How to write a learner support plan (with sample wording)

A support plan only works if the person who meets the learner on Tuesday morning can read it, understand it and act on it. Most plans fail on that test. They are too long, too vague, or written in terms nobody can do anything with.

This guide gives you a step-by-step method for writing a plan, a structure to copy, sample wording for each section, and the mistakes to avoid. It assumes you have already had a conversation with the learner. If not, start with learner voice in further education.

What is a learner support plan?

A learner support plan is a record, agreed with the learner, of the barriers they face, the support that will be provided, who will provide it, and when it will be reviewed. It is the working document that turns what the learner told you into actions.

It is not the same as an education, health and care plan, which is a statutory document issued by a local authority. A college may support a learner with a support plan, with an EHCP, or both. The templates page has a plan you can copy.

What legal and good-practice points should shape the plan?

Three points matter most.

1. Disabled students. The Equality Act 2010 applies to further education institutions through section 91. The duty to make reasonable adjustments in section 20 arises where a provision, criterion or practice, a physical feature or the absence of an auxiliary aid puts a disabled person at a substantial disadvantage. Disability is defined in section 6. A plan is a sensible way to record what you have agreed.
2. SEND. The SEND Code of Practice expects colleges to use a cycle of assessing, planning, doing and reviewing, and to involve the young person throughout.
3. Data. A plan often contains health information, which is special category data. The ICO explains what that means. Only record what you need, and share it only with those who need it.

None of this is legal advice. If you are unsure how a duty applies in a particular case, take professional advice.

What should a support plan contain?

Keep to eight sections. Fewer is better.

How do you write it, step by step?

Step 1: Gather first, write second. Read the learner’s application, any assessments, previous plans and what the learner said. Do not write until you have spoken to them.

Step 2: Write the barrier, not the label. Describe what gets in the way in this setting. “Finds it hard to follow spoken instructions with more than three steps in workshops” is more usable than “dyslexia”.

Step 3: Link each support item to a barrier. If you cannot say which barrier an item addresses, remove it.

Step 4: Make each item specific. Include what, who, when and how often. Avoid words that cannot be checked, such as “regularly”, “where possible” or “as needed”.

Step 5: Write for the person who will deliver it. Use direct verbs. Tell the tutor what to do, not what the learner “requires”.

Step 6: Add success measures. Ask the learner what would tell them it is working.

Step 7: Agree it. Show the draft to the learner, change what they ask to change, and record disagreement.

Step 8: Set the review. Pick a date and name triggers that bring it forward, such as a change of tutor or a failed assessment.

What does good wording look like?

Compare vague wording with wording you can deliver.

Note the “25 per cent” figure is an illustration in a fictional example, not a rule. For external qualifications, access arrangements are set by the awarding body, and the guide to exam access arrangements explains how that works.

What does a completed plan look like?

Fictional example. Aisha is 18, on a Level 3 health and social care programme, with a work placement starting in week eight. She has described herself as dyslexic and says she gets very anxious in unfamiliar settings.

1. About me. “I like looking after people and want to be a paediatric nurse. I’m good with children and I notice when people are upset.”

2. What helps. “Coloured overlays and a cream background. Reading with headphones on. Knowing what is happening in advance.”

3. What gets in the way. “Reading long handouts in a noisy room. Not knowing who my supervisor is on placement. Being asked to read aloud without warning.”

4. Support we have agreed.

5. What I do not want. “I don’t want other learners to know about my support.”

6. Who can know. “Tutors and the inclusion team: everything. Placement supervisor: only the one-page summary I have approved.”

7. How we will know it works. “I can read the handout before class. I go to placement every day.”

8. Review. “Week twelve, or sooner if I miss placement twice.”

In practice, that is one side of A4, and every item is something a person can do.

What are the common mistakes?

• Vague support. If a colleague cannot tell whether it happened, it is too vague.
• Writing the plan as a diagnosis summary. The plan should say what to do, not what is wrong.
• Listing every possible adjustment. A long list is rarely read and rarely delivered. Include what this learner needs.
• No owner. Every item needs a named role, not “the team”.
• No review date. A plan without a review date is a plan nobody will change.
• Promising what you cannot deliver. If a resource is limited, say so, and agree an alternative.
• Copying one plan to the next learner. The words may sound the same; the needs rarely are.
• Ignoring the learner’s view. Plans the learner has not seen are the ones they ignore.
• Putting everything in the shared version. Health detail, family circumstances and safeguarding information belong in restricted records, not in the tutor’s copy.

A pre-circulation checklist

• ☐ Each item addresses a stated barrier.
• ☐ Each item says who, what, when and how often.
• ☐ The learner has read the draft and I recorded any disagreement.
• ☐ The wording tells staff what to do.
• ☐ Sharing is agreed and recorded.
• ☐ A review date and early-review triggers are set.
• ☐ The first page can be read in two minutes.
• ☐ No sensitive detail is in the shared copy that staff do not need.

What happens after the plan is written?

Support has to be delivered and recorded, and then reviewed. See recording support delivery evidence and reviewing whether support worked. The support plan builder can help you draft the first version.

How do you write plans for different settings?

The same structure works across settings, but the detail changes.

Classroom and workshop. Focus on instructions, pace, seating, equipment, breaks and what happens when the learner is struggling. Name the tutor’s actions.

Online or blended learning. Cover platform access, camera and microphone preferences, recordings, notification settings and a named contact when technology fails.

Work placement or apprenticeship workplace. Write a short, separate summary of workplace adjustments for the employer or placement supervisor, approved by the learner. Include who does what, and keep health and family detail out. See working with employers on adjustments and the employer adjustments summary template.

Assessment. List the arrangements the learner will use, who approves them and the dates for applying. For external qualifications, rules are set by the awarding body, and deadlines can be early. See end-point assessment reasonable adjustments for apprentices.

Under 18 and 18 plus. Think about who has a legitimate role in the learner’s plan, and how the learner’s own wishes are recorded where parents or carers are involved.

How does Inclusion Studio support this?

In the Inclusion Studio design, the support plan follows the learner’s own words, shows the learner the draft, and keeps disagreement visible. Delivery and review records link back to the same plan. See support plans for what is planned. Inclusion Studio is pre-pilot: the clickable prototype uses fictional learners, and the production application is in development. An optional AI draft feature is labelled and always reviewed by a person before saving; the full journey works without it.