How to write a staff guidance card for a pupil with SEND

A staff guidance card — sometimes called a one-page profile, a classroom support summary, or a pupil passport — is one of the most practically useful documents a school can produce for a pupil with SEND. When it's well-written, it means that any adult working with that child has the essential information they need to support them effectively, without having to ask or learn through trial and error.

When it's poorly written, it says nothing useful and sits in a folder.

Here's how to write the version that actually works.

What a guidance card is not

A guidance card is not a summary of a child's diagnosis or a list of their difficulties. This is one of the most common mistakes. A guidance card that leads with “ADHD, processing difficulties, anxiety, difficulties with transitions” tells an adult what is challenging — but not what to do about it.

It is also not a medical document, a legal document, or a replacement for an EHCP. It is a practical, classroom-level tool.

What it should contain

The child's name and a brief personal introduction — written in a positive, strengths-based way. Two or three sentences about who this child is: what they enjoy, what they're good at, what kind of learner they are.

What helps — specific strategies that work for this child, in this classroom, right now. Concrete enough that a supply teacher could follow them on their first day.

What to avoid — specific things that make situations worse. Again, concrete and specific.

What to do on a difficult day — a brief, practical set of steps for when things are not going well. Who to call, what the de-escalation approach is, what environment helps.

One or two key targets — current, specific, aligned to the child's provision plan.

The specificity test

After you've written the card, apply the specificity test to every bullet point: could a supply teacher read this and know exactly what to do? If the answer is no, make it more specific.

“Needs clear instructions” — fails the test. “Give instructions one at a time. Pause after each one. Check understanding before continuing. Written alongside verbal for tasks with more than two steps.” — passes.