Provision mapping

This guidance is of relevance to teachers, SENCos and school leaders when determining the school's SEND offer in relation to their learners' additional needs. It will also support conversations between schools and parents so the right support can be prioritised at the right time.

Mainstream schools are expected to meet the costs of special educational provision for pupils identified as on SEN Support in accordance with the SEND Code of Practice from their notional SEN budget.

For more information, please see the guidance on Ordinarily Available Provision.

• Download the Surrey provision map template

Developing an individual provision map

A good provision map should demonstrate that the graduated approach has been applied, including High Quality Teaching, Ordinarily Available Provision, and targeted interventions.

The assess, plan, do and review cycle should have been used to provide a better understanding of need along with an increasing focus and intensity of the support accessed by the learner. The school along with parents and possibly the input of professionals should have endeavoured to better understand the root cause of the learner's difficulties, agreeing the most appropriate type of support that will directly address these difficulties. The focus is on understanding the individual and not diagnosing specific conditions.

The provision map provides a great opportunity to discuss difficulties and barriers to the curriculum and review what has been put in place to date. Referring to the whole school provision map (the school's offer of support from Universal to Targeted) can help explore what might be the next most appropriate type of support/ intervention that a pupil can access given their individual needs and ongoing difficulties.

• Download the Surrey provision map template

Key information to include

A clear overview of the assessed needs of the pupil, this should detail where they experience difficulties accessing the curriculum. It should not be limited to a listing of any diagnosis the pupil may have. It is helpful to understand where, when and how the individual's needs impact on them accessing the curriculum and in them functioning in the wider learning environment.

High Quality Teaching

High Quality Teaching strategies that have been employed by staff to address the barriers to learning and used to help the individual function more independently within the classroom and wider learning environment. Whilst teachers may be using different teaching strategies these still fall into universal provision which every pupil is entitled to, they cannot therefore be included as a cost for the provision map.

Targeted provision

Targeted interventions which focus on addressing the presenting needs of the pupil. These interventions should focus on helping to address the needs of the pupil with an aim to helping the pupil develop their independence in accessing the curriculum alongside their peers.

Whilst support from a teaching assistant may be appropriate there should be a clear focus on what the expected outcome of that support will be so that impact can be measured over time. In short, how is this support being deployed to address the needs of the child to help them access the curriculum and wider learning environment more independently over time?

Schools should ensure that any members of staff delivering targeted, or specialist provision are appropriately trained so they can skilfully deliver support programmes with fidelity and as the programme is intended.

These targeted interventions form the 'different from and additional to' provision and should therefore be costed for to demonstrate the additional resources and support the pupil is receiving.

Costs and budget management

The costs associated with different from and additional to provision should be shown over an academic year. This is an opportunity to demonstrate how much of the school's notional SEND funding is being used to support the pupil to access the curriculum and the wider learning environment.

Evidencing costs will link to the graduated approach outlined earlier on. The aim is to put in place the most appropriate support to meet the needs of the pupil. This should not be an exercise to accumulate costs to reach a specific spending threshold. Schools should continue to put in place support that addresses the needs of the individual which may become more intense in its nature over time e.g., moving from small group support to 1:1 specialist support.

Demand led support

Targeted intervention should focus support on the needs of the individual and not be solely driven by the availability of certain types of provision within a setting. There should be an element of flexibility and creativity in delivering support so that it can have the maximum impact on the pupil.

It may be that more support is in place at the start of the cycle but is gradually reduced over time as the interventions achieve their intended outcomes. However, consideration needs to be given to the number of different interventions that a pupil accesses during a normal school week. Numerous interventions taking place simultaneously may make it harder to decide the impact each one has had on the pupil and their overall progress.

Again, Surrey's Inclusion and Additional Needs Service Offer is an ideal place to explore what additional targeted provision the school can introduce to meet the needs of the pupils that attend the setting.

Example format for costed provision maps (as per annual review paperwork)

• Download the provision map template

Example of Provision Map (1)

Example of Provision Map (2)