How to write a learning support plan in further education: start from an assessment of what the learner finds hard, name the barrier and how it affects their programme, link each barrier to a reasonable adjustment, say who delivers it and how, agree the plan with the learner in writing, and set the dates you will review it. Write it as a golden thread: each adjustment answers a named barrier, each delivery is recorded and each review decides whether to continue, adapt, reduce or close the support.
What a learning support plan has to show
A learning support plan in further education shows six things: the assessment that found the need, why the adjustments are needed to complete the programme, how progress would suffer without them, the adjustments and how they are delivered, the learner’s written agreement, and the review dates.
For the definition and a full worked example, read our guide to what a learning support plan is. The table below is for writing: what to put in each part, and the step on this page that produces it.
| What the plan shows | What to write | The step that produces it |
|---|---|---|
| The assessment that found the need | What was assessed, how and what it found. A copy of the assessment, never an automated assessment alone. | Step 1 |
| Why the adjustments are needed | The reasons the adjustments are needed to complete this programme, in the terms of the course. | Step 2 |
| How progress would suffer without them | How the learner’s progress would be affected if the adjustments were not made. | Step 2 |
| The adjustments, and how they are delivered | Each adjustment, the barrier it answers, who delivers it and how often. Evidence of the adjustments delivered for each month claimed. | Steps 3 and 4 |
| The learner’s written agreement | For apprentices: agreed in writing and signed off before any claim, and shared with the employer where the apprentice consents. For every learner, agreeing the plan is good practice under the graduated approach. | Step 5 |
| The review dates | When each review is due and, at each one, what was delivered, its impact and the decision. | Step 6 |
Step 1: Start from an assessment of need
Write the plan only after an assessment has found a need. A screening at the start can point to one; a further, evidence-based assessment confirms it.
For apprentices, the provider must undertake a screening exercise. Where it highlights a potential need, a further, evidence-based assessment follows, and the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) guidance is plain: “do not only use an automated assessment”. An existing education, health and care plan (EHCP), statement of special educational needs or learning difficulty assessment also establishes the need. Claims run only from the date the evidence is acquired.
For Adult Skills Fund learners, carry out and document a thorough assessment.
For any learner, never rely on an automated assessment alone. A cognitive profile is a signal for professional judgement, not a diagnosis. For how to find the need in the first place, see our guide on how to identify learning needs of students.
One made-up apprentice, Apprentice A (an illustration, not a real learner), shows each step in this guide. Their assessment pairs a cognitive assessment with a person’s judgement:
| Section | Apprentice A’s plan |
|---|---|
| Learner and programme | Apprentice A, aged 19, level 3 business administrator apprenticeship, 18 months. |
| The assessment that found the need | A cognitive assessment at enrolment flagged a possible barrier with taking in and holding new information. The learning support coordinator followed it up with a structured conversation with the apprentice and a review of their first two weeks of work, and recorded the outcome: the apprentice has a learning difficulty that makes written instructions with several steps, and new technical vocabulary, much harder for them than for their peers. Not a diagnosis. Both records are attached. |
Step 2: Name the barrier, and what it does on this programme
Write what the learner finds hard in the terms of the course they are on, and what would happen without support.
For apprentices, these are two items in the evidence pack (the records the funding rules ask a provider to hold for each apprentice it claims for): the reasons the adjustments are needed, and how progress would be affected without them. Describe the barrier, not a label: no diagnostic labels.
| Section | Apprentice A’s plan |
|---|---|
| Why the adjustments are needed | The apprenticeship’s assignments are long written briefs with several stages, and the knowledge modules introduce a lot of new terms. Without support, the apprentice cannot complete the off-the-job learning and the assessments to the standard. |
| What would happen without them | Assignments started but not finished; falling behind the planned timetable within the first quarter; a real risk of withdrawal. In the first two weeks, two tasks were returned incomplete. |
Step 3: Link each barrier to an adjustment
Every adjustment answers a named barrier from the assessment: if it answers none, it does not belong in the plan. Write each one with the barrier it answers, who delivers it, how often and whether it costs money.
Apprentice A’s assessment names the barrier: written instructions with several steps, and new technical vocabulary. Each strong line below answers it. Each weak version answers nothing.
| Weak version | What it leaves out | Apprentice A’s plan |
|---|---|---|
| Weekly support sessions. | The barrier, who runs them, how long they last and whether they cost money. | 1. A weekly one-to-one session (45 minutes) with the learning support coordinator: new vocabulary taught before each module, and each assignment brief broken into numbered steps with check-in points. Costs staff time, so it is claimable. |
| Help with assignments. | What the help is, who gives it and which barrier it answers. | 2. Written step-by-step summaries of every assignment brief, prepared by the tutor. Costs tutor time beyond normal teaching, so it is claimable. |
| Extra time when needed. | Who agrees it, and that it costs nothing, so it is not claimed. | 3. Extra time to finish assignments, agreed with the assessor. Costs nothing, so it is not claimed. |
Three more rules for this step:
- Workplace adjustments are the employer’s. For apprentices, employers are expected to provide reasonable adjustments in the workplace, and learning support does not fund them. Access to Work supports individuals in their workplace.
