Assess, Plan, Do, Review (APDR)

Settings should adopt a graduated approach with four stages of action: assess, plan, do and review (APDR) to ensure that CYP's needs are fully understood and met (The Graduated Approach: Assess, Plan, Do Review - SEND Code of Practice 2015, pp100-102). 

This is called the graduated approach/response because it may take several cycles of intervention, and the use of different strategies, before support needs are fully understood and effectively met. 

The setting's graduated approach should be clearly and accessibly set out in their SEND policy.  Schools should also set this out in the SEN Information Report (SIR).  SEND policies and SIRs must be reviewed and updated annually and published on a setting's website. Further information on SEN Information Reports, and a best practice guide, are available on the Norfolk SEND Local Offer.

In light of the recently announced Inclusive Mainstream Funding, which is to support mainstream settings to meet SEND needs more flexibly, effectively and earlier, drawing on their core funding, the Department for Education (DfE) also requires all mainstream schools in England to publish an Inclusion Strategy by 31 December 2026.  More information about the requirements for this can be found here.  Guidance about the requirements linked to this funding for Post-16 settings can be found here.  More information about the Inclusive Early Years Funding can be found here.