What next?Pathways from school / college for

young people with learning disabilities

FOTHERGILL ROOM

What next? Pathways from school/college for young people with learning disabilities

Andrew Noyes, University of NottinghamRachel Fyson, University of Nottingham

David Stewart, Oakfield School, Nottingham

The Context

Young people with disabilities leaving schools/colleges need, together with their families, to navigate a bewilderingly complex and shifting landscape of… • policy priorities• education provision• marketised service provision and support • financial challenges• boundaries

The Concern• Transitions take many years; good transitions require careful

planning and ongoing support• Nottingham has long-established support for young people,

focused on the 14-19 age range• The concern underpinning this research is about what

happens next for this group, after the initial transition support• Research on this 19-25 age range is limited• More longitudinal studies are needed

SNaPP-19

The Special Needs and Pathways Post-19 ProjectAbout the project:• SNaPP-19 is a 3-year, mixed methods research project working with a cohort of

young people who have a section 139a Learning Difficulty Assessment under the Learning and Skills Act 2000. It incorporates – an annual survey of all 2013 Nottingham City residents leaving school at age

19 with special educational needs; – annual interviews with a dozen young people and their parents;– interviews with key professional stakeholders across the education and adult

social care sectors.

SNaPP-19

Early findings • Of 155 participants, initial

survey responses were received from 44 (28%) of the cohort (but only 18 responses at survey point 2)

• 25 of the 44 were remaining in, or moving to, college

Plans for September 2013 Nreturn to college 19move to college 6day care 4no response 4residential home 3employment 2not sure 2apprenticeship 1to HE 1unemployed 1work experience 1

SNaPP-19

Key Issue 1 - dataThe data that we were provided with (based on PLASC data) included

– Incorrect placement data– Inaccurate ascriptions of primary need– Duplicate students

There is a need for more reliable and better integrated data. Are there good examples of integrated data systems?

SNaPP-19

Key Issue 2 – boundaries• Service provision across administrative boundaries• Differences between colleges• Levels of course accessible• Barriers to inclusion (e.g. ability to self-medicate)• Public/private

What information and guidance is available?

Stories

Summary

Changing contexts– New funding arrangements (personal budgets)– Relocation of college provision– Appropriateness of college provision– limited employment opportunities* – Other opportunities; access, advice and guidance

*Humber (2013) reports small (<7%) and declining proportion of people with learning disabilities in paid employment

Questions and discussion

What next?Pathways from school / college for

young people with learning disabilities