What a MAT-wide SEND dataset should include
A trust cannot manage SEND well if every school records it differently.
The problem is not only quality. It is consistency.
If one school tracks interventions one way, another school uses a different template, and a third school stores half the notes in email, the trust cannot see what is happening clearly enough to act on it.
Start with the minimum useful data
A MAT-wide SEND dataset does not need to be huge.
It needs to answer a few basic questions:
- who has a SEND need
- what the need is
- what support is in place
- when it was last reviewed
- whether the support is being delivered
- what the outcome is
- what needs escalation
That is the core.
Suggested fields
A trust-level dataset often works best when it includes:
- pupil name and unique identifier
- school
- year group
- primary need
- secondary need if relevant
- SEN support stage or EHCP status
- current provision summary
- review date
- action owner
- external agency involvement
- attendance flag if relevant
- intervention start date
- intervention review result
- open actions
- next review date
That gives leaders enough to spot patterns without drowning in detail.
Standardise the language
Different names for the same thing make reporting much harder.
If one school uses “support plan” and another uses “intervention tracker”, the trust ends up translating instead of analysing.
Agree on:
- one label for each type of record
- one field for each key status
- one review rhythm
- one action log format
Define the source of truth
This matters.
If the same field appears in several systems, people need to know which one is current.
Otherwise, trust leaders end up with a spreadsheet that is technically full and practically untrustworthy.
Include workflow, not just status
The best datasets do not only say what the pupil needs.
They also show what happened.
That means tracking:
- when support started
- whether it was delivered
- when it was reviewed
- whether the plan changed
- whether the issue has been escalated
This is what turns data into management information.
Avoid overcomplicating the dashboard
A MAT does not need fifty fields on the first screen.
It needs a few that matter and the ability to drill down when needed.
Useful trust views often include:
- overdue reviews
- EHCP timelines
- pupils with open actions
- pupils with persistent attendance concerns
- schools with high variation in provision follow-up
Why standardisation helps schools too
This is not only a central office issue.
Standardisation helps local staff because:
- handovers are easier
- reports are faster
- evidence is easier to find
- review packs are more consistent
- less time is lost reformatting the same information
A simple rule
If the trust cannot explain the data model in one clear page, it is probably too complicated.
In practice
A system like MeritDocs can give MAT leaders one standard structure for SEND data across schools.
Final thought
A MAT-wide SEND dataset should do one thing well: make support visible across schools without creating extra admin.
If it does that, it is useful.
If it does not, it is just another spreadsheet.