Learner support plan builder

How do I use the support plan builder?

Start with the learner, not the form. Have the conversation first, then fill in the builder with them or straight afterwards while it is fresh.

1. Write what helps in their words. If the learner says “I need to know what is happening before the session starts”, write that rather than translating it into “requires structure”. Their words are clearer to everyone who reads the plan, including the learner.
2. Describe barriers, not labels. “Long verbal instructions in the workshop are hard to hold on to” tells a tutor what to change. A diagnosis on its own does not. You do not need a diagnosis to plan support.
3. Make each adjustment specific and owned. Every row should answer three questions: what will happen, who will do it and when. “Extra support where needed” fails all three.
4. Record the learner’s part. Many learners want a role in their own support, such as flagging when something is not happening. Include it if they agree.
5. Agree who sees it. Tick only the people who need the plan to do their part. For apprentices, employers normally need the workplace adjustments, not the full history.
6. Set a real review date. Choose a date that fits the learner’s programme, such as after the first assessment or placement block, not just the end of term.

When you build the plan, check it with the learner. Change anything that does not sound right to them, then copy it into your own records system or print it.

Why does the learner’s own voice matter in a support plan?

The learner is the person who knows most about what gets in the way and what has helped before. Plans written about learners, rather than with them, often list generic adjustments that nobody uses. Plans written with them tend to be shorter, more specific and more likely to be followed.

It also matters for fairness. Disability and learning difficulty can affect people in very different ways, so two learners with the same diagnosis may need completely different adjustments. The guide to learner voice in further education covers this in more depth, and the person-centred support planning guide explains how to keep the plan focused on what matters to the learner.

What makes a support plan good?

A useful plan passes a simple test: could a new tutor pick it up on Monday and know exactly what to do? In practice that means:

• Specific: “Slides shared on the course page 24 hours before each theory session” rather than “access to resources”.
• Owned: a named role or person for each action, including the learner where they agree.
• Observable: you could tell whether it happened. This makes delivery records and reviews meaningful.
• Short: one or two pages. Long plans are skimmed.
• Honest: disagreement and unresolved questions are written down, not hidden.
• Reviewed: there is a date to ask the learner whether each adjustment is helping, and to keep, change or stop it. The review meeting agenda tool helps with that conversation.

What are the limits of this tool?

The builder helps with wording and structure. It does not decide what support is reasonable, check your plan against the law or replace professional judgement. Your organisation remains responsible for making reasonable adjustments under the Equality Act 2010 and, for learners with SEND, for following the SEND code of practice.

If a learner has an education, health and care plan, the provision in that plan is set by the local authority. Your support plan should show how you will deliver it day to day, not set different provision. See the guide to EHCPs in further education.

Exam arrangements follow their own rules. If the plan mentions exams, make sure your exams officer checks the arrangement against the current Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ) regulations, as described in the exam access arrangements guide.

Finally, the result is a draft. It is plain text with no learner record behind it, so it will not remind anyone of the review date or track whether support happened. You will need your own system for that.

How does Inclusion Studio help with support plans?

Inclusion Studio is learner support software in development for England FE colleges and apprenticeship providers. It is being built so the learner’s words, the agreed plan, delivered and missed support and the review sit together, with the learner seeing the plan and disagreement recorded. A clickable prototype with fictional learners exists today. See support plans for what is built and what is planned.