An intervention target should help staff decide whether support is making a useful difference. Before writing it, ask what you want to understand at the review. Is the pupil becoming more confident with a particular task? Are they using a strategy more independently? Is the planned support being delivered consistently?

A clear question makes it easier to choose a realistic target and collect relevant evidence.

A baseline does not need to be complicated. It needs to be understandable. Record what the pupil can currently do, the circumstances in which you observed it and any support they needed.

For example, “can start the task after an adult models the first step” is more useful than “struggles to work independently”. The first description gives staff a specific starting point and something they can revisit.

Choose wording that another member of staff could interpret in the same way. Avoid targets that depend entirely on impressions such as “be more confident” without describing what that would look like.

A practical target might describe a particular activity, the level of support expected and the context in which it will be tried. Set the timescale using your knowledge of the pupil and the planned provision.

• What will the pupil do?
• In which situation?
• With what level of support?
• What evidence will help the team review it?

If a review shows little change, the next question is not automatically whether the intervention was unsuitable. First check what was delivered. Were sessions held as planned? Did staffing or attendance affect the programme? Was the activity adapted?

Delivery evidence helps the team interpret progress fairly and make a more informed next decision. Keep records concise, dated and connected to the agreed provision.

A review should lead somewhere. You might continue the approach, adjust the target, change the delivery or gather more information. Record the reason and agree who will take the next action.

In this fictional Year 4 example, a pupil tells their teacher, “I know what to write once I get going.” The SENCO and teacher agree to look at one thing: can the pupil begin the first sentence after the class instruction?

Starting point. Across five English lessons, the teacher leaves a familiar picture checklist on the desk and gives the usual whole-class instruction. The pupil starts writing within two minutes without an individual adult prompt in one lesson out of five. In the other four, an adult points to the first picture or gives a verbal reminder.

Six-week target. In at least four of five English lessons in the final week, the pupil will begin the first sentence within two minutes of the class instruction, using the checklist if helpful. An adult pointing to the card counts as a prompt. The teacher records one outcome per lesson so everyone counts success the same way.

Support and delivery. The teaching assistant plans two ten-minute practice sessions each week to rehearse choosing a first idea and using the checklist. Ten of the twelve sessions take place. The pupil misses one through absence and a school trip displaces the other.

Review evidence. In the final five lessons the pupil starts independently in three. In the remaining two, they begin after an adult points to the card. The pupil says the pictures help, but choosing an opening for a story is still tricky. Both prompted starts were on story-writing days.

Decision and next check. Independent starts rose from one in five to three in five, short of the agreed four. The teacher keeps the checklist and the same target. For the next fortnight the teaching assistant will practise choosing a story opening during the scheduled sessions. The teacher will record the writing task alongside each observation. The SENCO will review the final five records with the pupil and teacher at the end of the fortnight.

Download the editable intervention review sheet for SENCOs (Word). Fill in the baseline and success measure before support begins. At review, bring the delivery record and the pupil’s views, then agree the next action, its owner and a review date.

VistaSen connects baselines, targets, intervention delivery and review information. Explore VistaSen SEND and support to see how those pieces fit together.