A one-page profile is a single-page summary of a pupil under three headings: what people like and admire, what is important to them, and how best to support them. Write it with the pupil and review it each term. It is a person-centred tool, originally developed by Helen Sanderson Associates and now used widely across schools and care, that captures who a child is and how to help them in a form any adult can read in a minute.
The three headings
Most profiles use the same three sections, sometimes with a short line on the pupil's hopes or aspirations:
- What people like and admire about me. The strengths and qualities others notice, written as positives, not as a list of difficulties.
- What is important to me. The people, routines, interests and comforts the child wants the adults around them to know and respect.
- How best to support me. The practical, specific things staff should do, and avoid, to help the child have a good day.
Who writes it
The child is at the centre. A one-page profile is written with the pupil, not about them, drawing on the views of the people who know them: the child, the parents, the class or subject teacher, the teaching assistant, and the SENCO (special educational needs coordinator). The Welsh Government's guidance puts it plainly: finding out what is important to and for a learner is at the heart of creating their profile. A profile filled in by one adult, without the child's voice, becomes a generic admin form and loses its purpose.
What the top results miss
A one-page profile is good practice, not a statutory document. It is not the same as an Education, Health and Care plan (EHCP), and it is not the old individual education plan (IEP). It sits within the person-centred approach the SEND Code of Practice 2015 expects, under which schools must have regard to the views of the child and their parents and involve them in decisions (paragraphs 1.1 to 1.7, and 9.21 to 9.22). It is most associated with SEN Support but suits any pupil who would benefit, with or without a diagnosis. The profile supports the assess-plan-do-review cycle and tracking progress, and it is especially useful at transitions, when a new adult needs to understand the child quickly. On its own, though, it does not evidence that the school is meeting its legal duties.
Looking ahead, the 2026 Schools White Paper Every child achieving and thriving and the Education for All Bill propose a statutory Individual Support Plan for every child with SEND. A 12-week consultation closed in May 2026, but that is a proposal, not current law, and no changes are expected before September 2030. For now, the one-page profile remains a good-practice tool rather than a legal requirement.
Where the law comes from
Related
This page is general information, not clinical or legal advice.