Behaviour Observation Record and Summary | SEN

A practical way to record what is happening, and what helps.

Two sheets that work together.
The Observation Record is for short entries as the days go by.
The Observation Summary is for standing back and seeing what the record is telling you.

How it works
Each entry takes a line or two: date, time, setting, what was happening just before, what you noticed, what helped, what made it harder, and initials. Twenty entries in total across three pages.
After a few pages, the summary brings it together on one sheet: things that keep coming up, what has helped, things that seem to make it harder, the student’s voice, the changes you will make, and the signs to look out for. That single page is what you bring to a review or a conversation with parents.

What makes it different
What helped and what made it harder have separate columns. That keeps the focus on the support as well as the student, and often the most useful information is what the adults or the environment can change.
The instruction throughout is to record what was seen, rather than why it might have happened, so the record stays factual and useful when several adults are contributing to it.

What is included
• A cover page explaining how to use both sheets, with a short guide to writing observations in strengths based language
• Observation Record, three pages, twenty entries
• Observation Summary, one page
• An initials column on every row and a reviewed by field on every page, for classes where several adults record

Neurodiversity affirming
Plain, respectful language throughout, with no deficit framing and no requirement to record a cause. These are sheets a parent can read, and so can the student.
Please note