Evidence and documentation
An NCCD evidence file, worked through: one student, ten weeks
A 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.
Updated 25 September 20264 min read
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The four areas of NCCD evidence gives the definitions. This article shows what they look like in a real file, following one composite student from the first concern to week 10, and what makes each entry strong along the way.
The NCCD Guidelines call these the four general areas of evidence: assessed need, consultation, adjustments over at least 10 weeks, and ongoing monitoring and review. Superadjust calls them Need, Consultation, Adjustments and Monitoring. Each piece may sit in a different place, but together they should tell one story.
New to the NCCD? Start with What is the NCCD?
Oliver's file at a glance
Oliver J. is a composite Year 5 student; the details are invented. His teacher noticed a pattern in maths in week 1. Here is how the file built over the term:
| When | Student | Pillar | Entry | What it shows |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Oliver J. | Need | Loses the thread of spoken multi-step instructions in maths, then copies from peers or stops | the barrier |
| Week 2 | Oliver J. | Consultation | Spoke with Oliver's dad: the same happens at home. Agreed to try written, chunked steps and review in week 6 | with family |
| Week 2 | Oliver J. | Adjustments | Maths steps on a card, one at a time, with a worked example | what changed |
| Week 4 | Oliver J. | Monitoring | Finished 4 of 6 problems with the step card, up from 1 of 6 | did it help |
| Week 6 | Oliver J. | Consultation | Review with dad and learning support: keep the step card, add it to science practicals | review |
| Week 9 | Oliver J. | Adjustments | Step card used in the science practical; started without a prompt | what changed |
| Week 10 | Oliver J. | Monitoring | Started 5 of 6 tasks on his own this fortnight. Continue next term | did it help |
Each pillar answers a different question:
Pillar: Need. The question: What disability-related barrier affects access or participation?. In Oliver's file: Spoken multi-step instructions are lost
Pillar: Consultation. The question: Who helped plan or review the support?. In Oliver's file: His dad, then learning support
Pillar: Adjustments. The question: What changed, and when?. In Oliver's file: Step cards in maths from week 2, science from week 9
Pillar: Monitoring. The question: Is it working, and what next?. In Oliver's file: 1 of 6 problems, then 4 of 6, then 5 of 6 tasks started alone
Nothing in the file is long. It works because each entry is dated, specific and connected to the others.
Need: the barrier, not the label
Need explains why the adjustment exists. The record should show how the disability affects the student at school, not only name it. A diagnosis helps, but it is not required: disability can be imputed on reasonable grounds and evidence, after consultation (see what imputed disability means and what to record).
| Weak | Stronger |
|---|---|
| Student has ADHD. | Has difficulty sustaining attention in independent writing and often misses multi-step instructions. |
| Struggles with reading. | Dyslexia slows decoding, so reading-heavy tasks take much longer without support. |
| Student is anxious. | Avoids oral presentations and shows physical signs of anxiety before speaking in front of the class. |
Consultation: the pillar most often missing
Teachers talk to families and support staff all the time. The gap is rarely the conversation; it is whether anyone can find a record of it later. A useful consultation note has:
- the date and who was involved
- what was discussed
- the adjustment agreed or reviewed
- the next step, and when it will be checked
Under the Disability Standards for Education, schools consult the student or their associates about adjustments. From 2026, if parents, guardians or carers are not consulted, the school must document why. A brief explanation is enough, and agreement is not required. The Evidence centre covers this in documenting consultation.
Adjustments: what changed, and when
The adjustment should match the need. For Oliver, the barrier was holding spoken steps in mind, so the adjustment put the steps in writing, one at a time. A useful adjustment record answers four questions: what changed, when, which need it responds to, and whether it is regular or a one-off. For other needs, see NCCD adjustment examples by functional area, with a log entry that counts for each area.
The dates matter because the school needs documented evidence of adjustment for at least 10 weeks (cumulative) in the 12 months before Census Day. The level of adjustment depends on how often and how intensively support is given; the adjustment levels guide compares QDTP, supplementary, substantial and extensive.
Monitoring: did it work?
Monitoring shows the school did not give an adjustment once and move on. It shows whether the support helped, and whether it should continue, change or stop. In Oliver's file it is three numbers across ten weeks. It can be as small as a note after a lesson, an annotated work sample, a behaviour tally or a parent follow-up.
"Support is working" tells a reviewer nothing. "Finished 4 of 6 problems with the step card, up from 1 of 6" tells them what changed and why the adjustment continues.
Is the file ready?
Before a student's file is considered ready, check that:
- the functional need is clear
- the adjustment matches that need
- consultation is recorded, not only remembered
- monitoring shows whether the support helped
- the evidence covers at least 10 weeks
- the level matches how often and how intensively support was given
- the people who need the records can find them
With a tracker you can see a student's 10 weeks and pillars in one record, rather than rebuilding the file by hand each time.