Individual Support Plans: Insights and early ideas from Academy21
The role of Individual Support Plans (ISPs) in English schools has emerged as a central pillar of policy reform. Under the government’s Every Child Achieving and Thriving white paper and SEND reforms, all pupils with identified additional needs will be legally required to have an ISP that records their needs, the support they will receive, and the outcomes expected from that support
The intent here is clear: to reassure families and young people that additional needs are understood, but there is much road to go to ensure these plans become effective tools for delivering support and are actually deliverable by schools.
As expectations shift towards earlier intervention and more students being supported in the mainstream, the challenge becomes clear: how can schools provide personalised support at scale without placing unsustainable demands on staff? Increasingly, leaders are exploring flexible approaches to help meet needs where capacity, timetabling or specialist expertise are stretched.
So, what is likely to make an Individual Support Plan effective? What does research say about personalised planning, and how can schools build plans that drive real progress rather than creating more paperwork? This article explores these questions, focusing on practical implementation, evidence-aligned practice, and how schools can deliver meaningful, sustainable support for every pupil.
What is an Individual Support Plan?
An individual support plan is intended to be a dynamic record of a pupil’s support: what is in place, why it’s needed, how the support should be delivered, and what it is intended to achieve. The new ISP model is explicitly designed to be responsive, updated in real time, and transferable between settings to support continuity in contexts such as transition from primary to secondary. They will be for all students with identified SEND.
ISPs will centre on evidence and measurable progress, with clear descriptions of how the school will act and how those actions will be evaluated over time. Within the SEND reform framework, ISPs are expected to operate across the Universal, Targeted and Targeted Plus levels of support, enabling earlier, needs-led intervention without immediate escalation to specialist provision. Crucially, their development needs to be done with parental input.
The evidence basis: What research tells us about Individual Support Plans
Research on personalised support (which underpins the logic of ISPs) suggests that tailoring activities and support at the individual level can produce measurable learning benefits. The Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) categorises individualised instruction as having a moderate impact for a relatively low cost, with studies indicating an average of around four additional months of progress for pupils receiving such tailored approaches compared with peers who do not. The challenge however is that any practitioner will note that individualisation can become highly time intensive and inconsitent.
This evidence supports the concept that a well-constructed plan, connected to real classroom teaching and responsive monitoring, can make a difference. However, the EEF also cautions that implementation is challenging - it places demands on teacher time and requires strong organisation and monitoring systems to avoid undermining engagement time.
It is crucial that families, staff and policy makers understand that scalable systems that build personalisation by design are vital. Anything that promises high levels of individusalised delivery, attention or intervention is not likely to be successfully delivered in the context of mainstream classrooms.
As we see in our provision it is having multiple modes of participation, scoffolding delivery, using varied forms of feedback, adjusting staff communictaion styles, enabling flexible timetabling and offering accessibility tools that are the cornerstone of actually deliverable personalised support at scale. These can be woven into the usual mainstream delivery, not as burdensome ‘add ons’ but inclusive by design.
In our view, it is methods such as these that needs to feature in ISPs, and only where really required other personalised intervenitons. A significnat portion of the support in ISPs must, in short, be deliverable in mainstream classroom, otherwise these plans will become a list of supports delivered in other spaces, and not actually in the mainstream classroom as intended.
Beyond attainment, evidence from behaviour research indicates that targeted, personalised approaches to behaviour and engagement can positively impact school outcomes. The EEF’s guidance on behaviour suggests that pupil-centred strategies (rather than one-size-fits-all discipline practices) are linked to stronger relationships and improved behaviour, which, in turn, support learning environments.
What this means in practice is that plans must integrate assessment, targeted support, and review cycles, and be designed to genuinely inform teaching and learning decisions.
However, the challenge is how to deliver them consistently in practice. Schools need flexible, scalable ways to implement individualised support without reducing teaching time or overloading staff. We often note that this is where blended and online approaches are increasingly being used to extend capacity while maintaining quality.
Who needs an Individual Support Plan?
Any pupil identified with SEN must have an ISP, regardless of whether they have an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP). This significantly increases the number of pupils requiring structured support, reinforcing the need for scalable and flexible delivery models that can respond to a wide range of needs.
How should ISPs be written and reviewed?
