The NSW ILP Process: Step by Step from Referral to Review

The NSW government website makes the ILP process sound orderly. In practice, parents often experience it as opaque, slow, and heavily dependent on which school and which Learning and Support Teacher they happen to have. Understanding the formal process — and knowing where it tends to break down — puts you in a better position to navigate it.

Here is how the NSW Individual Learning Plan process is supposed to work, what actually happens, and what you can do at each stage.

Stage 1: Identification and Referral

An ILP process is triggered when a teacher, parent, or school counsellor identifies that a student may require educational adjustments due to a disability or learning need. This can happen through:

• Classroom teacher observation of learning difficulties or behavioural concerns
• Parent raising concerns at a parent-teacher interview
• Results of NAPLAN assessments or in-class diagnostic testing
• External clinical diagnosis shared with the school (paediatrician report, psychological assessment)

What parents can do: You do not need to wait for the school to identify your child. If you have concerns, you can formally request in writing that your child be assessed for an ILP. Address this to the Learning and Support Teacher (LaST) at your child's school. A written request creates a paper trail.

There is no mandated response timeline in NSW law for how quickly a school must respond to a parent's referral request — which means following up in writing after two weeks is a reasonable step.

Stage 2: The PLASST Assessment

Once a student is referred to the Learning and Support Team (LST), the school may use the PLASST (Personalised Learning and Support Signposting Tool) — a web-based diagnostic tool that maps the student's needs and strengths across six domains: Cognitive, Attentiveness to Learning, Communication, Social Skills, Social Adjustment, and Personal Independence.

PLASST results are used to identify what level of support is needed and to inform initial ILP goal-setting. The tool is completed by the school — usually the class teacher and Learning and Support Teacher together — based on observation and existing information.

What parents can do: Ask to see the PLASST results. You are entitled to know the basis on which support decisions are made about your child. If you believe the results don't reflect your child's actual abilities or needs (either underestimating or overestimating), say so in writing and provide any external assessment evidence you have.

Stage 3: Gathering Evidence

Before the first ILP meeting, the LST should compile:

• Teacher observations from multiple contexts
• Any existing clinical reports (paediatric assessments, psychological evaluations, OT or speech pathology reports)
• Results from school-based assessments and PLASST
• Your input as parent — in NSW, the DSE 2005 mandates that the school consult with parents in developing the ILP, so your input is not optional

This is also when the school counsellor may conduct additional assessment. NSW school counsellors hold postgraduate psychology qualifications and can perform cognitive and social-emotional assessments. However, their caseloads are stretched. If your child needs a formal diagnosis to access higher-tier support (IFS funding, support class placement), you may need to pursue a private assessment.

Stage 4: The ILP Meeting

The first formal planning meeting should include: the classroom teacher, the Learning and Support Teacher, the school counsellor (if relevant), and you as the parent. Depending on complexity, the school principal or deputy may also attend. You are entitled to bring a support person — this could be a partner, family friend, disability advocate, or anyone you choose.

The meeting covers:

1. The student's current levels of performance (strengths and needs)
2. Goals for the term or semester — these must be SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound)
3. Adjustments and strategies the school will implement
4. Who is responsible for each strategy
5. How progress will be monitored and measured
6. The date of the next review meeting

What parents can do in the meeting:

• Ask for specific goals, not vague ones. "Will improve reading" is not acceptable. "Will decode CVC words with 80% accuracy by the end of Term 2" is.
• Ask who specifically is responsible for each adjustment. A strategy with no named person attached to it will not happen.
• Ask what happens if the agreed adjustments are not implemented — who do you contact?
• Ask for the review date to be set before the meeting ends
• Do not leave the meeting without a signed copy of the ILP or a commitment to send one within five working days

Stage 5: Documentation and Distribution

The completed ILP should be:

• Signed by all parties (school and parent)
• Distributed to all teachers who interact with the student — not just filed with the LaST
• Communicated specifically to relief teachers through the relief folder or equivalent system
• Accessible to the SLSO assigned to support the student

In practice, ILPs frequently stay in a folder on the LaST's desk and don't reach the classroom teacher, let alone the relief teacher who covers on Fridays. This is the single biggest implementation failure in the NSW system.

What parents can do: After the meeting, send an email summarising the agreed adjustments, who is responsible, and the review date. This creates a written record independent of the school's filing system. If adjustments aren't being implemented, you have a documented reference point.

Stage 6: Monitoring and Progress

The ILP must include a monitoring and review process. Progress data should be collected regularly — for intensive support, monthly or termly checks are appropriate. The LaST or classroom teacher is responsible for data collection.

Parents should receive updates on progress — not just at formal review meetings. You can request interim progress reports in writing at any point.

If the ILP goals are not being met and no one has flagged this, that is information. Ask: has the strategy not been implemented, or has it been implemented and is not working? These are different problems with different solutions.

Stage 7: The Review Meeting

At minimum, the ILP should be reviewed once per term or semester. An urgent review should be triggered by:

• A significant change in the student's clinical diagnosis
• A suspension event
• A major change in the student's functioning or behaviour
• The transition between primary and high school
• Transition to high school subject selection (Years 9-10)

The review meeting follows the same structure as the initial meeting: What progress has been made against the goals? What adjustments are working and which aren't? What needs to change for the next period?

What parents can do: Do not wait for the school to call a review. If you have concerns between scheduled reviews, put a review request in writing. The DSE 2005's consultation obligation applies to the review process, not just the initial planning.

What Happens If No ILP Is Offered

If your child has a disability and the school declines to initiate an ILP process, or fails to respond to your written request, the escalation path is:

1. Written follow-up to the Learning and Support Teacher, cc'ing the Principal
2. Formal written complaint to the Principal
3. Escalation to the Director of Educational Leadership (DEL) at the regional office
4. Complaint to Anti-Discrimination NSW or the Australian Human Rights Commission

The DSE 2005 requires schools to consult and collaborate in the development of reasonable adjustments. Refusing to engage in an ILP process for a student with a known disability is a potential breach of that obligation.

The NSW Disability Support Blueprint maps the complete ILP process with what to ask at each stage, how to escalate effectively, and the email templates for every point where the system tends to break down.

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