The Graduated Approach - a guide for professionals (HTML)

Published: 11 February 2026

Ordinarily Available Provision

Ordinarily Available Provision, or Quality First Teaching (QFT), describes inclusive provision that the local authority expects to be made available for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) aged between 0 and 25 years in all education settings.

Inclusion in schools

Inclusion in schools means making sure that all students, regardless of their abilities or backgrounds, have access to quality education and are actively engaged in the learning process. Ordinarily available provision sets out a way educational settings can be inclusive in their practice.

Inclusion in education is a vital concept that aims to provide equal opportunities for all students, particularly those who may face barriers to learning, such as:

  • students with disabilities
  • students from minority backgrounds
  • students with different learning needs

It emphasises the importance of creating an environment where every student feels valued, respected and supported.

Key principles

Any provision or support should be provided in line with the needs of the child or young person. It is not dependent on any formal diagnosis.

All provision should be based on equity rather than equality, as children learn and develop differently.

All settings must apply the principles underpinning the SEN code of practice and show regard to the Equality Act 2010.

The key principles of the SEN code of practice should be applied in all settings throughout the student’s learning journey. These are:

  • making sure the views, wishes and feelings of the student and their parent carers are at the heart of decision making
  • making sure students and their parent carers are fully involved in decisions and getting the information and support they need to take part
  • to support the student and their parent carer to promote the student's development, helping them to achieve the best possible outcomes and preparing them for adulthood

Following feedback from education settings and parent carers, Bracknell Forest Council undertook a review of their Graduated Approach and Ordinarily Available Provision guidance (V2.1). 

This updated guidance (V3.1) has been co-produced over the past 12 months with input from:

  • SENCOs
  • headteachers
  • parent carers
  • health professionals
  • education and learning professionals

To go with this revised guidance, there are also a range of co-produced training webinars and accompanying guides.

Throughout this guidance we will refer to:

  • children and young people as ‘students’
  • adults who work in early years settings, schools or colleges and who support students as ‘staff’
  • educational placements including early years provision, schools, and colleges as ‘settings’
  • special educational needs and disabilities as 'SEND'
  • special educational needs and disabilities co-ordinators as 'SENCO' or 'SENDCo'

Glossary

In this guide, following feedback from parent carers, Ordinarily Available Provision is broken down into 3 levels. These are:

  • inclusive provision for all – reasonable adjustments must be made available to all students across all settings, if required
  • personalised provision for some students – short-term, small group interventions that would be devised by the setting staff and monitored through the assess, plan, do, review (ADPR) process
  • highly personalised provision for a few students – short-term, individual interventions, created with advice and support from outside professionals and monitored through the APDR process

Appendices

The appendices of this guidance include a copy of a new Individual Learning Plan (ILP) template that can be used to capture the ADPR process. Use of this ILP template is optional as each setting may have developed a different form that suits their needs better.