Supporting Children's Learning - Code of Practice: statutory guidance - fourth edition
The Code of Practice on Supporting Children's Learning provides statutory guidance on the Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Act 2004. We are consulting on the refreshed guidance, designed to improve clarity, readability, and navigation for all users.
Annex A
Co-ordinated Support Plan Template
1. The Additional Support for Learning (Co-ordinated Support Plan) (Scotland) Amendment Regulations 2005[135], set out as below, what the co-ordinated support plan must contain, and they set out in the Schedule, a template or form for the co-ordinated support plan.
3 (1) Every plan must–
(a) be in the form set out in the Schedule to these Regulations or a form substantially to the same effect;
(b) contain information on–
(i) the name, address, contact telephone number, date of birth, gender, preferred language or form of communication, school currently attended and date of entry to that school of the child or young person to whom the plan relates;
(ii) the name, address, contact telephone number and relationship to the child or young person to whom the plan relates of each parent and that parent's preferred language or form of communication;
(iii) a profile of the skills and capabilities of, and any other relevant information relating to the child or young person;
(iv) any views on the plan expressed by the child or young person and by a parent of the child or, where applicable, the young person;
(v) the review timetable for the plan in accordance with the provisions of section 10 of the Act; and
(c) be dated and signed by a duly authorised officer of the education authority.
(2) Every plan continued following review under section 10 of the Act must contain such amendments of the information specified in paragraph (1)(b) as the authority consider necessary or appropriate in consequence of the review of the plan and retain such other information from the then current plan as the authority consider relevant to the future provision of additional support for the child or young person.
2. Regulation 3(1)(a) allows education authorities a measure of flexibility over the appearance of the co‑ordinated support plan when it states “.or a form substantially to the same effect.”. In other words, provided the contents of the plan contain the information required under Regulation 3, education authorities are free to alter, for example, the text font used in terms of type of font, weight of font (bold or normal), or whether block or lower case letters are used (although extensive use of block capitals is not recommended). They are free too, to alter the size of the boxes used to contain information and are free to alter the orientation of the document, between landscape or portrait. What is important, is that the plan is presented in a way that makes it easy for those using it to access the information it contains.
3. The template which follows, switches orientation between portrait and landscape, in order to accommodate the comments made within each section.
Co-ordinated support plan template
Schedule
Confidential
Set out name of authority
Co-ordinated support plan for [insert forename(s) and family name of child/young person]
The address where the child resides the majority of the time and where a parent or recognised carer
for the child also lives
Home Address:
Contact Telephone Number:
Date of Birth:
Gender:
the child’s language of preference/method of communication used to make himself/herself understood i.e. signing, lip-speaking, by using communication aids or symbols, audio equipment, Braille
Preferred language/communication method:
School currently attended:
Date of Entry to Current School:
Parental Details
Details of the child’s parent(s) and/or those adults who have or share responsibility for their care, such as foster carers, a relative or social work services should be recorded here. The template only contains 2 boxes but additional boxes can be added as required
Surname:
Forename(s):
Relationship to child/ young person:
Address (if different from child's/young person's)
Surname:
Forename(s):
Relationship to child/ young person:
Address (if different from child's/young person's)
Contact Telephone Number:
Profile
(here set out a summary of the child’s/young person’s skills and capabilities and any other relevant information)
The purpose of the profile is to build up a holistic pen-picture of the child or young person. It should focus on the positive aspects of the child’s/young person’s life, for example his/her skills and capabilities. It may also include information about the type of placement or curricular guidelines he/she follows, the other plans he/she has as well as the activities he/she likes to do or how he/she likes to learn. The person responsible for drawing up the co-ordinated support plan will have to summarise information provided by the child or young person, their parents and the other people who know/work with the child or young person. The result should be a summary that encapsulates the child or young person.
Factors giving rise to additional support needs
(here set out the factors which give rise to the child’s/young person’s additional support needs)
The complex or multiple factor or factors may be diagnostic labels such as autistic spectrum disorders, learning disability or clinical depression. In other cases the factor or factors may be more descriptive and related directly to the personal circumstances of the child or young person or family. All factors should be included. (The four broad themes described in chapter 2 are factors relating to the learning environment, family circumstances, disability or health need, or social and emotional factors.) While these will be the education authority’s conclusions, they will be based on the multi-agency assessment information, including that provided by the parents or young person, which underpins the plan.
Educational Objectives
(here set out the educational objectives that require co-ordination of support for the child/young person, taking account of the factors giving rise to additional support needs)
Educational objectives should be viewed in the widest sense as encompassing a holistic view of the child or young person. Objectives can include, for example, those required for personal and social development or to improve communication skills (see chapter 5 of the Code for more details). The objectives should be specific and should be set for a year approximately but this could be longer depending on the individual circumstances of the child or young person.
Additional Support Required
(here set out the additional support required by the child/young person to achieve each of the educational objectives)
This will include teaching and other staffing arrangements, appropriate facilities and resources, including information and communications technology, and any particular approaches to learning and teaching to be used.
Persons providing the additional support
(here specify the persons/professions by whom the additional support shall be provided)
These will be the agencies or professions providing the support i.e. ‘speech and language therapist’, ‘social worker’, ‘but not the actual names of the individuals.
Nominated school
this should be the name and address of the school it is intended that the child or young person will attend
Name of School:
Child's/young person's comments
(here set out the views of the child or young person on the Plan)
The views, if any, of the child or young person on any aspects of the co-ordinated support plan process as well as the plan itself should be recorded here. Children and young people should be enabled to complete these themselves or they could provide the education authority with written or verbal comments to be inserted. Alternative forms of communication can be used, such as a CDROM or the use of signs or symbols. Children and young people should be encouraged to consider areas such as their involvement in the process, including the drafting of the plan, and whether their views have been adequately taken into account.
Co-ordinated support plan review timetable
Date Co-ordinated Support Plan made/amended:
(delete as applicable)
Date by which review must begin:
(on the expiry of 12 months from the date the Plan was made/amended)
Date by which review must be completed:
(within 12 weeks of the date on which the review began)
Education authority contact points
Additional Support Provision Co-ordinator
This person is responsible, on behalf of the education authority, for co-ordinating the additional support required by the child/young person as detailed in this co-ordinated support plan.
Surname: Forename(s):
Contact Address: Contact Telephone Number:
Work Position/Title:
Parental Advice and Information Officer on the Co-ordinated Support Plan
The parent of a child with a Co-ordinated Support Plan or a young person with a co-ordinated support plan may obtain advice and further information from the following person:
Surname:
Forename(s):
Contact Address: Contact Telephone Number:
Work Position/Title
In accordance with section 11 of the Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Act 2004 (“the Act”) and the Education (Co-ordinated Support Plan) (Scotland) Amendment Regulations 2005 (“the Regulations”), this Co-ordinated Support Plan is made/amended (delete as applicable) by [insert name of education authority] on [insert date] in respect of [insert name of child or young person].
Name: Work Position/Title:
Signed (authorised officer of the authority)