SEN Support in Post-16 Institutions
Many young people with SEN or disabilities, once they are over compulsory school age, move into further education, such as FE and sixth form colleges and 16-19 academies.
If young person has SEN, the college needs to use its best endeavours to give them the support they need.
Making Decisions
At age 16, and beyond, young people will often become increasingly independent. Colleges, your local authority and others who provide services for young people when they are over compulsory school age are expected to communicate directly with the young person.
Sometimes some young people will not be able to make decisions. This is called lacking capacity. If this is the case, someone will need to make a decision for the young person
Parents Carers should talk to your son or daughter and agree how best you can be involved and how much support they will need as they get older.
Identifying SEN in colleges
Colleges should be involved in transition planning between school and college so that they can prepare to meet the student’s needs and ensure a successful transition into college life.
Teaching staff should work with specialist support to identify where a student may be having difficulty which may be because of SEN.
SEN Support in colleges
Colleges should be aware of effective practice in the sector and elsewhere, and personalise it for the individual.
Colleges should take a cyclical approach to assessing need, planning and providing support, and reviewing and evaluating that support.
They should involve the student and their parents, closely at all stages of the cycle, planning around the individual, and they should ensure that staff have the skills to do this effectively.
Colleges should ensure that there is a named person in the college with oversight of SEN provision to ensure co-ordination of support, similar to the role of the SEN Coordinator (SENCO) in schools.
Funding for SEN Support in colleges
All school and academy sixth forms, sixth form colleges, further education colleges and 16-19 academies are provided with resources to support students with additional needs, including young people with SEN and disabilities.
Colleges are expected to provide appropriate, high quality SEN support using all available resources, and it is for them as part of their normal budget planning, to determine their approach to using their resources to support the progress of young people with SEN.