Special Educational Needs: Further Education
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of post-16 education and training provision for young people with SEND; and and what steps her Department is taking to increase access to specialist pathways including supported apprenticeships.
Answered by Department for Education
The government recognises that outcomes for too many young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) remain below those of their peers, including in progressing into sustained education, employment and training after age 16.
The SEND reform consultation, ‘Putting Children and Young People First’, noted that the likelihood of young people with SEND sustaining participation in education, employment or training has not meaningfully improved, despite significant increases in SEND funding, and identified variation in the quality and consistency of support available across the system.
The government has therefore committed to strengthening support across the 0 to 25 system, including a stronger emphasis on employment outcomes, better use of vocational pathways, supported internships and apprenticeships, and improved identification of SEND at any age. The consultation proposes a new ‘Experts at Hand’ offer, giving mainstream early years, school and further education settings access to specialist support without requiring an education, health and care plan.
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