September goes wrong quickly when staff start with different versions of the same pupil. One teacher has last term's support plan. A teaching assistant has a newer email. The SENCO knows that provision changed in June, but the change never made it into the shared record.
A September SEND baseline prevents that scramble. It is a short, current picture of what the school needs to know at the start of the year, with clear ownership for anything that is still uncertain.
It is not a new report on every pupil. It is a controlled starting point for provision, handover and review.
What should a September SEND baseline include?
A useful baseline answers five questions:
- Which pupils need SEND support now?
- What provision is currently agreed?
- What has changed since the last term?
- What must staff do on the first day?
- What needs to be checked during the first half term?
If the baseline cannot answer those questions quickly, it has probably become too long or too vague.
Step 1: Start with the current pupil list
Use the current SEND register as the starting point, then check it against admissions, leavers, class moves and known transitions.
Create a simple status for each pupil:
- current SEN Support
- current EHCP
- new concern to review
- transition or placement change
- awaiting information or advice
- provision to confirm in September
The point is not to create a new category system for its own sake. The point is to make the work visible. A pupil who needs a September check should not look identical to a pupil whose plan is already settled.
Step 2: Record the provision staff must know on day one
For each pupil, write only what another adult needs to act safely and consistently. That might include:
- the main barrier to access
- the adjustment or support currently agreed
- what the adult should do first
- what tends not to work
- communication or sensory considerations
- any relevant health, safety or risk information
- who to speak to if the arrangement is not working
Avoid copying an entire plan into a handover summary. Staff need the live instruction, not every historical detail.
A good entry is specific: "Give the first instruction separately, allow processing time, then check the first step". A weak entry is: "Needs support with understanding".
Step 3: Separate confirmed information from questions
September records become hard to trust when they present old information as current. Use a clear distinction between:
- confirmed provision
- provision to test
- information that needs checking
- action agreed but not yet completed
For example, a pupil may have had a quiet arrival arrangement last year, but the new timetable may make it unnecessary or may require a different version. Record that as a review question, not as settled fact.
This small distinction stops staff following an old arrangement simply because it is written down.
Step 4: Add the dates that drive the first half term
The baseline should show dates, not just descriptions. Include:
- SEN Support Plan review dates
- EHCP annual review dates
- transition meetings
- external advice expected
- parent conversations already agreed
- attendance or reintegration checks
- provision reviews
- deadlines for actions assigned to staff
A date without an owner is not a plan. Add the person responsible and the action they need to complete.
"Review in September" is too loose. "SENCO to review access arrangement with class teacher by 18 September" can be followed up.
Step 5: Check the record against the adults using it
Before pupils return, ask a class teacher or cover colleague to use the baseline without a verbal briefing. Watch where they hesitate.
Can they tell:
- what to do first?
- what the pupil is working towards?
- what information is sensitive?
- what has changed since July?
- who owns the next review?
The gaps they find are the gaps that matter. A record that only works after the SENCO explains it is not yet a shared record.
Patchwork systems often fail here. Shared drives, old Word documents and email threads can all contain correct information, but staff still need one dependable version of the current picture.
A simple September baseline template
For each pupil, keep a compact entry with these fields:
1. Pupil and class 2. Current SEND status 3. Main barrier or need 4. Current provision 5. First-day instruction for staff 6. What has changed 7. Information to confirm 8. Next review date 9. Action owner 10. Source document
The source document matters. It lets the reader move from the short working summary to the full SEN Support Plan, EHCP or relevant record without searching through folders.
MeritDocs keeps SEND documents in one searchable hub, so staff can filter by pupil, see what is current and export what they need. That gives the short September summary somewhere reliable to point back to.
How to keep the baseline current after September
The baseline should not become another abandoned spreadsheet. Set three rules:
Update it when provision changes
If a review changes the support, update the current record at the same time. Do not wait for the next termly admin session.
Review the open questions
Every item marked "to confirm" should have an owner and a date. Close it, change it or explain why it remains open.
Remove superseded instructions
Old arrangements should not remain beside new ones without a clear status. If staff can find the old version faster, they may use it.
MeritDocs is useful here because the Documents Hub gives staff one place to find current documents, review dates and exports. It does not replace professional judgement or classroom observation. It reduces the chance that the record staff rely on is the one that should have been retired.
What should happen in the first six weeks?
A September baseline is a starting point, not a verdict. During the first half term, check whether the provision works in the new class, timetable and peer group.
Look for:
- pupils whose support is not being delivered as intended
- adjustments that work in one setting but not another
- new barriers caused by timetable or staffing changes
- families who have raised a concern
- actions that have missed their owner or date
- plans that need a formal review rather than an informal tweak
Record the decision that follows. If the school changes provision, the current record should show what changed, why and when it will be checked again.
FAQ
Is a September SEND baseline the same as a one-page profile?
No. A one-page profile focuses on what helps an individual pupil. A September baseline is a school workflow tool that also shows status, changes, owners and dates. The two can link to each other.
Does every pupil need a new document?
No. Start from the current record and create only the summary staff need. Rewriting settled information creates work and increases the chance of contradictory versions.
Who owns the baseline?
The SENCO usually coordinates it, but class teachers, pastoral staff and leaders own the updates connected to their work. A baseline that depends on one person remembering every change will drift.
The takeaway
Before September, give staff one current starting point. Keep it short enough to use, specific enough to act on and linked to the full record. Then give every open question an owner and a date.
That is the difference between a handover that looks complete and one that actually helps a pupil on the first morning.