When staff change, SEND support is often what drifts first.
A pupil's current needs, recent adjustments, parent agreements, medical notes, and the next review date can all disappear into a handover that is too rushed or too vague.
A good handover pack stops that. It tells the next adult what matters, what is current, and what needs doing next.
> A SEND handover pack should let a new member of staff understand the pupil in under two minutes. If it cannot do that, it is too long or too untidy.
What should be in the pack?
Keep it tight. You are not writing the full history. You are making the next step possible.
A useful pack usually includes:
pupil name, year group, and key contacts
the current support plan or one-page summary
the pupil's main needs in plain English
what helps day to day
what makes things worse
any health, safety, or medicine information that staff must know
current adjustments in lessons and around school
recent parent conversations that affect provision
the next review date
open actions and who owns them
If the school already has a wider provision map or support plan, do not copy everything into the pack. Link to the live record and keep the handover to the essentials.
What a strong handover answers
The best packs answer four questions immediately:
1. What does this pupil need from us now?
Not the diagnosis. The current support.
2. What has worked recently?
Use real examples, not general phrases.
3. What are the open actions?
If there is a meeting, review, referral, or parent promise, it should be obvious.
4. Who owns the next step?
If nobody owns it, it tends not to happen.
How to build it without wasting time
You should be able to make a useful handover pack quickly if the live record is in order.
Step 1: Pull the current record
Start with the latest plan, the most recent review note, and any active adjustments.
Step 2: Strip out duplicate history
Old versions, superseded notes, and repeated emails do not help the next adult.
Step 3: Write the support in plain English
Use short sentences. Say what staff should do, not what the child was like three terms ago.
Step 4: Add the next actions
A handover pack without next steps is just a summary.
Step 5: Check it with the person receiving it
If they still have questions about what is current, the pack needs tightening.
MeritDocs keeps SEND documents in one searchable hub, so staff can filter by pupil, see what is current, and export when needed. That makes this kind of handover much easier because the pack comes from the live record rather than from memory.
Common mistakes
Too much history
The pack is not the place for a full case note. Give enough context to act, then link to the full record if needed.
Old documents mixed in with current ones
This is one of the fastest ways to lose trust in the system. The pack should point only to the live version.
Vague support language
Phrases like "continue to monitor" or "provide support as needed" are not much use to the next adult.
No owner
If the pack does not say who updates it, it will go stale.
When to use a handover pack
Use one whenever the context changes, especially when:
a child moves class
a pupil joins mid-year
a class teacher is absent for a long period
a key support staff member changes
a pupil's needs have changed quickly
the school is preparing for a transition to another setting
The aim is not to make more paperwork. It is to prevent the record from losing the pupil.
A short example structure
A simple pack can be one page, with a linked record behind it:
Current summary
What helps
What to watch for
Open actions
Next review date
Named owner
That is usually enough to help a new adult start well.
FAQ
Should the handover pack replace the full support plan?
No. It should point to the live plan. The pack is the fast view.
How long should it be?
As short as possible while still being useful. Often one to two pages is enough.
Who should update it?
Usually the SENCO or the staff member who owns the live record, with input from the class team.
What is the biggest risk?
The biggest risk is that the pack becomes another document that nobody trusts because it is out of date.
Final thought
A good SEND handover pack is not a nice extra. It is the difference between a careful transition and a messy restart. If the school can keep the current record clear, the handover becomes easy. If the record is scattered, the handover becomes guesswork.
MeritDocs helps schools run this properly by keeping SEND documents in one place, with current information easier to find, review dates visible, and exports straightforward.