Evidence centre
NCCD evidence guides for teachers and coordinators.
37 plain-English guides to the evidence behind the NCCD, written to sit beside the NCCD Guidelines: Effective 2026 Onward. Start with what a student's record must show, find adjustments for ADHD, autism or dyslexia, or work through the coordinator's year.
Start with your role
Classroom teacher
You make the adjustments. These show what to write down, and when.
Start with the four areasLearning support coordinator
You run the school's NCCD year, from the first adjustment to Census Day.
Start with the role guidePrincipal or school leader
You confirm the school's data is accurate, and backed by evidence, before it is submitted.
Start with sign-offNew to the NCCD
The whole process on one page: who is counted, the evidence, the levels and Census Day.
Read the quick guideEvery NCCD evidence guide
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37 guides
NCCD basics
How the NCCD runs: the process on one page, who is counted, categories of disability, imputed disability, the four areas of evidence, the 10 weeks and Census Day.
- NCCD evidence requirements: what the record must show, with a checklistWhat a student's NCCD record must show to be counted: evidence in four areas, at least 10 weeks of adjustments and a level the evidence justifies. What is not required, the records to keep, and a nine-point checklist.
- The four pillars of NCCD: the four areas of evidence, explainedThe four pillars of NCCD are the Guidelines' four areas of evidence: need, consultation, adjustments, and monitoring and review. What each asks for, the evidence that usually shows it, and one example per pillar.
- The NCCD 10-week rule: what counts as a weekThe NCCD 10-week rule: evidence of adjustments in at least 10 school weeks in the 12 months before Census Day. The weeks add up across terms, except for Extensive. What counts as a week, with worked examples and edge cases.
- NCCD Census Day 2027: the date and what schools reportNCCD Census Day is the first Friday in August: expected Friday 6 August 2027, not yet published (in 2026 it was Friday 7 August). Key dates by sector, which students are counted, what schools report and what stays at school.
- Imputed disability: what it means for the NCCDImputed disability, or an imputed diagnosis, means the school team judges a disability exists without a diagnosis. When the NCCD allows it, and what to record.
- NCCD categories of disability, with examplesThe four NCCD categories of disability are physical, cognitive, sensory and social/emotional. What each covers, a worked example of each, and where ADHD fits.
- NCCD Quick Guide 2026: the process on one pageA one-page summary of the official NCCD Quick Guide 2026: who must be counted, the 8 steps from preparing your school to submitting data, and the key dates.
- NCCD for new teachers: your first year, what to log and what to askNew to the NCCD? What a first-year teacher needs to know: what the collection is, what to log each week, how the 10 weeks work and what to ask your coordinator.
Evidence and documentation
Writing entries that hold up: what to record, when to record it, and how to spot a gap.
- NCCD evidence examples: strong and weak entries side by sideNCCD evidence examples, weak beside strong, for need, consultation, adjustments and monitoring, at each level of adjustment, with the documents that count as evidence in each area.
- How to write NCCD evidence notes mid-lessonA four-part formula (need, adjustment, context, impact) for NCCD evidence notes you can write during a lesson, with weak and stronger examples and a Week 10 check.
- Documenting NCCD consultation the right wayA plain-English guide to NCCD consultation: what counts, what to record, examples of strong evidence, and common mistakes to avoid.
- NCCD evidence gaps in a student's record, and how to fix themThe gaps that weaken one student's NCCD record, from missing consultation to vague notes and patchy 10-week coverage, and how to fix each without inventing anything.
- An NCCD evidence file, worked through: one student, ten weeksA worked example of one student's NCCD evidence file across ten weeks: need, consultation, adjustments and monitoring, and how to tell the file is ready.
Levels of adjustment
Examples of adjustments at every level, choosing between QDTP, Supplementary, Substantial and Extensive, and justifying the call.
- NCCD levels of adjustment, explained with examplesQDTP, Supplementary, Substantial and Extensive: what each level looks like across the school day, how to choose between neighbouring levels, and the 2026 funding each one attracts.
- What is QDTP? QDTP vs Supplementary in the NCCDWhat QDTP means in the NCCD, why it attracts no loading, when support becomes Supplementary, and six examples side by side with the log entry for each.
