How to build a useful SEND evidence chronology

Choose the question your timeline needs to answer

Start with the issue you are trying to explain. For an attendance concern, relevant events may include attempts to attend, adjustments, distress, recovery and education accessed. For missing provision, record what the plan says, what was delivered and what information is still unconfirmed.

Keep a full record privately if it helps you, but select the entries relevant to the particular meeting or review. A shorter, well-referenced chronology can be easier to follow than hundreds of unconnected messages.

Use the same fields for each entry

Record the event date, what happened, where the information came from, what support or response followed, and the impact. If you add an entry later, record when you wrote it as well as when the event happened.

Use ‘approximately’ when you do not know an exact date. Do not invent precision. Keep the original report, email or attendance record and give it a reference so another person can check the entry.

• Date or clearly marked approximate date
• Brief factual description
• Source or document reference
• Support tried or response received
• Impact and any unresolved question

Separate facts, quotations and interpretations

‘Arrived at the gate at 8.45 and returned home at 9.05’ is an observation. ‘Said, “It is too loud”’ is a quotation. ‘I think noise contributed to the distress’ is an interpretation. Keeping these distinct makes the record clearer.

Record helpful responses and better days too. Evidence should describe the real picture, including variation, rather than selecting only events that support one conclusion. A timeline cannot diagnose a child or determine a legal entitlement.

Explain what happened after support was tried

Name the adjustment and its duration. Then describe the result: attendance, participation, distress, recovery or another relevant change. If several things changed at once, acknowledge that you cannot be certain which made the difference.

For EBSA, include what happens outside school where relevant, without assuming every attendance difficulty has the same cause. Your child’s account, home observations and school information may differ; record those differences without treating one source as automatically wrong.

Keep the chronology usable and private

Use short entries and consistent document names. Review it before sharing, remove unrelated information about other children and check that quotations are accurate. Share only what is needed with the intended recipient.

A chronology is preparation material, not an appeal form or a replacement for professional evidence. Check official instructions and deadlines separately. When sending documents for support, use the agreed secure process rather than a public comment or social-media message.