‍What is an IEP?

IEP stands for Individual Education Plan. It’s a written document that sets out goals for your child and a plan for how they’ll achieve them. Once an IEP is created, it’ll travel with your child throughout their education and develop as their needs change.

According to the Ministry of Education, an IEP usually includes

• who works with your child, their role and what they do
• how your child's learning is supported at home by whānau
• descriptions of particular strategies that support your child’s learning
• any resources or special equipment needed
• what success will look like for your child and their team.

Who gets an IEP?

IEPs are only created for students who require specific and targeted assistance with learning – approximately 3% of students.

Not all students with learning support needs require an IEP as some needs can be met with less formal support.

Schools will identify which students require an IEP and will start the process to create one.

However, if you think an IEP might be beneficial for your child, you should contact your child’s school and ask about creating one.

How is an IEP useful?

IEPs can provide consistency, clarity, structure and support for children and those involved in their education. An IEP is revisited and updated regularly, so over time it’ll tell you about your child’s education and progress, and provide insight into their strengths and weaknesses.

While IEPs are not a medical or psychiatric document, they can also be useful evidence of disability when applying for funding or other assistance; for example, a student cannot qualify for ORS funding unless they have an IEP.

IEPs can also be helpful for relief teachers who come into a classroom at short notice. Despite their best intentions, relief teaching can cause disruption for children who rely on routine. An IEP can quickly and succinctly provide relief teachers with information about your child so they can incorporate support needs into the classroom for the day.

An IEP can also be used as an accountability tool. If your child isn’t achieving the goals in their plan, they may not be receiving adequate support, and you can raise your concerns with the school.

Who creates an IEP?

The Special Educational Needs Coordinator or SENCO at your child’s school will likely be in charge of coordinating the IEP. They’ll bring together the classroom teachers, learning support teachers, members of the Ministry of Education learning support team, and of course you and your whānau. Creating an IEP is a collaborative process and should empower your child to succeed at school.

Your child can also be involved in the IEP, as they may have strong views on what works for them and what doesn’t. However, you and the other adults will probably need some time to discuss the plan without them present.

There are templates online if you want to begin an IEP and bring it to your school.

The Ministry of Education also has templates online, available here.

It’s up to you and your child’s care team to decide what information to include in the IEP. This might feel vague and therefore quite daunting, but it means you have lots of freedom to tailor the plan to your child’s support needs.

You may also be worried that an IEP will come with social stigma for your child, but no one needs to know your child has an IEP outside of their immediate team. Try not to let fear of stigma get in the way of providing your child and their teachers with this useful tool.

An IEP has been created, now what?

From here, there should be regular meetings between you and your child’s care team to discuss the IEP and how your child is progressing towards their goals. Your child should be involved in these meetings as much as they can – they’ll have their own way of measuring their success at school. 

The plans need to be reviewed and updated regularly as your child achieves the goals set out for them. If your child hasn’t achieved them, then either they weren’t the right goals in the first place and need to be reviewed, or the support required to achieve them hasn’t been provided and you should find out why from their school.

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Further reading on IEPs

• Education.govt: Individual Plans (IPs) and Individual Education Plans (IEPs)
• Individual Education Plans Online is for anyone involved in developing or implementing individual education plans (IEPs) to support students with special education needs.