Plan, do, review approach

In schools we recognise that not all children and young people who present with possible neurodevelopmental differences need the full support of a special education needs support plan, however, to support the needs, or possible needs, that an individual may have we would need to see evidence that appropriate strategies have been tried and reviewed for at least two cycles. In addition, there may have been historic support input, and this should also be provided as it contributes to the overarching picture.

This could include (but is not limited to):

Support at a universal level in school

• Visual supports in the classroom.
• Awareness of language used with a young person.
• Access to small group support around areas including emotional regulation, social interactions and wellbeing.
• Use of interests in learning.
• Now and next learning approach.
• Close communication between home and school.

Support at a targeted level in school

• Specific visual supports around the day, tasks, sequences etc. for the young person.
• Meet and greets and support around daily transitions.
• Intervention work with members of staff in school, overseen through a more established “plan, do, review” system such as a special education needs support plan.
• Work with family through external support agencies such as Early Help, Parent Carers Forum’s.

Support related to masking

If it is felt that a child or young person may be masking their differences in school, then we would expect that strategies are implemented in school to explore this. Children and young people who mask often do so because they feel the need to conform in settings away from home. Without addressing this in the settings that they are in then the child or young person will continue to struggle.

Support related to masking

Universal strategies to support possible neurodevelopmental needs including visual supports, consideration of language used, routine etc.

• Having a timetabled opportunity to talk about the challenges that may have been faced that day: this needs to be a structured part of the day and not a time which relies on the child or young person accessing if they want to. During these sessions the identified adults need to model talking about the challenges of their day so that the child or young person develops their confidence to do the same.
• Communication between home and school: it is important that the child or young person know that home and school are working together so that they develop their trust that staff in school can support their needs.

Support in the home

If it is felt that the child or young person only displays neurodevelopmental needs at home then we would need to consider the strategies that have been put in place at home to support the child or young person and what additional support has been accessed. This could include engagement with services such as Early Help or the Parent Carers Forums. This could include direct work with services or accessing other support avenues that they provide.

At present, workshops which could be accessed by parents, carers depending on the needs of their child or young person by the services mentioned above include (but are not limited to):

Early help

• Family Links.
• Tripple P.
• Teen Tripple P.
• Stepping Stones.
• Sleep Tight.
• Fear-Less.

Rotherham parent carer forum

• Introduction to emotional regulation.
• Managing anxiety.
• Understanding and supporting sensory needs.

There may be other services or sources of support that the family have engaged with, both presently and historically.

Information about the strategies that have been implemented following support, and the impact that this has had on the child or young person, will support the “plan, do, review” requirements of a referral to the neurodevelopmental pathway.

Please be clear in your referral where your “plan, do, review” information can be found.

Page last reviewed: August 11, 2025
Next review due: August 11, 2026