Personal Pupil Plan Ireland: What the SNA Care Plan Must Contain

If your child has a Special Needs Assistant (SNA), they should have a Personal Pupil Plan. Many parents have heard of the School Support Plan (SSP) and know roughly what it covers. The PPP is a separate, distinct document with a specific purpose — and the distinction matters for both how you review it and what you can hold the school accountable to.

A PPP that exists purely on paper and doesn't drive how the SNA operates is a missed opportunity. A PPP that actively develops independence and is reviewed with you at regular intervals is the correct implementation.

The PPP Is Not the Same as the SSP

The School Support Plan (SSP) is the educational plan. It contains the child's learning and social targets, details the interventions the SET and class teacher will deliver, and sits within the NEPS Continuum of Support framework.

The Personal Pupil Plan is the SNA's operational document. Its purpose is specifically to address the child's primary care needs — the physical, safety, and self-regulation needs that justified the SNA allocation in the first place — and to set out how the SNA support will be delivered in a way that builds the child's independence over time.

The NCSE makes this distinction explicitly. SNA support is allocated on the basis of care needs (mobility, intimate care, severe communication difficulties, behaviors of concern that present a safety risk). It is not educational or academic support — that is the SET's role. The PPP reflects this: it is about care, independence, and safety, not curriculum.

What a Personal Pupil Plan Must Contain

Under NEPS guidelines and the NCSE's framework for SNA deployment, an effective PPP should include:

A clear description of the child's primary care needs. These are the specific needs that justified the SNA application — not a general diagnosis statement, but a concrete description of what the child requires physical assistance with: for example, mobility support when navigating stairs, assistance with self-care tasks, or a structured de-escalation protocol during episodes of severe anxiety that present a safety risk.

Independence targets. This is the element most often missing or poorly implemented. The SNA role is meant to be developmental, not custodial. The PPP should contain specific, measurable targets for the child developing greater independence in the areas being supported. For a child who needs physical support now, what does progress look like in six months? What would indicate that the level of SNA support could be reduced because the child has developed greater capacity?

Independence targets serve both the child's development and the advocacy record: a PPP that shows the child has progressed and now requires less physical support is honest and appropriate. A PPP with no independence targets implies the SNA is a permanent carer rather than a developmental support — and does not reflect the NCSE's stated purpose for SNA allocation.

The specific tasks the SNA performs. Not in vague terms, but specifically: "supports [child] with changing after PE"; "implements the sensory break protocol developed with the OT during periods of escalating dysregulation"; "provides physical guidance when using the stairs." This specificity matters when an SNA review comes up — it provides a clear, documented record of what the SNA actually does.

A statement that parental views have been incorporated. The Lundy Model of Child Participation, endorsed by Tusla and the Department of Children, requires that the child's own views are documented. Where the child can express preferences about how they receive support — even through AAC or visual supports — those preferences belong in the PPP.

Review dates. The PPP should be a live document, reviewed at minimum once per term. The review should involve the parent, the class teacher, and the SET, with input from the SNA. It is not a document created once and filed.

How to Request a PPP Review

If your child has an SNA but you have never been shown a PPP, or if you have not been involved in reviewing it, you are entitled to request both.

Write to the principal: "We understand that a Personal Pupil Plan should be in place for [child's name] given the SNA allocation. We have not been provided with a copy of this plan or invited to participate in its review. We request a copy of the current PPP and a formal PPP review meeting within the next ten working days."

If a PPP does not exist — if the school has been deploying the SNA without a structured plan — that is a significant gap. It means there are no documented independence targets, no structured review process, and no clear definition of what the SNA is and is not doing. Address it formally.

What to Check in a PPP Review Meeting

Arrive prepared with specific questions:

• What are the current independence targets, and what progress has been made against them since the last review?
• How is the SNA support structured during the school day — are there periods where the child operates with less direct SNA support, and if not, why not?
• If the SNA has been managing behaviors of concern, has an Inclusive Reflection Practice Document been completed as required by the NCSE toolkit?
• What is the evidence base for the way SNA support is currently deployed? What professional input (OT, SLT, NEPS psychologist) has informed the plan?

If the review meeting produces only vague answers about the SNA being "very helpful" with no documented targets, request that the PPP be updated with specific independence targets and a clear timetable for the next review, and put that request in writing before you leave the meeting.

The PPP in an SNA Review Application

When the school applies to the NCSE for an SNA, the SENO evaluates evidence that the child has primary care needs the school cannot meet without support. The evidence package must include the Student Support Plan, a Care Needs Register, parental consent forms, and — if the application relates to behaviors of concern — an Inclusive Reflection Practice Document.

The PPP is part of the ongoing evidence that the SNA allocation is being used correctly and that the school is monitoring progress. At review windows (typically mid-September to late October), having a well-maintained PPP with documented independence targets and review notes strengthens the school's evidence base significantly compared to a school that can only produce general statements about the child's needs.

If the school is applying for an SNA review and the existing PPP has never been updated or reviewed with you, flag this gap before the application is submitted. A poorly maintained PPP can undermine the school's application — which works against your child.

For template PPP review request letters, the full SNA review evidence checklist, and guidance on what counts as primary care needs under NCSE criteria, see the Ireland Special Ed Advocacy Playbook.

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