- The NCCD Extensive level: at all times, over consecutive weeksWhat the NCCD Extensive level requires: extensive, individualised adjustments at all times, over consecutive weeks. What the 2026 Guidelines clarified, a worked record, and how to tell Extensive from Substantial.
- Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) and NCCDHow MTSS tiers relate to the four NCCD levels of adjustment, a practical mapping table, and where the comparison breaks down in moderation.
- NCCD adjustments: examples by area and levelExamples of NCCD adjustments in all five functional areas, from teaching and learning to movement, at every level, with a log entry that counts for each area.
Adjusting by condition
Classroom adjustments and NCCD evidence examples for ADHD, autism, dyslexia, dyscalculia, DCD, specific learning disorder and hearing impairment. The category you record follows what drives the adjustments, not the diagnosis.
- How to make adjustments for ADHDClassroom strategies and evidence examples for supporting students with ADHD across all year levels.
- How to make adjustments for autism (ASD)Classroom adjustments and evidence examples for autistic students, covering sensory, communication, routine, regulation and learning access needs at every year level.
- How to make adjustments for dyslexiaReading, spelling and writing adjustments that help students with dyslexia access the curriculum, and how to record them as strong NCCD evidence.
- How to make adjustments for dyscalculiaWhat dyscalculia looks like in maths lessons, adjustments matched to each barrier, and NCCD evidence that links the support to its functional impact.
- How to make adjustments for developmental coordination disorderMotor skills, writing and PE adjustments for students with DCD (sometimes called dyspraxia), with practical NCCD documentation tips.
- How to make adjustments for specific learning disorderClassroom adjustments for specific learning disorder, including dyslexia, dysgraphia and dyscalculia, with NCCD evidence examples and a guide to each profile.
- How to make adjustments for hearing impairmentClassroom environment, communication strategies, assessment supports and NCCD documentation for students who are deaf or hard of hearing.
Teaching practice
Where everyday differentiation ends and a documented adjustment begins.
- Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and NCCDHow UDL supports NCCD adjustments, evidence, and classroom practice, without confusing whole-class design with individual documentation.
- Differentiation vs adjustment: what is the difference?When does classroom differentiation become a documented NCCD adjustment? Where QDTP fits, a four-question test, and what schools need to record.
- Scaffolding strategies for students with disabilityScaffolding strategies that support access and participation, when a scaffold becomes an NCCD adjustment, and how to record it as evidence.
- Plain language instruction and NCCD evidenceSimplifying instructions without lowering expectations, and how to document it as NCCD evidence.
For coordinators
For learning support coordinators running the school's NCCD year: the role, moderation, the principal's sign-off and following up with teachers.
- The NCCD coordinator role and responsibilitiesWhat NCCD coordinators are responsible for across the year, the systems they need, and how to keep evidence strong without adding admin for teachers.
- Principal sign-off on NCCD data: what to ask, what to bringHow a coordinator prepares principal sign-off on NCCD data, and the four questions a principal should ask from Term 1 to sign-off: summary, samples, agenda, checklist.
- NCCD moderation: how to run it, with a checklist and record templateNCCD moderation is how a school team checks each student's level and category are consistent and defensible. Who runs it, the steps, a checklist and a template.
- Following up on NCCD evidence without chasing teachersA coordinator's follow-up playbook for missing NCCD evidence: review by exception, targeted nudges, early checkpoints, and the words to use for each kind of gap.
- Building an NCCD evidence culture: less paperwork, steadier evidenceFor school leaders: where NCCD workload really comes from, and the habits that cut it without weakening evidence: one shared sentence, a term rhythm and a 30-day start.
Compliance and review
The week before Census Day, preparing for a review, and the school-level mistakes to avoid.
- NCCD audit checklist: who checks evidence and what they look forWho reviews NCCD evidence, from the principal to the Department's post-enumeration checks, what they look for, a four-question note test and the audit checklist.
- NCCD Census Day checklist for coordinatorsAn NCCD Census Day checklist for coordinators: seven checks for every included student, what should be done before the final week, a quick sweep with a record template, a fix list and a sign-off summary.
- Common NCCD compliance mistakes in a school's processTen school-level NCCD mistakes, from inclusion and level choice to moderation and the sign-off pack, and the process fixes that stop them coming back each year.