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

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Table 5.24: Advice received when looking for work N = % Provided information 84 52 Explained options available 50 30 Helped me to progress into work/further education/training 40 22 Helped me to make decisions 35 21 Planned how I would be supported 13 7 Other 6 4 Helped me with application forms 5 4 Provided motivation 5 3 Gave me encouragement/moral support 4 3 Don’t know 5 3 N = 161 Note: All percentages are weighted percentages, unless otherwise stated Source: IES/MORI 2003 Just under one in ten young people who had looked for work said that they had received help in planning how they would be supported in work. Case studies — current activity Deferred transitions The case study data presented in Chapter 3 showed how some people experience what may be called a ‘deferred transition’. There are young people, particularly those with severe and complex difficulties, for whom the end of Year 11 is a relatively insignificant milestone since they are deemed to be not yet ready to cope with major change and therefore they stay on in their pre- 16 institution. Marcus 1 is a case in point. In his special school sixth form this young man with profound and multiple learning difficulties follows a programme which emphasises social interaction and includes modules on independence, coping with people, accessing a self-service café and supervised shopping. Marcus also has opportunities for work in the local community and makes contacts with age-peers since his sixth form unit is sited in a sixth form college rather than on the main special school site. Despite the problems which he experienced with this placement, the rationale for the programme is clear and common to many of its kind, allowing time for greater maturation whilst steadily expanding the range of experiences which are offered to the young person and relating them more closely to the adult world. 1 All names have been changed to protect the identities of the young people who took part in the case studies. Post-16 Transitions of Young People with SEN: Wave 2 81
This rationale, however, is not restricted to the small group of young people with the most severe and complex difficulties. Zoe’s Connexions PA, for instance, was of the opinion that ‘children in special school are three years behind’ and therefore should access schooling for longer. Certainly, there is a relatively wide range of young people for whom transition at age 16 leads not so much to a progressive programme of education or work-related training, but to a ‘maturational’ programme. Typically, this is a ‘prevocational’ programme in an FE College. However, since this programme is seen as a necessary precursor to courses which lead more clearly to vocational or occupational qualifications (and certainly to any prospect of employment) these young people too are experiencing a ‘deferred transition’. Devesh’s story is similar. He has learning difficulties associated with hydrocephalus and attended a special school for children with moderate learning difficulties. His SENCO described him in the following terms: “His main problem is his reading comprehension. But his attitude is incredible, he is a very highly motivated pupil and this made him stand out from the other students. He completed an incredible portfolio for business studies. It was of such a standard that I contacted City and Guild to see if he would be eligible to one of their awards. They said that the portfolio was equal, if not better, than those received from mainstream education. But he could only ever hope to get a pass level because it was all copying other people’s ideas. He wasn’t able to come up with his own ideas or think in an abstract way.” Despite his enthusiasm and (albeit skewed) talents, the view as he neared the end of schooling was that he was not ready for employment, and work-related training was not an option that was available. As his class teacher reported: “I would like more apprenticeships to happen and have had contact with people involved with modern apprenticeships, but it has not happened.” However, the school does have good links with the local FE College and places its pupils on link courses there. Not surprisingly, therefore, Devesh followed all but one or two of his school peers in transferring to an ‘Essential Skills’ course at the College. The course, the College told us, covers “Literacy, numeracy, socialisation” and is delivered by a separate Special educational needs Department. Once Devesh had completed this preparatory course, he was allowed to progress onto vocational education proper. As his college tutor explained: “As far as [the] College is concerned this really was his only option. He had already been in full time education in Essential Skills and his progression from Essential Skills would be on to Level 2, we don’t do a foundation course as such.” 82 Post-16 Transitions of Young People with SEN: Wave 2
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RESEARCH Post-16 Transitions: a Lon
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Acknowledgements The authors would
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Contents Executive Summary viii 1.
