Building a SEND paper trail without making it another full-time job

Keeping records is a way to reduce the amount you have to remember. A useful system lets you answer three questions: what happened, where is the original record, and what needs to happen next?

Download the SEND records template (plain text). Copy the entry as often as you need in your own document or notebook. No account is required.

Start with one folder and one log

Choose a place you can find easily. Within it, keep school communications, reports and plans, and local authority decisions. Save original attachments and emails where possible, with their dates and senders intact. Give new files a recognisable name, such as “2026-09-27 school meeting notes”.

The log is an index, not a replacement for those documents. A few lines per event are enough.

What to record

• Date and type: meeting, email, telephone call, report or decision.
• People involved: names and roles where relevant.
• What happened: a short factual summary, separating your observations from other people’s accounts.
• Your child’s perspective: their words or preferred form of communication; say when something is your interpretation.
• Agreed action: who will do what and by when.
• Follow-up: the next date to check, any unresolved question and the outcome.
• Original record: the file name or folder location.

For example, a fictional entry might read: “27 September: school meeting. SENCO to send the current support plan by 2 October. Parent to share examples of difficult transitions. Review date still to be agreed.” That is enough to guide a follow-up without reproducing the whole discussion.

After a conversation

Write your note while you remember it. If an important action was discussed verbally, send a brief summary and ask the other person to correct anything you misunderstood. Mark an action as proposed until it has been agreed. Keep corrections rather than silently rewriting the history.

Our SENCO meeting checklist includes a follow-up message you can adapt.

Keep important dates separate

Put deadlines from decision letters in your calendar as well as the log. Record where each date came from. A personal reminder is not a substitute for checking a formal deadline; if the letter is unclear, seek advice promptly.

For EHC assessment requests in England, IPSEA recommends keeping a copy of your written request and tracking the response deadline. Its guidance link was checked on 27 September 2026.

Keep it proportionate and private

You do not need to document every difficult moment. Focus on information that helps explain a need, a pattern or an outstanding action. Include what is working as well as what is not.

These records may contain sensitive information about your child. Store them somewhere private, check recipients before sharing, and send only what is relevant. Do not paste completed records into public comments or shared forums.

If your records are scattered, start with the most recent decision or meeting. You can build backwards when you need to. A small system you can maintain is useful today.