The Graduated Approach: What 'Assess, Plan, Do, Review' Really Means for Your Child

At my first proper SEND meeting, someone mentioned "the graduated approach" and "APDR" as though I should know exactly what they meant. I nodded, lost. It turned out to be a genuinely useful idea, once someone explained it in plain words. If your child is getting SEN Support at school, this is the cycle that should be driving it. Here is what it actually means.

What the Graduated Approach Is

The graduated approach is the way schools in England are expected to support children with special educational needs through SEN Support. Rather than a one-off fix, it is a repeating cycle of understanding a child's needs, putting support in place, and checking whether it is working, adjusting as you go. The idea is that support becomes more tailored and, if needed, more intensive over time, based on evidence of what helps. It is set out in the SEND Code of Practice, though as the system is under reform, check gov.uk and IPSEA for the current position.

Assess, Plan, Do, Review

The cycle has four stages, often shortened to APDR:

• Assess: the school builds a clear picture of your child's needs, drawing on teachers, you, the child, and where relevant specialists
• Plan: the school agrees, with you, what support and strategies will be put in place, what outcomes they are aiming for, and how success will be measured
• Do: the support is delivered, with the class teacher remaining responsible for your child's progress day to day, supported by the SENCo and any specialists
• Review: everyone looks at whether the support worked, what progress has been made, and what should change, and then the cycle begins again

The power of the cycle is that it is meant to be iterative. If something is not working, the review should lead to a different plan, not a shrug.

The SENCo's Role

The SENCo (special educational needs coordinator) is the member of staff who coordinates SEND provision across the school. They help assess needs, shape and oversee support, advise teachers, and work with you and any outside specialists. They are usually your main point of contact for anything to do with your child's SEN Support, and a good relationship with them makes a real difference.

What Good Looks Like

A well-run graduated approach tends to have these features:

• Clear, specific outcomes, not vague aims, so you can tell whether support is working
• You are genuinely involved at each stage, and so is your child, at an appropriate level
• Support is reviewed regularly, commonly around three times a year, and changed when needed
• There is a written record of what is being provided, the outcomes sought, and the review dates
• The class teacher stays responsible for your child, with the SENCo and specialists supporting, rather than your child being handed off entirely

Being an Equal Partner

You know your child better than anyone, and the graduated approach works best when you are treated as an equal partner, not a spectator. You can contribute what you see at home, ask what outcomes are being targeted and how progress will be measured, request a review if things are not improving, and ask for the plan in writing. If you feel unsure or unheard, SENDIASS offers free, impartial advice, and IPSEA provides guidance on your rights.

Keeping the Cycle on Track

Because the graduated approach runs on regular reviews and agreed actions, it involves meetings and follow-ups spread across the year. My School Agent can pull the school's messages and reminders into a daily briefing and shared calendar, so review meetings and agreed dates do not slip. As England's SEND system is being reformed, check gov.uk and IPSEA for the current position on how support should work. Understood properly, the graduated approach is not jargon; it is your route to support that keeps improving until it genuinely helps your child.