Targets are the heart of an SEN support plan. They tell the pupil, their parents and every adult who works with them what the next small step is. Yet many targets in SEN paperwork are so vague that nobody can say, at review time, whether they were met.

SMART targets fix that. Here is how to write them, with examples for each of the SEND Code of Practice's four areas of need.

What SMART means

  • Specific: one clear skill or behaviour, not a general hope.
  • Measurable: you can see or count whether it has happened.
  • Achievable: a realistic next step for this pupil in the time available.
  • Relevant: linked to the pupil's identified need and what matters most for them now.
  • Time-bound: a date or review point, usually the next termly review.

The quickest test is this: could a supply teacher read the target and know, at the end of the term, whether it had been met? If not, it is not SMART yet.

From vague to SMART

“Improve reading” becomes: “By the February review, Amira will read Phase 5 decodable texts aloud with 90% accuracy in three out of four weekly checks.”

“Be kinder to others” becomes: “By the end of the autumn term, Leo will use a calm-down card to leave the group and return within five minutes, in four out of five observed incidents.”

Notice what changed: a named skill, a level of success, how it will be checked, and when.

Examples by area of need

Communication and interaction

  • By the next review, Sam will follow two-step spoken instructions in class without a visual prompt in four out of five observed opportunities.
  • By Easter, Maya will start a conversation with a peer at least twice each playtime, using a sentence starter from her prompt card, as recorded by the lunchtime TA.

Cognition and learning

  • By the end of the spring term, Ethan will recall number bonds to 10 within three seconds, scoring 18 out of 20 on a weekly quick-fire check.
  • By the next review, Zara will write three sentences in sequence using a story planner, with a capital letter and full stop in each, in three independent pieces of writing.

Social, emotional and mental health

  • By half term, Oliver will use his feelings chart to tell an adult how he feels at the start of each day, on at least four days a week.
  • By the end of term, Jade will take part in a whole-class carpet session for ten minutes without leaving her place, in four out of five sessions.

Sensory and/or physical

  • By the next review, Noah will use his writing slope and pencil grip without a reminder in all handwriting lessons.
  • By Easter, Aisha will request a movement break using her break card, rather than leaving the room, in four out of five observed instances.

How many targets?

Three or four short-term targets per pupil is usually enough. More than that and nobody can keep them in mind during a busy lesson. Prioritise what will make the biggest difference to the pupil's learning and wellbeing this term.

Reviewing targets

The SEND Code of Practice expects schools to review SEN support with parents at least three times a year. At each review, record whether each target was met, partly met, on track or not yet met, and why. A target that keeps being “not yet” is telling you something about the provision, not just about the pupil.

Write the next targets at the same meeting, building on what worked. Over a year, that record becomes the evidence base for any request for an EHC needs assessment, and for annual reviews if the pupil already has a plan.

Staffroom's SEN tools draft SMART targets for each pupil's area of need and track them term by term. You check and edit every target. See the SENCO tools, or try the free SEN Support Notes tool.