How to Prepare for an IDP Review Meeting in Wales

If you are going into an IDP or ALN meeting without a written list of questions, evidence organised in a folder, and a clear outcome you are asking for, you are walking in at a disadvantage. The school is not.

The ALNCo and school staff have been through this process dozens of times. They know the legal language. They know which phrases commit the school to nothing and which ones open up budget. The only way to level that imbalance is to walk in equally prepared — which takes a few hours of work before you arrive.

Here is exactly how to prepare.

Understand What Kind of Meeting This Is

Before you prepare anything, clarify whether this is:

An IDP drafting meeting — the school is preparing to write or co-produce your child's first IDP. The ALN Code requires that the IDP is developed using Person-Centred Practice, which means your child's views and your views must be central to what goes into it.

An annual review meeting — the school is reviewing whether the current IDP and its provisions are working. This is held at least once every 12 months. The question on the table is: has the ALP been delivered, and have the outcomes been achieved?

An early review meeting — requested by you or the school because something has changed significantly. A diagnosis, a breakdown in support, a school move, or evidence that the current plan is not working.

A "duty to decide" meeting — the school is deciding whether your child has ALN at all. This is often the earliest and most consequential meeting, because a refusal here means the child gets no IDP. Know which category you are walking into.

Documents to Bring

Do not rely on the school to have the right paperwork. Bring your own copies.

• A copy of your child's current IDP (if one exists), with your own handwritten notes on sections you want to challenge or clarify
• Any reports you have received since the last meeting: educational psychology assessments, SALT reports, OT reports, CAMHS letters, pediatrician letters
• A copy of any evidence you have gathered yourself: notes on incidents, emails to the school, teacher feedback, examples of work showing where your child is struggling
• A completed One Page Profile for your child — this is a document capturing "what people appreciate about me," "what is important to me," and "how best to support me." It feeds directly into Section 1C of the IDP and the ALN Code requires it to be used
• A written list of your questions and the outcomes you are asking for

If you have an independent Educational Psychologist report, bring it. Independent EP reports carry significant weight in IDP meetings and at the Education Tribunal for Wales if the dispute escalates.

What to Say at an ALN or IDP Meeting

The most important thing you can say is what you want — specifically and in writing.

Vague requests produce vague outcomes. Do not say "I want more support for my child." Say "I am requesting that Section 2B of the IDP be revised to specify a minimum of 25 hours per week of 1:1 TA support during literacy and numeracy sessions, as recommended in the educational psychology report from March 2026."

Before the meeting, write down your specific requests in bullet-point form. This does three things: it forces you to be concrete, it creates a record of what you asked for, and it is much harder for the school to ignore written requests than verbal ones.

Questions that tend to move meetings forward productively:

• "Can you confirm who is responsible for maintaining this IDP — the school or the local authority?"
• "Which part of this provision falls within the school's ordinarily available inclusive practice, and which part constitutes Additional Learning Provision?"
• "What evidence was used to determine the number of TA hours specified in Section 2B?"
• "What outcomes are we reviewing at the next annual review, and how will we measure them?"
• "If my child has not made the expected progress, what will the school do differently before the next review?"

The 4+1 Questions Framework

The ALN Code's approach to annual reviews is built around the "4+1 Questions" framework from Person-Centred Practice:

1. What have we tried?
2. What have we learned?
3. What are we pleased about?
4. What are we concerned about?

...and then: Given what we know, what do we do next?

Use this framework to structure your own thinking before the meeting. Write your answers to all five questions from your perspective as a parent. This prepares you to contribute substantively and makes it much harder for the meeting to become a passive presentation from the school.

What Happens at an IDP Annual Review

The ALNCo (Additional Learning Needs Coordinator) is legally responsible for conducting the annual review. They must gather evidence from all involved parties before the meeting — which should include you. If the school has not contacted you for input ahead of the meeting, that is itself a procedural gap worth noting.

During the review, the ALNCo must assess:

• Whether the ALP described in the current IDP has actually been delivered
• Whether the outcomes in the plan have been achieved or partially achieved
• Whether the child's ALN has changed
• Whether the IDP needs to be revised, maintained, or ceased

You have the right to input at every stage. If outcomes have not been met because the provision was not delivered, that is not a reason to lower the provision — it is a reason to hold the school to account for the provision that was already specified.

If you leave the meeting without a clear record of what was decided, follow up within 48 hours with a written summary of what was agreed and what actions the school will take. Email is sufficient. This creates a paper trail.

When to Ask for an Early Review

You do not have to wait 12 months. You can request an early review if:

• Your child's needs have changed significantly (new diagnosis, medical event, mental health crisis)
• The ALP in the current IDP is not being delivered
• Your child has moved schools or is about to
• There has been a significant change in family circumstances

Make the request in writing. Cite the ALN Code's provision for early reviews. The school or LA cannot refuse a legitimate request for early review, though they may attempt to delay.

Preparing With Your Child

If your child is old enough to participate, involve them in the preparation. The ALN Code's Person-Centred Practice approach places the child's voice at the centre of the IDP process. Young people also have a distinct statutory right to an independent advocate during meetings if they want one.

Work with your child on their One Page Profile before the meeting. Ask them what support is actually helping, what is not, and what they find difficult. Their perspective is not just useful — it is legally required to be part of the process.

The Wales IDP & ALN Blueprint includes a pre-meeting preparation checklist, a guide to using the 4+1 Questions framework, and template follow-up letters to confirm what was agreed after an IDP review meeting.

After the Meeting

Get everything in writing. If the school agreed to revise Section 2B, request a written timeline for when the revised draft will be shared. If the annual review concluded that the IDP should be maintained, request a written copy of the updated plan within two weeks.

The statutory process in Wales means decisions made at review meetings have legal weight — but only if they are documented. Do not leave it to the school to write up what happened. Follow up proactively.

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