SEN provision mapping

Use our template to create your own provision map

Provision maps help you show provision that is additional to and different from what's offered through your main school curriculum. 

You aren't required to have one, but the SEND Code of Practice (see paragraph 6.76) recommends them for helping keep an overview of programmes and interventions for different groups of pupils. 

Your provision map should cover provision for pupils with all kinds of additional needs, including:

• Pupils with special educational needs (SEN)
• More able pupils
• Vulnerable pupils
• Looked after children
• Post-looked after children

Download and adapt our template provision map to help you:

• Show the interventions taking place in each class/year
• Monitor how effective the interventions are

KeyDoc: template SEN provision map DOC, 157.5 KB Download

Measure the impact of your interventions by reviewing your provision maps termly.

Work out how much your provision costs

Use our costed provision map to:

• Find out total SEN and additional needs expenditure for an individual child, termly or yearly
• Accurately budget termly and yearly costs
• Validate the impact of your provision
• Work out the cost of individual provision when applying for an EHC plan

Add the calculated costs to the provision map template above to help you assess value for money.

KeyDoc: template for a costed provision map XLS, 65.5 KB Download

For more information about costing SEN provision, read our articles on costing whole-school SEN provision and costing SEN provision for individual pupils.

How to develop your provision map

You need to review your provision before developing your provision map at the start of the school year. 

Two of our experts, Lorraine Petersen and Kate Browning, explain how.

Step 1: review your current provision

Review your current provision, including:

• Current needs of pupils
• Staff training
• Resources
• The interventions you're currently providing

Consider how effective your interventions are:

• What progress have pupils made?
• Is the impact of each intervention what you expected?
• Which staff are providing outstanding support or provision? 
• If you commissioned external support, what impact did it have?

Step 2: plan provision for next year

• Audit and project additional needs for the next school year. Base this on current pupil needs and information about pupils joining your school
• Compare the projected need with your current provision and identify gaps
• Locate where funding is coming from
• List all new provision required
• Identify what staff training is needed
• Set school targets (termly and yearly)
• Plan how and when monitoring and reviews will take place

Step 3: continue to review provision termly

• Measure which interventions are effective
• Identify gaps/overlaps in provision
• Determine whether you have adequate funding to meet needs, and whether you're making the best possible use of funding and resources
• Meet staff delivering interventions and share feedback with the senior leadership team

Lorraine used information about leading on intervention from the National Strategies to develop these tips. The guidance has been archived, but may still be useful.

Read our article to find out more about auditing SEND provision.

Examples of provision maps

Primary schools

At Offham Primary School in Kent, they list all interventions that take place class by class in their provision maps.

At the top of their provision maps, they list the ways in which quality teaching meets the needs of the majority of pupils in class before interventions are given. Maps also list targets for all interventions, and effectiveness is measured by outcome and data.

Mulberry Primary School in Haringey includes provision, staffing costs and resources costs on one provision map document.

Hazelwoood Schools in Enfield have a whole-school intervention provision map listing interventions taking place in every year throughout the school.

They include a list of persons responsible for each intervention along with the way the intervention is measured.

Secondary schools

Warwick School in Surrey have created provision maps for each curriculum area.

Each provision map lists how pupils can receive extra support through support in class by:

• Differentiating the curriculum
• Offering teaching equipment to support learning
• External adult support from the pastoral team

Holmer Green Senior School in Buckinghamshire break down their provision map into:

• Communication and interaction
• Cognition and learning
• Social emotional and mental health
• Sensory and/or physical needs

Holloway School in Inslington list all of the interventions they deliver in their KS3 provision map including:

• What is delivered?
• Who they are for?
• When they will take place?
• Transferable skills that will be developed
• How success will be measured?
• The cost per pupil

Local authorities

Wigan Council has created a costed template provision map for its schools to record details of interventions given to an individual pupil.

Schools can record information relating to:

• The time spent on the intervention
• The staff running the intervention, and this cost per child
• The total cost per provision or activity

You can download it from the section "Referring for an EHC assessment".

Northamptonshire County Council has examples of provision maps for the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), which can be used to track spending on meetings, interventions and resources.

Each map is accompanied by a case study explaining how the map works in practice.

Examples are available under the tab entitled "Provision mapping – documenting the range of provision (interventions) to support vulnerable children".