- Keep the plan proportionate. A few adjustments that work, not a long list.
- Extra time on assignments is not an exam access arrangement. Those follow the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ) rules.
Step 4: Say who delivers it, and how delivery is recorded
Name the person and the record for each adjustment, so every month’s support can be shown.
For apprentices, the evidence pack asks for evidence and details of the adjustments delivered for each month claimed, with invoices for costs above £150. For Adult Skills Fund learners, keep evidence of delivery for each month claimed. A short record at each session is enough: it confirms the delivery and notes how the learner got on. For what delivering the adjustments looks like in a session, see our guide to supporting SEND in the classroom.
| Section | Apprentice A’s plan |
|---|---|
| Who delivers it, and how delivery is recorded | The learning support coordinator records each session (date, what was covered, how the apprentice got on). The tutor records each summary given. |
Step 5: Agree the plan with the learner, in writing
Draft the plan with the learner and agree it with them. For apprentices, the funding rules require it to be agreed in writing, and signed off, before any funding claim.
With the apprentice’s consent, the plan is shared with their employer. For every learner, agreeing the plan in writing is good practice under the graduated approach: our guide answers what does assess, plan, do, review mean? for colleges and training providers. The draft is a starting point for a conversation, not a document filed by a specialist. A learner may decline support; that is a valid choice, and it is recorded.
| Section | Apprentice A’s plan |
|---|---|
| The learner’s agreement | Agreed and signed by the apprentice before any claim, with the date. The apprentice agreed that their manager may see the plan. |
Step 6: Set the review dates, and what each review decides
For apprentices, the first review is one month after the adjustments start, then at least every three months. For adult learners on the Adult Skills Fund, the need for the adjustments is confirmed monthly. Each review records what was delivered, its impact and a decision: continue, adapt, reduce or close.
When support is no longer needed, close it and record why. If you claim learning support funding, stop claiming from that date; for apprentices, also update the Individualised Learner Record (ILR).
A learning support review can be combined with the three-monthly progress review, as long as there is evidence of both. New for 2026 to 2027: where a permanent disability makes an apprentice’s need stable and unlikely to change, the review can be light-touch.
| Section | Apprentice A’s plan |
|---|---|
| Reviews | The first one month after the support starts, then at least every three months, alongside the progress review (with a record of both). |
Here is the decision at Apprentice A’s third review, when support steps down:
| Review | What was delivered | The impact | Decision |
|---|---|---|---|
| Third review, three months later | Sessions every two weeks; summaries for every brief. | Assignments on time, vocabulary checks passed without pre-teaching for the last module. | Reduce: summaries stop, and a session is held only before a new module. A month is claimed only when a session is delivered. When the sessions are no longer needed, the plan closes, claiming stops from that date and the ILR is updated. |
In practice, contact can be more frequent than reviews. At Brighter Horizons Training, an independent training provider, the special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) meets learners every month:
I meet with learners on a monthly basis to review their Cognassist modules and focus on developing the specific skills identified. This approach not only strengthens our professional relationship but also allows us to provide highly tailored, effective support.
What the funding rules ask of the plan in 2026 to 2027
If you claim learning support funding, the plan is part of the evidence. Good records are evidence of good practice, and the claim is the provider’s own. For apprentices, the plan must be agreed in writing, and signed off by the apprentice, before any claim.
No diagnosis is needed for apprentices or Adult Skills Fund learners. Here is what the rules ask for each group:
| Apprenticeships | The Adult Skills Fund | 16 to 19 study programmes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment | A thorough, evidence-based assessment, or an existing education, health and care plan (EHCP), statement or learning difficulty assessment. Not an automated assessment alone. Claims run from the date the evidence is acquired. | A thorough assessment, carried out and documented. Its cost cannot be claimed. Good practice: never an automated assessment alone. | Not covered by this guide |
| Plan and agreement | A plan for delivering the adjustments, agreed in writing and signed off by the apprentice before any claim. Shared with the employer where the apprentice consents. | Record the adjustments and how support will be planned and delivered. | Not covered by this guide |
| Delivery evidence | For each month claimed, evidence and details of the adjustments delivered. Invoices for costs above £150. | Evidence of delivery for each month claimed. | Not covered by this guide |
| Review | At least every three calendar months, the first one month after the adjustments start. | Confirm each month that the reasonable adjustments are still necessary and appropriate. | Not covered by this guide |
| Not claimable | Adjustments that cost nothing. Everyday difficulties not linked to the apprenticeship. Learning gaps with no identified learning difficulty or disability. Further detailed assessment. | The cost of the assessment. Any month without adjustments provided and costs evidenced. | Not covered by this guide |
| How it is paid | £150 per supported learner per month in 2026 to 2027, for each month adjustments are needed, delivered and evidenced. Higher costs can be claimed up to £19,000 a year. | £150 per supported learner per month in 2026 to 2027, for each month adjustments are provided and costs can be evidenced. Higher costs can be claimed up to £19,000. | No £150 monthly claim. Support costing up to £6,000 a year comes from disadvantage funding (block 2) in the provider’s 16 to 19 allocation, which is a formula, not a per-learner budget. Above £6,000 a year, high needs funding applies: the top-up (element 3) is agreed per student with the local authority. |
The Adult Skills Fund rules apply in non-devolved areas only: nine combined authorities and the Mayor of London set their own. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) owns the apprenticeship and Adult Skills Fund rules; the Department for Education (DfE) owns the 16 to 19 rules.
