If you’re raising a child with special educational needs, you already live in a world of acronyms: SENCO, EHCP, SALT, CAMHS. There’s a new one coming: the ISP, or Individual Support Plan. It’s part of the biggest change to the SEND system in over a decade, and it’s worth understanding now, even though it won’t fully arrive for a few years.
It helps to start with how it relates to something you may already know. An EHCP is about entitlement, what your child must receive. An ISP is about implementation, who is doing what, when, and how you’ll know if it’s working. For families with an EHCP, the two are designed to work together, and that’s where we’ll start.
Where ISPs Come From, and When They Arrive
ISPs were announced in the government’s Schools White Paper, “Every Child Achieving and Thriving”, in February 2026. Under the plans, there will be a new legal requirement for schools to create individual support plans for all children with SEND.
This is a future change, not something happening in schools today. The statutory duty will come into effect through an updated SEND Code of Practice, expected from 2029, and it’s still being shaped through consultation. So, there’s time to understand it, and no need to worry about anything changing overnight.
What an ISP Actually Is
An ISP is a digital record that brings together three things: a clear picture of your child’s needs in school, the support the school will put in place, and the goals your child is working towards. Both teachers and parents will be able to access this record, and it’s designed to be a living document, updated as your child’s needs change rather than filled in once a year and filed away.
A good ISP describes how your child’s needs show up in everyday school life, not just the labels. Does your child need instructions broken into shorter steps? Do noisy rooms trigger sensory overload? Are moves between activities particularly hard? The plan captures this, so every adult working with your child knows what to look for and how to respond. It also sets out specific, measurable targets, academic ones like reading accuracy, but also social skills, emotional regulation or independence, with a clear sense of how progress will be judged and by when.
How an ISP differs From an EHCP
Many families know EHCPs well, so it helps to be clear about how the two fit together.
An EHCP is a legal document issued by the local authority. It’s for children whose needs are complex and long term, and it sets out provision across education, health and care that goes beyond what a mainstream school can normally offer. That provision is legally enforceable.
An ISP is different. It focuses on what happens day to day, in the classroom and around the school, and it’s designed to be flexible and updated as strategies evolve. Crucially, the two aren’t an either or. For children who hold an EHCP, the ISP sits alongside it. The EHCP continues to set out the statutory entitlements for complex provision, while the ISP describes what’s happening day to day in school. They work together rather than one replacing the other.
One simple way to picture it: the EHCP is the contract, the ISP is the instruction manual. If your child has an EHCP now, they’ll keep it, and the ISP will show exactly how that support is delivered week to week.
The Detail that Matters: Day to Day Support
For many parents, the most useful part of an ISP is where “extra help” stops being vague and becomes a concrete plan.
A good ISP describes the strategies staff will use where your child sits, how tasks are broken down, what visual supports are available, how instructions are given, and how staff help in tricky moments. It says whether a teaching assistant will support your child, and how, for example checking in at the start of each lesson or staying nearby during independent work rather than sitting beside them all day. It should also cover support beyond the classroom, such as small group literacy or numeracy, social skills groups, mentoring, or sessions based on therapists’ advice, and any tools or adjustments like a quieter space, a laptop, ear defenders or movement breaks. Because the plan is digital, staff can refine what works without waiting a year to change it.
Your Role: Consulted, Not Just Informed
An ISP should never land in your inbox as a finished product. You’re meant to be part of creating it. The consultation is explicit that parents are recognised as experts on their own children, and that ISPs should be developed in genuine partnership with families.
In practice, that means the school should talk with you first about your child’s strengths, challenges and priorities, hold any meeting at a time you can realistically attend, and explain clearly what will be discussed. You should feel able to ask how each strategy will look in a real classroom, share what’s worked or failed before, and say if something feels unrealistic. ISPs will be reviewed at least annually, and you should receive a copy and be invited to give feedback on how it’s going. If it ever feels like the school has written the plan and is simply telling you about it, it’s fair to gently remind them that the whole point of an ISP is collaboration.
What This Means for You and Your Child
The move to digital ISPs should make support easier to understand and easier to change when it isn’t working. In one place, you’ll see your child’s needs, what staff will do, and how progress is tracked, and you should expect to be consulted, not just informed.
At Northcroft, this is already second nature. Every child with us has an EHCP, and our job each day is exactly what an ISP is designed to capture: turning a legal plan into real, consistent support, built around the child and adjusted as they grow. We work in close partnership with families, because parents are the experts on their own children.
Whether you’re a parent trying to understand what’s ahead, or a professional weighing up the right setting for a child with complex needs, we’re always happy to talk. Contact the Northcroft team to arrange a visit or a conversation.
