Resources

Child profiles or ‘one-page profiles’ have been developed as a useful tool particularly for SENCos to use in schools in order to share information about the needs and capabilities of a range of pupils with additional needs across the staff. This can help staff to ensure their practice is in line with consistent approaches for the child in a setting. Children interact with numerous adults during the course of a day and there needs to be a shared understanding across the staff.

Child profiles are best when based on person-centred planning approaches. This is a way of capturing a child holistically. How can we begin to understand what helps a child if we only ever know what things they can’t do? So a child profile will cover what we appreciate about the child, what they can do, what they find difficult, what works, what doesn’t work, how we can help and what outcomes we are working for. These profiles are best when the child, the parent and the school (this could be more than one member of staff) have all contributed ideas so we are all working together to ensure vital information can be shared about effective strategies.