guide · NCCD · updated 26 September 2026

Recording NCCD consultation evidence as it happens

Written by Gavin Duarte, psychologist (Clinical and Educational & Developmental)

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Of the four areas of evidence behind a student’s inclusion in the NCCD, consultation and collaboration is the one most likely to happen and go unrecorded — in a corridor, on the phone, at the end of a parent–teacher interview. This guide covers what counts, what a useful record contains, and how to capture it at the time.

The four areas, and where consultation fits

The official NCCD guidance describes evidence in four general areas: the student’s assessed individual needs; the adjustments being provided; ongoing monitoring and review of those adjustments; and consultation and collaboration with the student and/or their parents, guardians, carers or associates. Some evidence covers more than one area.

Two lines from that guidance matter most for consultation. Schools are not required to create new or additional evidence for the purposes of NCCD, and school principals are responsible for verifying or confirming that there is evidence at the school. In other words: the consultation is already happening — the task is making sure it is recorded somewhere it can be found. Read the official guidance.

What counts as consultation evidence

The guidance gives examples rather than a checklist. In summary, they include notes or minutes of meetings; records of phone calls, conversations and meetings with parents, guardians or carers; plans signed by parents, carers or the student; records of parent–teacher interviews; communication books; and email exchanges with the student or their family. The common thread is a record that the family (and, where appropriate, the student) was involved in the adjustments being made.

What a useful record contains

A line saying “spoke to Mum” is technically a record. It rarely helps anyone later. A record that supports your school’s judgement usually answers five questions:

  1. Who took part — the educator, the family member, the student, any specialist.
  2. When it happened, and how — a meeting, a call, an email.
  3. What the student needs, in the family’s words as well as the school’s.
  4. Which adjustment it relates to — agreed, changed or reviewed.
  5. What happens next, and when you will check in again.

Why it goes missing

Most consultation happens in the gaps of a school day. The educator who had the conversation often has no time to write it up, and the coordinator who needs the record wasn’t there. By the time the evidence is needed, the details are a memory — and memories are what schools end up reconstructing before the census.

Capture it at the time

  • Record on the same day. Two minutes straight after a call beats an hour a month later.
  • Let the person who was there record it. The educator’s own words are better evidence than a second-hand summary.
  • Put it on the student’s record, not in an inbox. Evidence scattered across emails and drives is evidence you can’t find.
  • Link it to the adjustment. A consultation note that names the adjustment it concerns does double duty.
  • Include the student’s voice where appropriate. It is part of consultation, and it is often the most telling line in the record.

Related reading

Common questions

Do schools have to create new paperwork for NCCD consultation evidence?

No. The official guidance says schools are not required to create new or additional evidence for the NCCD. The point is to keep the records of consultation that already happen — meetings, calls, conversations — in a form you can find later.

Does an email to a parent count as consultation evidence?

Email communication with the student or their parents, guardians or carers is among the kinds of documentation the official guidance lists as possible evidence of consultation and collaboration.

Who is responsible for confirming the evidence exists?

The official guidance says school principals are responsible for verifying or confirming that there is evidence at the school to support a student’s inclusion in the NCCD.

Should the student be part of the consultation?

The guidance describes consultation and collaboration with the student and/or their parents, guardians, carers or associates. Where it is appropriate, recording the student’s own view strengthens the record.

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