An EHCP outcome often describes a change to work towards over a term, year or phase of education. Weekly learning targets make the next steps visible: what the learner will practise, what adults will teach and what evidence will help everyone understand progress. They should connect daily teaching with the plan, while preserving the support specified in it.
This article concerns education, health and care plans in England. Weekly targets do not amend an EHCP or replace its provision.
Read the need, outcome and provision together
Start with the relevant parts of the plan rather than copying an outcome into a weekly timetable. In an EHCP, section B describes special educational needs, section E contains outcomes and section F specifies special educational provision. Reading these together helps avoid setting a target without planning the support needed to pursue it.
The SEND Code of Practice, particularly its guidance on outcomes and shorter-term targets, explains this distinction. An outcome describes the change sought for the child or young person; provision describes the support to be delivered. The two should not be treated as interchangeable.
When translating a plan into teaching, keep its original wording available so that a shortened planning sheet does not become the only reference. Our guide to preparing for a learning review offers practical questions for ordinary progress discussions; these do not replace formal EHCP review requirements.
Choose a useful, observable stepping stone
Ask what the learner can currently do, with what assistance and in which situation. Then select a next step that is meaningful and realistically teachable. A weekly target need not mean that a new skill must be mastered within five days; it can specify a period of practice and review.
“Improve communication” is difficult to teach or evaluate on its own. A more useful stepping stone might describe how the learner will request clarification during a familiar activity, using their established communication method and agreed support.
Involve the learner in choosing a purpose that matters to them. Asking for clarification may help them take part in a preferred practical task, rather than serving only as a score on an adult's checklist. Avoid targets that reward appearing compliant while concealing confusion or distress.
Plan what adults will do
For each target, identify the activity, teaching approach, materials and opportunities to practise. State who will provide the support and how other relevant adults will recognise the same skill.
A target to use a communication aid is incomplete if the aid is unavailable or adults have not learned how to respond. Likewise, a target involving reading should distinguish between decoding practice and supported access to subject content.
Reconnect Learning's SEND and EHCP support information is a starting point for discussing how educational provision can relate to a learner's plan. Any arrangement needs to be checked against the actual requirements and responsibilities in that case.
An illustrative weekly planning example
The following example is fictional and is not suggested wording for an individual EHCP.
- Longer-term direction: Communicate when help is needed during learning.
- Starting point: The learner usually waits for an adult to notice that they are stuck.
- Near-term target: Practise using the agreed help signal during a familiar activity, with a reminder available.
- Teaching: The adult models when and how to use the signal, then creates natural opportunities to practise without withholding necessary support.
- Evidence: A brief note records the opportunity, whether a prompt was needed and whether the adult responded effectively.
- Review question: Is the learner finding the signal useful, and can it be used with another familiar adult?
The specified provision continues throughout. The practice record does not authorise reducing support because the learner used a skill successfully once.
Review learning and delivery separately
At review, ask both whether the target remains appropriate and whether the planned teaching happened. Consider context: a skill used in a quiet session may not yet transfer to a busy lesson. Record that difference rather than calling progress inconsistent without explanation.
If the evidence suggests the EHCP itself needs changing, raise that through the appropriate formal process. A classroom planning sheet cannot make that change by itself. To explore educational support connected to an existing plan, contact Reconnect Learning with the relevant needs and outcomes.