In November 2015, we launched our Personal Learning Plans (PLPs). These replaced what were previously Individual Education Plans (IEPs). We were passionate about focussing on the factors that really make a difference to our pupils’ lives and the lives of our families. We continue to be fully committed to ensuring that our PLPs reflect what families, therapists and other key staff feel are the most important areas to be working on. The idea being that, together, we are able to identify the most significant and meaningful outcomes and ensure that what we are teaching every day works towards achieving them. We pride ourselves on offering each pupil a personalised curriculum and we believe the PLPs fully support this holistic process.

We drew upon the work of Penny Lacey and used her notion of ‘Scruffy Targets’ to guide our thinking and development of our new systems. This is an alternative approach to the well-established targets which we felt were no longer always the most appropriate for our pupils and gave teachers the confidence and autonomy to write outcomes that were challenging, meaningful and appropriate.

Each pupil receives two PLPs each academic year, one written in September and one written in March. These are reviewed at two points of the year, the first being in February and the second in July.

As part of the SEND Reforms, the Education, Health and Care Plans are designed to look at outcomes as each pupil progresses through school and beyond. EHC plans have replaced statements of special educational needs. They include special educational provision, health provision and social care provision.

We are confident that our PLPs support this process and are written in conjunction alongside pupils EHCPs, ensuring that every pupil has every opportunity to fulfil their potential and Be All That They Can Be. Following the current national campaign to raise the profile of the Educational Health Care Plans (EHCPs) and reflecting the fact that all of our pupils have an EHCP, we have ensured that all PLP focuses fully complement all EHCP outcomes. We signpost our PLP focuses to ensure that each of the four areas of the SEND Code of Practice are referenced within our PLPs, thus ensuring consistency and best practice.

The four areas are:
1. Cognition and Learning
2. Communication and Interaction
3. Sensory & Physical Needs
4. Social, Emotional Wellbeing

Following the raised profile of the outcomes included in the London of Borough of Bromley’s ‘Pathways for Preparing for Adulthood’, we also decided that it would be beneficial to include these outcomes on all PLPs for pupils in Key Stage 4/5 e.g. Years 10, 11, 12, 13 & 14. These are pathways that fully complement our Key Stage 4/5 Moving On Curriculum.

The four areas are:
1. Employment' or 'Participation' (whichever is most appropriate for the individual pupil)
2. Independent Living
3. Community Inclusions
4. Health Pathway

To complement our PLPs, we produced our Unique Profiles (UPs). We wanted to show the progress our pupils make in all areas of their school life. We wanted to share these with families and other professionals on one clear page and celebrate the progress that our pupils make in each of these areas for example rebound therapy, swimming, wellbeing, eye gaze, skills for life, etc. One pupil’s school day will look completely different to another pupil in the same class according to their individual needs, interests, and learning preference. We are very proud of the diversity within our curriculum and our assessment tools, enabling us to celebrate the outstanding and unique progress that our pupils make.