ISPs should be specific, measurable and regularly reviewed. Rather than vague statements like “additional literacy support”, schools are encouraged to articulate what support looks like, how often it will be delivered, and how progress will be assessed.
Regular review is central – the ISP should evolve with the pupil’s progress and changing needs, ideally with input from teaching staff, support professionals and families to ensure continuity and relevance.
What data underpins effective planning?
A meaningful ISP should draw on multiple sources of evidence: baseline assessments, teacher observations, formal testing where available, and qualitative data about social, emotional or behavioural engagement. Integrating this data helps ensure that the plan’s interventions are driven by pupil needs.
How can schools manage workload?
The demand for personalised support and rigorous monitoring places significant strain on schools, particularly those already operating at capacity. Expanding Individual Support Plans may well increase workload, risk staff burnout and create gaps elsewhere in school operations.
To mitigate this, leaders will have to think hard about how to integrate ISP writing and review into existing assessment and planning cycles, use streamlined digital templates and ensure that SENCOs and leadership teams are equipped with shared systems rather than dividing responsibility across disconnected processes. Of course, even with the best intentions and efforts, resources are not limitless.
Online provision can also support more efficient use of funding by enabling schools and local authorities to deliver targeted interventions earlier, reducing the need for more intensive and costly support later.
Putting policy into practice: Academy21’s Individual Teaching Plan
Understanding how to make plans actionable and integrated into mainstream delivery is one of the biggest practical challenges schools face. Academy21, the UK’s first DfE-accredited online alternative provision, provides a practical, system-aligned model for how Individual Support Plans can be delivered effectively at scale.
Academy21 works with schools, local authorities and multi-academy trusts to deliver online alternative education tailored to students with a wide range of needs, including behavioural challenges, anxiety-based school avoidance and medical conditions.
Our model reflects key principles underpinning SEND reform, including early intervention, flexible delivery, and integration with mainstream education. In addition, our approach enables schools to implement personalised support within existing structures without requiring full-time removal from school.
As part of our tailored support, we also offer an Individual Teaching Plan, a customised, dynamic learning plan designed to meet each student’s unique needs. The plan is co-created with students and schools and outlines tailored educational goals, learning strategies, and support measures that address the students’ individual academic and pastoral needs.
As a result of our personalised plans, live, adaptive lessons, and inclusive teaching, 85% of students with previously 0% attendance re-engaged in live lessons, while 93% report increased confidence in their learning.
Here’s a little more about our programme and approach:
Assessing needs and tailoring support
Academy21 examines current academic knowledge and engagement needs. This informs initial group placement and instructional differentiation, and it also informs the teacher of any specific needs to consider when planning and delivering lessons.
Integration with ongoing teaching
Academy21’s personalised programmes are integrated into our live, adaptive lessons and influence daily decisions, including class grouping, pacing, teacher feedback, and tutorial support. The plan directly shapes what students experience in each lesson, including the types of materials and tools teachers use and how they engage with students. Because Academy21 operates at scale, schools and local authorities can access provision quickly, helping to meet need during periods where in-house capacity or specialist expertise is limited.
Review and responsiveness
One of the strengths of Academy21’s model is ongoing, daily monitoring via our Mentor Portal. Progress, attendance and engagement data feed back into the ITP, which can then be adjusted in partnership with the commissioning school as needed. There’s a collaborative ownership approach with clear communication routes.
Making personalised learning work for every pupil
Individual Support Plans are central to delivering personalised, evidence-aligned teaching. Their success will depend not only on how well they are written, but on how effectively they are implemented within the realities of school capacity and resource.
As the SEND system evolves, it is essential that schools, trusts and local authorities can draw on a full range of approaches to meet pupil need. High-quality online provision should be recognised not as a last resort, but as a legitimate and valuable part of the inclusion toolkit, supporting early intervention, flexible delivery and continuity of education.
At Academy21, we work with hundreds of schools and Local Authorities to support thousands of students across the UK. Every day, through our personalised approach, we ensure every one of these students feels seen and cared for, and is making clear progress towards better educational and personal outcomes.
If you are reviewing how to deliver Individual Support Plans effectively, particularly where capacity or flexibility is a challenge, Academy21 can work alongside you to design a tailored, scalable approach that supports both pupil outcomes and system demands.
