Assess, Plan, Do, Review (APDR) Cycle

Provision that should be ordinarily available in mainstream settings must provide a graduated response to children’s SEND. This includes increasing and developing support as a child or young person responds to the interventions, support and strategies put into place.

How to demonstrate the four stages of action:

The four stages of action are described as: 

• Assess

• Plan

• Do

• Review

This is also known as APDR.

This is a four-part cycle through which earlier decisions and actions are reviewed with growing understanding of the pupil’s needs. This includes what supports the pupil in making good progress and securing good outcomes (SEND Code of Practice 2015).

Schools and other settings should demonstrate the application of the APDR cycle over time by ensuring:

• Earlier decisions and actions are revisited and reviewed

• New approaches and plans are put into place 

• External help and advice is accessed where necessary

The APDR cycle helps to:

• Monitor and track in more detail the progress of the child/young person

• Give a growing understanding of needs

• Identify barriers to learning and adjust the curriculum and provision accordingly

• Gather information in a cyclical approach to assess need, plan and provide support and review and evaluate that support so it can be adjusted

• Ensure new approaches and plans are put into place with external help and advice where necessary

• Secure good progress and outcomes.

Cycle of 'Assess, Plan, Do, Review.'

When a child or young person is placed on SEND Support, a cycle of 'Assess, Plan, Do, Review' is started. Decisions are made together with the child or young person and the parent/carer. Actions are agreed. The length and regularity of the cycle depends on the needs of the child or young person and the family at the time. The child or young person and their parents/carers are central to this cycle. 

Assess: The child or young person's difficulties must be assessed. This means the right support is provided at the right time. This should include asking parents and carers, the young person and professionals such as the teachers who work closely with them what they think. This needs to be reviewed regularly so that the support provided continues to meet the child or young person's needs. 

Plan: The setting and parents or carers need to agree the outcomes that the SEND Support is intended to acheive. This means how the child or young person will benefit from any support they get. All those involved will need to have a say in deciding what kind of support will be provided. They should decide a date by which they will review this so that they can check to see how well the support is working. Here they can evaluate whether the outcomes have been or are being achieved. 

Do: The setting put the planned support into place. Parents or carers may also have support and strategies that they can use at home. The teacher remains responsible for working with the young person on a daily basis, but the SENDCo and any support staff or specialist teaching staff involved in providing support should work closely to track the child's progress and check that the support is being effective. 

Review: The support the child or young person receives is reviewed regularly by all (usually a minimum of three times a year).