The rules are in four documents: the DWP guidance Support for learners with learning difficulties and disabilities (GOV.UK, updated 21 October 2026), the apprenticeship funding rules for August 2026 to July 2027, the Adult Skills Fund funding and performance management rules 2026 to 2027 and the DfE’s 16 to 19 funding: 2026 to 2027 rates and formula. The high needs top-up is set out in the DfE’s High needs funding: 2026 to 2027 operational guide.
For background on how the fund works, read our guide to learning support funding.
What Ofsted inspectors record about plans and reviews
Ofsted inspectors record whether support is reviewed: they praise support that is reviewed, adapted and reduced, and record a gap where support is given but its impact is not reviewed. In our count of 495 Ofsted reports on further education and skills providers published from 12 January to 26 October 2026:
- 281 praise support that is reviewed, adapted and reduced, including 86 of the 101 reports graded strong or exceptional for inclusion.
- 74 record support whose impact is not reviewed. None of them is graded strong or exceptional.
- 26 record support that is never stepped down.
Each count is the reports in which inspectors wrote the finding; a report that says nothing on it is silent, not clear. Ofsted names no method for planning or reviewing support. These are what inspectors record.
What a strong review looks like:
Coaches monitor and review the effectiveness of support arrangements and adapt them as needed, so support remains appropriate.
Two gaps inspectors record. Support that is never formally reviewed:
Leaders recognise that they do not formally monitor and review apprentices’ support.
And reviews that happen but are not recorded well enough to decide a step-down:
They review the support that is in place during 6-weekly review meetings but do not consistently record this accurately enough to reflect whether support could be reduced.
A learning support plan template
Copy this template. Fill in the second column for each learner, then add a row to the reviews table at each review. To print the two blank tables on their own, use the print button.
Learning support plan template
The plan
| Section | Details |
|---|---|
| Learner and programme | |
| The assessment that found the need | |
| Why the adjustments are needed | |
| What would happen without them | |
| The adjustments, and how they are delivered | |
| Who delivers it, and how delivery is recorded | |
| The learner’s agreement | |
| Reviews |
The reviews
| Review | What was delivered | The impact | Decision |
|---|---|---|---|
To see the template filled in for Apprentice A, read our guide to what a learning support plan is.
IEPs, ILPs, EHCPs and individual support plans
In schools, a support plan is often called an individual education plan (IEP) or an individual learning plan (ILP). An education, health and care plan (EHCP) is a statutory plan for children and young people under 25 with significant special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). A learning support plan is the provider’s own plan for a learner who needs reasonable adjustments, with or without an EHCP.
The SEND reforms point towards individual support plans. As proposed in the government’s SEND reform consultation (February 2026), each would be digital, statutory and updated at least annually, and would record barriers to learning, day-to-day provision, any reasonable adjustments and intended outcomes. None would depend on a diagnosis.
This is reform direction, not law. The reformed system is not expected before September 2029, according to the House of Commons Library briefing The Schools White Paper 2026: SEND reform. Whether the duty reaches independent training providers is still open.
Writing plans for every learner who needs one
The hard part is not one good plan. It is keeping the golden thread, from barrier to adjustment to record, consistent in every plan when tutors who are not specialists write them.
At Brighter Horizons Training, an independent training provider, the team built resources from the recommended strategies:
The strategies in Cognassist reports, like writing scaffolds, have been game-changing. As a team, we developed resources from those suggestions, which has had a huge impact on our assessments and the way we break down learning.
Cognassist drafts a personalised support plan in approximately 10 minutes, for the tutor to tailor with the learner. It recommends reasonable adjustments, each with its intent, implementation and impact.
At Brighter Horizons, the special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) meets learners every month and attaches the learning support plan and the assessment as evidence.
