Definition
A Now and Next board is a simplified two-step visual support showing the current activity and the immediate next activity. It is the most basic form of visual schedule and the entry point for visual support work with younger children, with autistic children new to visual supports, and at moments of high anxiety where a full schedule would be too much.
In context for parents
Key checkpoints
- A simplified two-step visual support showing the current activity and the immediate next activity.
- The entry point for visual support work with younger children, autistic children new to visual supports, and at moments of high anxiety.
- Bridges two activities: "Now: reading. Next: snack."
- The deliberate simplicity is the point. For very young or significantly dysregulated children, a full schedule is too much.
- Section F can specify Now and Next provision plus the staff training needed to deliver it.
The Now and Next board does one thing: it bridges two activities. "Now: reading. Next: snack." The current activity card sits on the left or top; the next activity card sits on the right or bottom. When the current activity ends, the child moves the "Now" card into a "finished" box and the "Next" card slides into the "Now" position. A fresh "Next" card is added.
The deliberate simplicity is the point. For a Reception child new to school routine, the entire day is too much to hold in mind; two activities is workable. For an autistic child mid-meltdown, a verbal explanation of what comes next is unprocessable; a visual that needs no working memory is. For a child entering a transition (post-illness, after exclusion, after move), the Now and Next reduces cognitive load to almost nothing.
In a Reception classroom, Now and Next boards are typically built into the child's day around transitions: end of carpet time to chosen activity; end of free-flow to snack; end of indoor to outdoor; end of school day to home routine. As the child develops, the Now and Next expands to a half-day strip, then a full-day schedule, then a weekly schedule.
What good practice looks like:
- The child is involved in moving the cards (which makes it active rather than passive).
- The cards use the same symbol system the child uses elsewhere (PCS, Widgit, photographs).
- Changes are flagged with a "change" card before the change.
- The board travels with the child between adults.
In an EHCP, Section F can specify Now and Next provision for very young or significantly anxious children ("Now and Next visual support used throughout the school day, supplemented by a half-day strip during regulated periods") with named training for staff.
Related terms
The terms parents most often see alongside Now and Next.
Visual Schedule
A sequence of pictures or symbols showing what's coming next, used to support predictability, reduce anxiety, and prompt transitions for autistic and other neurodivergent children.
Autism(ASC)
A lifelong neurodevelopmental condition that shapes how a person communicates, processes sensory information, and experiences the social world. Autism is a difference, not an illness.
Anxiety Disorder
Persistent, intense worry or fear that interferes with daily life. In SEND, anxiety is often the driver of school avoidance, meltdowns, or shutdowns, and frequently the unmet need behind 'behaviour'.
Where parents ask about this
Parents usually find this page when supporting transitions for a young autistic child, or before drafting Section F for a child in early years. Searches include "Now and Next board autism", "visual support Reception class", and "two-step visual schedule SEND". A Beaakon SaLT or specialist teacher can design the right starting point on the Now-and-Next-to-full-schedule progression, train school staff, and write Section F-grade wording.
References
The primary legislation, statutory guidance, research, and clinical tools this page draws on.