Universal
All young people should be involved in discussions around their aspirations, support needs and be encouraged to promote their independence.
- Find out more about the range of options available to young people and their families as they leave school, visit Preparing for Adulthood.
By the December, prior to leaving school, the young person should have a preferred option for their post 16 pathway.
They should have been offered an interview to discuss the suitability of the provision and support required.
Alternative post 16 provision may be identified as a back-up option, which might be pursued if eligibility requirements are not met for their first choice of provision.
A Study Programme is available to 16-19 year olds and consists of an academic programme or a substantial vocational qualification and is a mixture of qualification and non-qualification (tutorial and work experience) hours.
For the non-qualification hours, learners are required ‘where appropriate…to take part in work experience’, that is relevant to their course of study.
Young people who haven’t yet achieved GCSE Grade ‘C’ in English and maths at 16 will continue to study these subjects, by taking Functional Skills or similar provision to enable them to progress towards their GCSE achievement.
Additional
If a young person has an EHCP, the annual review from Y9 onwards will discuss the Preparation for Adulthood Pathway.
Discussions will take place that explore the types of opportunities that will be available for young people with SEND, what they need to do to prepare for one of these opportunities, what qualifications they might need, what support will be available and who will support them.
This will be reviewed annually alongside their other objectives. Schools have a statutory duty to ensure that young people are provided with independent careers guidance to support them to make a well-informed realistic decision from the provision available to them in the Local Offer.
Education
If required, in January to March, the relevant post 16 providers will apply to the Local Authority for additional High Needs support costs. This will be done via the V10 Form and will define the outcomes and support required, tailored to meet the individual’s needs. Support being requested should be personalised and evidenced-based and linked directly to learning outcomes in the EHC Plan. Outcomes for young people must be ambitious and challenging.
By 31st March the EHC Plan will have been amended to name the receiving post 16 provider. If the young person later proves to be ineligible for a place at this post 16 institution (i.e. does not achieve the entry grades specified) alternative provision will be considered and agreed with the young person and their family and the Plan will be amended to reflect this.
Those students who aren’t able to study an academic programme or a substantial vocational qualification due to their level of need, will follow a non-qualification programme. The activities must prepare them well for employment, independent living, being healthy adults and participating in society. Young people should not be repeating learning they have already completed successfully.
The Post 16 provider must undertake Annual Reviews to ascertain progress made towards objectives in the EHC Plan, that support remains effective and is adjusted where necessary and to discuss onward transition. For funding to be continued beyond the first year of study, the reviews will need to demonstrate that young people are making progress towards their individual objectives.
The EHC Plan will cease if:
- The Local Authority is confident that the objectives in the plan have been met and it is considered that the young person no longer needs special educational provision
- The young person is not undertaking any type of education leading to accreditation
- A young person aged 16 or over leaves education to take up paid employment (including employment with training but excluding apprenticeships
- The young person enters higher education
- The child or young person has moved to another local authority area.
For some young people, their EHCP will continue beyond the age of 19, if it is considered that the young person requires a longer period in education or training in order to achieve their outcomes and make an effective transition into adulthood.
The vast majority of young people with SEN are capable of sustainable paid employment with the right preparation and support.
All professionals working with them should share that presumption. Post 16 institutions must consider the specific needs of young people with SEN when designing pathways to employment. This includes identifying the skills that employers value and helping young people to develop them.
All young people should be helped to develop the skills and experience, and achieve the qualifications they need, to succeed in their careers.
Reviews in school should help young people recognise the skills and identify work experience opportunities to explore employment, allowing them to have work based learning opportunities, giving first-hand experience of the world of work. A young person will maintain their EHC Plan if they entered the following employment with training opportunities:
- Traineeships
- Apprenticeships
- Supported internships.
The EHC Plan will cease if a young person enters an employment option other than those specified.
Social Care
Young people with SEND turning 18 may become eligible for adult social care, regardless of whether they have an EHC plan or whether they have been receiving services from children’s social care.
The Care Act 2014 and the associated regulations set out the requirements on local authorities for young people who are approaching 18 and who are likely to require an assessment.
The regulations have been developed to support effective transition from children’s to adult social care services. Children’s Services must continue until adult provision has started or a decision made that the young person is not eligible for adult services. Where a young person has been assessed as having social care needs in relation to SEND they will be referred to the SEND Social Work Team, up to the age of 18 (in special circumstances up to age 19).
Funding
In the context of this guidance a young person is someone over the compulsory school leaving age and under 25 years of age.
Young people who have Special Education Needs and Disabilities (SEND) can attract extra funding to assist schools and colleges in supporting them to achieve their educational outcomes and experience a successful transition into adult life.
The Employment and Skills Act now states that a young person is expected to stay in learning until their 18 birthday; this can be extended to 25 for young people with SEND. However this does not mean that there is an automatic entitlement to support post 19.
The local authority may cease a plan after the age of 19 if it is not appropriate for the support to continue.
The local authority receives funding from a government department known as the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA).
This is used to fund the high needs places commissioned by the Local Authority; this is known as the Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) ‘High Needs Block’. A high needs place refers to a young person whose support needs are calculated at being above £6,000. Funding for young people with SEND is similar to funding for children in schools. It is made up of three elements:
Element 1
Element 1 is the funding that all post 16 institutions receive if they hold a contract with the ESFA and is calculated using the DfE’s post 16 funding formula. The value may differ depending on the type of institution and pupil's characteristics and is paid to all institutions for every student regardless of their support needs. It is used to deliver the programmes. These can be:
- Stand-alone qualifications
- A study programme
- Units towards qualifications
- Work experience
- A Traineeship, Apprenticeship or a Supported Internship.
Element 2
The setting will provide additional support from within their core funding. The nationally prescribed threshold per pupil, per year, is currently £6000.
Many young people have support needs. However, this does not mean they are categorised as having SEND, that they will require an EHC Plan and will attract extra funding through the High Needs Block.
Post 16 institutions receive funding from the ESFA (Element 1). The funding they receive is used to support young people whose additional support needs are assessed as costing below £6,000.
A young person will only attract extra funding from the local authority if the cost of their support needs are assessed as being above the prescribed threshold.
They may then be entitled to support from the High Needs Block. The ESFA is responsible for young people who are aged 19 and over and under 25, who are not subject to an Education, Health and Care Plan.
The local authority is not responsible for agreeing places or for funding for this group of young people.
This is the responsibility of the college or work-based learning provider where their training / learning is taking place.
Element 3
Is the extra funding, sometimes referred to as ‘top up’ funding, that post 16 institutions can apply for if they are educating someone whose needs are assessed as costing above £6,000.
There is no requirement for an EHC Plan for a young person for whom a college receives additional top-up funding except in the case of a young person who is over 19.
However, in the majority of cases, young people attracting funding will have an EHC Plan. This funding will differ for every young person as it is based on an individual assessment of their support needs.
Post 16 institutions requesting this funding must be able to demonstrate what the needs of the young person are, what support they will put in place and how this support will ensure the young person meets the outcomes outlined in their plan.
Personal budgets can be considered to fund elements of the programme.
Young people and parents of children who have EHC plans have the right to request a Personal Budget, which may contain elements of education, social care and health funding.
Users can either take their personal budget as a direct payment, leave the local authority with the responsibility to commission the services or they can have a combination of the two.
The transition social worker will help the young person and their family to develop a personalised programme of activities and support using their personal budget.