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Executive Summary Introduction This
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help or information from the young
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profound difficulties and those whi
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1. Introduction This report present
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Main-stage fieldwork The aim in the
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Table 1.2: Estimates of the number
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• Chapter ten draws together the
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when educational options have a str
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of work-related training schemes. I
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without very considerable effort on
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introduction of a Children’s Bill
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3. Characteristics of Young People
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difficulties. The less common forms
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Table 3.6: Statement of special edu
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Table 3.10: Change in SEN status N
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severe learning difficulties/profou
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4. School and Outcomes A primary ai
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Table 4.2: Young person’s recall
Page 44 and 45: Table 4.5: Reasons why transition p
Page 46 and 47: Table 4.7: People involved in the t
Page 48 and 49: Table 4.9: Coverage of transition p
Page 50 and 51: Table 4.10: Coverage of transition
Page 52 and 53: Figure 4:3: Reasons why Year 11 dis
Page 54 and 55: Table 4.13: Provider of help to pre
Page 56 and 57: Table 4.15: Most helpful person whe
Page 58 and 59: Table 4.18: Extent to which school
Page 60 and 61: In cases such as these, transition
Page 62 and 63: were choices but young person and f
Page 64 and 65: Figure 4:6: Young People’s views
Page 66 and 67: “In school he had quite a lot of
Page 68 and 69: Figure 4.7: Whether gained qualific
Page 70 and 71: Figure 4.11: Level of qualification
Page 72 and 73: • Over three-quarters of all youn
Page 74 and 75: Table 5.1: Current main activity Al
Page 76 and 77: Table 5.4: Current main activity, b
Page 78 and 79: Table 5.6: Current main activity, b
Page 80 and 81: college for people with LDD, and we
Page 82 and 83: transition plan to have sought advi
Page 84 and 85: 5.2.3 Ease of transition The majori
Page 86 and 87: Table 5.14: Occupation/training typ
Page 88 and 89: 5.3.3 Method of jobsearch and advic
Page 90 and 91: • help to progress into work/trai
Page 92 and 93: Table 5.21: Reasons for current ina
Page 96 and 97: However, he was finding this new co
Page 98 and 99: years, often in quite productive ac
Page 100 and 101: Table 5.25: Parent/carer view on ex
Page 102 and 103: employment or a training placement
Page 104 and 105: Figure 6:2: Benefit receipt, by SEN
Page 106 and 107: had not had any subsequent contact
Page 108 and 109: Table 6.3: Type of support lost sin
Page 110 and 111: Table 6.5: Additional support recei
Page 112 and 113: met by his special school sixth for
Page 114 and 115: education since their child left Ye
Page 116 and 117: • colleges (33 per cent of parent
Page 118 and 119: published information against just
Page 120 and 121: who had a statement of SEN and/or h
Page 122 and 123: Table 6.12: Parent/carer knowledge
Page 124 and 125: Figure 7:1: Qualifications gained (
Page 126 and 127: Parents were also asked to reflect
Page 128 and 129: “(He is) a bit more independent;
Page 130 and 131: immaturity and the fact that she is
Page 132 and 133: 8. Leisure Activities and Social Li
Page 134 and 135: Figure 8:2: Weekday evenings spent
Page 136 and 137: For some young people, the involvem
Page 138 and 139: For Li, who has found his own way o
Page 140 and 141: Figure 9:2: Parental views on young
Page 142 and 143: Table 9.1: Views on the future, all
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Table 9.5: View (4) on the future,
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9.3 Next activity Almost three-quar
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plans for their futures but for var
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10. Conclusions 10.1 Introduction T
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Transition planning is purposely fo
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needs in both the academic and the
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and most reported that they had mor
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the most severe and complex difficu
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Appendix One: Wave 2 survey Summary
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Table A.1: Profile of participating
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10.5.2 Weighting Table A.3 reports
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• Economic factors • Structural
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gave their consent and who lived in
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Gareth is a young man with learning
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she does not succeed, her Connexion
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examples here are Maria who wants t
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time to themselves. The problem for
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here. He is one of the nicest peopl
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Appendix Four: References Bignall T
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