skipped — it leaves everyone working from an outdated picture, and signals to families that the plan was never really theirs to begin with.
The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD)’s evidence review on productive meetings (2023) is clear: when people feel they have a genuine voice in a meeting — real opportunities to speak, to be heard, to contribute — they are more likely to trust the process, engage with its outcomes, and feel that their involvement was worthwhile. For a family who may already feel uncertain about the SEND system, that sense of genuine participation is the foundation everything else rests on.
Individual Support Plan reviews should be held at least half-termly — typically every six to eight weeks. As paragraph 6.65 of the SEND Code of Practice 2015 requires, schools must meet with parents at least three times a year to review progress; half-termly reviews exceed this minimum and are strongly recommended for children with more complex or rapidly developing needs.
But the review date on the plan is a latest date, not a fixed one. If a child has achieved all of their targets before that date, bring the review forward. The plan should always reflect where the child is now, not where they were when it was written.
The reverse is also true. If significant new information arrives — a new professional report, a diagnosis, a significant change at home or in the setting — convene an early review rather than waiting for the scheduled date.
There is a difference between telling a family how their child’s plan is going, and thinking together with a family about what comes next. The review should be the second of those, every time.
The Four Cornerstones of Co-production are a practical checklist for how this meeting should be planned and run — with trust at the centre of all of them.
Trust sits at the centre
At the centre of all four cornerstones sits trust. Without it, the meeting is a performance. With it, it is a genuine partnership.
Everyone attending should come prepared. That means:
The CIPD evidence is clear that meetings are more effective when attendees arrive prepared, goals are stated clearly at the outset, and the leader facilitates rather than dominates — paraphrasing what’s been said, summarising decisions, and ensuring everyone has had a genuine opportunity to speak.
Start with the positives — always. What has gone well since the last review? What has the child achieved? What have the family noticed at home? This is not a courtesy warm-up. It is part of the substance of the meeting, and it sets the right tone for everything that follows.
Then work through each target honestly:
Before anyone leaves, agree the targets for the next plan, who is responsible for what, and the date of the next review. Meetings that end without clear next steps and shared ownership of outcomes are meetings that don’t change anything.
If several practitioners join from the same room and the family joins separately, the family can hear anything said in that room — including conversations never meant for them. Ensure microphones are muted between speaking turns, and that no off-microphone conversations take place.
Set ground rules at the start: how to signal that you want to speak, whether cameras are on, and what to do if someone loses connection. Small things — but they signal that you have thought carefully about everyone’s experience, not just your own.
This guide is one of a series produced by SEND Experts at Hand to help settings and families work with confidence. It is designed to be read alongside the SEAH Individual Support Plan template, a free download, and the guide on how to write an effective ISP. If you would like to discuss support for your setting, get in touch.
The Academy of Inclusive Skills and Knowledge is a free library of practical SEND guides, written by SEND Experts at Hand for families and the practitioners who work alongside them. No sign-up, nothing to pay.
Also in the AISK for settings: Individual Support Plans and reviews · One Page Profiles and co-production · transitions into school · behaviour and regulation · governance and inclusion oversight · making sense of the SEND system
SEND Experts at Hand offers staff training, consultancy, SENCO support and help with statutory processes and funding — from inside the system. A free introductory telephone consultation is arranged by email.
sendexpertsathand.co.uk/settings
Independent SEND consultancy for education settings and families.
