Post-16 Transitions: a Longitudinal Study of Young People with ...

10.2 Preparing for transition
Generally the survey found that most young people with SEN had
gained some sort of qualification from school, most were in
education or employment, and most enjoyed active and busy
social lives. However, this apparently positive general picture
masks some key differences: in the types and levels of
qualifications gained, the courses being followed and the place of
study, and the quality or level of jobs being undertaken. On closer
inspection, it is clear that some ‘groups’ of young people have a
very different transition experience and fare better or worse
depending on some key personal characteristics, such as the
severity of need, the type of school attended, and/or the type of
special educational need. In many ways, a significant number of
young people in this study could be deemed to have deferred
their post-16 transition: they remain in their pre-16 environment
and are unlikely to make any significant moves for two to three
years.
The study has examined the influence that various supportive
structures have had (or seem to have had) on these differential
transitions and outcomes to date. In particular, it has looked at the
impact of statutory transition planning on young people’s
progress, and has explored the role of other formal structures and
bodies, such as the Careers Service or Connexions, on the
transition process generally. It has also looked at the role of
parents and carers in the transition process, and their views on it.
The rest of this concluding chapter examines the evidence to
ascertain:
• the preparedness of young people with SEN to make their
post-16 transitions; and
• the extent to which the transitions that young people with
SEN have made can be deemed to have been successful.
10.2.1 Transition planning
Transition planning forms a key element of government policy for
young people with special educational needs. However, less than
half of all the young people taking part in the Wave 2 survey
could recall having any formal transition planning meeting to
assist them to move on from compulsory schooling. In particular,
just under two-thirds of young people with statements of SEN
could recall attending a transition planning meeting prior to Year
11 although all would have had a statutory right to formal
assistance of this sort. This finding may be a problem of recall
(approximately one-fifth of all young people surveyed could not
remember if they had attended a planning meeting), but may also
indicate that this sort of planning does not always happen as
routinely as policy suggests it should.
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Post-16 Transitions of Young People with SEN: Wave 2