Epistemic Review Prompt for Reviewing a Child's Individual Support Plan: A Framework for Evidence, Uncertainty and Defensible Professional Judgement

This professional practice resource provides an epistemic review prompt for examining a child’s Individual Support Plan, or equivalent special educational needs planning document. It is designed to make the evidence, assumptions, uncertainty and reasoning underpinning professional review visible, understandable and defensible. The prompt supports reviewers to distinguish documented evidence, direct observation, reported information, professional interpretation, inference, contested accounts and matters that remain unknown. It keeps the child’s expressed or communicated experience central and examines whether needs, outcomes, provision and measures of success form a coherent and logically connected framework. The framework addresses planning status; the applicable legal, statutory and professional context; the evidence examined; child and family perspectives; implementation of provision; evidence of impact; alternative explanations; changes in the direction of the enquiry; excluded lines of enquiry; confidence in provisional judgements; unresolved questions; and prioritised actions. Particular attention is given to distinguishing evidence that provision occurred from reports that provision occurred, and to avoiding unsupported causal claims about the relationship between provision and observed change. The prompt also encourages reviewers to identify when organisational constraints or assumptions may be influencing judgements about a child’s needs. The resource is intended to support the review of Individual Support Plans within special educational needs practice, including plans associated with SEN Support and, where relevant, planning connected with an Education, Health and Care Plan. It must be applied with regard to the child’s age, setting, circumstances and the legal and professional framework applicable at the time of use. This resource supports, but does not replace, professional judgement, statutory assessment, legal advice, safeguarding procedures or the participation of the child and family. Users should verify all references to legal duties, statutory guidance and local arrangements against the current applicable framework.