Writing SEND Reports: A Teacher's Guide

Writing reports for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities requires particular care and skill. These reports need to be honest about where a child is, whilst also celebrating their achievements, communicating high expectations, and ensuring that the language used is respectful, positive, and growth-focused.

Many teachers find SEND reports among the most challenging to write — not because they don't know the child, but because finding the right words matters so much. This guide offers practical strategies and examples to help.

The Foundation: Strengths-Based Language

The single most important principle for SEND report writing is to lead with strengths. Every child has them, and they should be the starting point of every comment — not an afterthought tagged onto a list of difficulties.

This doesn't mean avoiding honest discussion of challenges. It means framing them within a context of progress, effort, and potential.

Deficit Language vs Growth Language

Consider the difference between these two approaches:

Deficit: "Noah struggles with reading and is well below the expected level for his age. He cannot decode unfamiliar words and finds it difficult to concentrate during whole-class reading sessions."

Growth: "Noah has made encouraging progress with his reading this year, particularly with the targeted phonics intervention he has been receiving. He is becoming more confident at sounding out unfamiliar words and is showing greater stamina during reading activities. His enthusiasm for non-fiction texts about space has been wonderful to see and is motivating him to practise his reading skills regularly."

Both descriptions may refer to the same child at the same level of attainment. But the second version communicates progress, identifies what's working, and sees the whole child — not just their difficulties.

Practical Language Swaps

Here are specific phrases to avoid and what to use instead:

Instead of "cannot" or "is unable to" use "is working towards" or "is developing their ability to"
Instead of "struggles with" use "finds it challenging but is making progress with" or "is growing in confidence with"
Instead of "is behind" or "is below" use "is working at their own pace towards" or "is making progress relative to their starting points"
Instead of "has difficulty" use "is developing strategies to support their"
Instead of "refuses to" or "won't" use "is learning to" or "responds best when" or "is developing their confidence to"
Instead of "is disruptive" use "is learning to manage their responses" or "is developing self-regulation with adult support"

Celebrating Small Wins

For some pupils, the progress that matters most won't show up on a standardised assessment. A child who now enters the classroom independently, who put their hand up for the first time, or who managed to work with a partner for ten minutes — these are significant achievements that deserve recognition.

"One of Ruby's biggest achievements this year has been her growing independence at the start of the school day. Where she previously needed significant adult support to manage the morning routine, she now hangs up her coat, organises her belongings, and settles to the morning activity with minimal prompting. This represents real progress and is a testament to Ruby's determination."

"Thomas has made wonderful progress with his social communication this year. He is now initiating conversations with peers during free choice time and has formed a genuine friendship with two children in the class. He participated in the class assembly with confidence, delivering his lines clearly — a moment that his teaching assistant and I were both incredibly proud of."

Discussing Support and Interventions

Reports should acknowledge the support a child receives without making it sound like the child is defined by that support. Frame it as something that's enabling their success, not propping them up.

Good: "With the support of his daily reading intervention, Harley has made accelerated progress and is now reading with much greater fluency"
Less good: "Harley requires a daily reading intervention because he is significantly behind his peers"
Good: "Grace benefits from her visual timetable, which helps her navigate the school day with confidence and manage transitions smoothly"
Less good: "Grace cannot cope with changes to the routine without her visual timetable"

EHCP and IEP Targets

If a child has an Education, Health and Care Plan or individual targets, the report should reference progress towards these without simply listing them. Parents want to understand what the targets mean in practice and how their child is getting on.

"One of Alfie's EHCP targets this year was to develop his fine motor skills to support his handwriting. Through a combination of daily finger gym activities and targeted occupational therapy exercises, Alfie has made real strides. He is now forming most lowercase letters correctly and his writing is becoming more legible and consistent. He has shown fantastic perseverance with activities he initially found very frustrating."

Avoiding Common Pitfalls

Don't compare to peers

Phrases like "compared to the rest of the class" or "unlike other children" have no place in a SEND report. Progress should be measured against the child's own starting points and individual targets.

Don't use clinical or diagnostic language

A school report is not a medical document. Avoid labelling language like "his autism means" or "because of her dyslexia." Instead, describe the child's actual experiences and needs: "Maisie responds best to information presented visually" rather than "due to her dyslexia, Maisie struggles with text."

Don't neglect the personal

Children with SEND are children first. Their sense of humour, their friendships, their enthusiasm for the class hamster — these things matter and should feature in their report just as they would for any other pupil.

"Beyond his academic progress, what has stood out most about Finley this year is his kindness. He is always the first to offer help to a classmate, he looks after the younger children at lunchtime, and his infectious laugh brightens every day in our classroom."

Working with Teaching Assistants and the SENCO

For pupils with significant needs, the class teacher may not be the only person who knows the child well. Collaborate with teaching assistants, the SENCO, and any external professionals involved. They'll often be able to provide specific examples and observations that will make your report richer and more accurate.

A quick ten-minute conversation with a TA before you write can surface insights that you might not have from whole-class teaching alone.

Making It Manageable

SEND reports take longer to write because they require more nuance and care. Allow yourself extra time for these, and write them when you're fresh rather than at the end of a long session.

If you're looking for support, Reportify includes specific guidance for writing SEND-appropriate comments — helping you find strengths-based, growth-focused language that celebrates every child's progress. It can suggest starting points that you then personalise with the specific details only you, as their teacher, can provide.

Every child deserves a report that sees them as a whole person, recognises their effort, and communicates belief in their potential. Taking the time to get SEND reports right isn't just good practice — it tells families that their child is known, valued, and celebrated in your school.