# How to run a SEND record audit before the end of term
By the end of term, SEND records have usually drifted.
A few review dates are overdue. A parent email has not made it into the main file. One pupil has two different versions of the same plan. And the person who knew where everything lived is away.
That is why a short SEND record audit matters.
You do not need a grand project. You need a quick, disciplined check that tells you what is current, what is missing, and what needs action before the holiday starts.
The best audits are boring in the right way. They reduce surprises.
What this audit is for
The aim is not to tidy every file in one go.
The aim is to answer five practical questions:
Is the current SEND document easy to find?
Are the review dates accurate?
Do we have one live version or several?
Are there any missing actions from recent meetings?
Can the next member of staff understand the pupil in under two minutes?
If you can answer those questions, you are in much better shape than most schools.
MeritDocs keeps SEND documents in one searchable hub, so staff can filter by pupil, see what is current, and export when needed. That means the audit becomes a check on the live record rather than a treasure hunt across inboxes and shared drives.
A simple 60-minute audit structure
If you are short on time, work through the audit in five short passes.
1. Pick the cohort
Start with a manageable group.
You might choose:
pupils with an EHCP
pupils on SEN Support
pupils moving year groups
pupils with upcoming reviews
pupils whose plans have changed this term
Do not try to inspect every record in the school if that will stop you finishing.
2. Export or gather the current records
You need a list of who you are checking and where the live record is held.
For each pupil, bring together:
the current support plan
the latest review note
any active adjustments
the next review date
any open actions
the most recent parent communication that matters
If it takes ten minutes just to find the current plan, the system needs attention.
3. Check the live record against three questions
For each pupil, ask:
What is current? Is the latest plan clearly marked? Is the version obvious?
What is missing? Are there actions from the last meeting that never made it into the record?
What has gone stale? Are there old documents still being treated as live? Are review dates out of date?
This is the point where most audit findings appear.
4. Flag anything that needs handover
If a record depends on one person remembering the story, the audit should expose it.
Look for:
pupils new to the school
staff changes since the last review
intervention notes that were never formalised
agency input that is mentioned once but not tracked
parent promises that have no follow-up owner
Those are the places where support tends to drift.
5. Send one follow-up list
The output should be a short list, not a giant spreadsheet no one reads.
Your follow-up list should say:
what needs updating
who owns the update
when it should be done
what needs to be archived
what needs escalation
A good audit produces decisions, not just observations.
What to look for first
If you only have ten minutes per pupil, prioritise these items:
Current version
Can you tell at a glance which document is live?
Review date
Is the next review date visible and realistic?
Actions
Have agreed actions been completed or assigned?
Support summary
Could a new teacher understand the plan quickly?
Parent communication
Is the latest agreed outcome written down somewhere reliable?
Handover risk
Would this pupil's support make sense if the current SENCO was absent tomorrow?
If the answer to any of those is no, you have found a real problem.
Common audit problems
The same issues come up again and again.
Too many versions
One plan in email, one on a shared drive, one in a folder, one printed in a filing tray.
No one is completely sure which one is current.
Missing review outcomes
The meeting happened. The actions were agreed. Then the file never caught up.
Stale dates
Review dates are in the past, or they are present but invisible.
No clear owner
Everyone supports the pupil, but no one owns the next step.
Notes that never became the record
Useful meeting notes are sitting outside the main file, so the story is incomplete.
This is exactly the kind of mess that turns one small task into a full-day chase.
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. The real gain is not just speed. It is a record people can actually rely on when the term gets busy.
A quick checklist you can reuse every term
Use the same five questions every time:
Is the current document obvious?
Are the review dates up to date?
Are agreed actions recorded?
Can a new staff member understand the support?
Is anything still sitting in the file that should be archived?
That keeps the audit simple and repeatable.
It also helps you spot patterns.
If the same problem appears every term, it is probably not a one-off mistake. It is a process problem.
What to do after the audit
Do not let the audit become another piece of paperwork.
Use it to make three decisions:
What gets updated this week?
What gets archived or removed from the live record?
What process change would stop the same issue happening again?
That last question matters most.
If you only fix the file, the problem will come back.
If you fix the process, the file gets easier every term.
FAQ
How often should schools run a SEND record audit?
At least once a term is sensible for most schools, with a smaller check around key transition points or before annual reviews.
Who should own the audit?
Usually the SENCO, but the work often needs support from admin staff, pastoral leaders, and whoever manages the school's live records.
What should we do if there are duplicate plans?
Pick the live version, archive the rest under policy, and make sure staff know where the current document now lives.
What if the record is missing important history?
Recover what you can, write down the gap, and fix the process that let it disappear.
The takeaway
A SEND record audit is not glamorous, but it is one of the easiest ways to protect continuity.
When the current record is clear, the review dates are visible, and the actions are owned, staff can spend less time hunting and more time supporting pupils.
That is the point of better records in the first place.
MeritDocs gives schools one searchable hub for current SEND documents, so an end-of-term audit is quicker, cleaner, and much easier to trust.