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

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years, often in quite productive activities, whilst leaving unresolved some major issues about their next steps and long-term activities. Disrupted transitions For a few other young people, post-16 provision failed even in its basic task of holding them until they were able to enter more open activities successfully. A good example of this was Andrea, a bright young woman with BESD and/or autism who had effectively dropped out of school. Post-16, she had engaged in a wide range of activities, each one of which had proved unsatisfactory: She went to college to take A levels but was enrolled on GCSEs instead because her school results were poor. Once on the GCSE courses, her tutors realised that she was capable of A levels, but the A level courses were full. Andrea left the college after two months, bored with her provision. She then enrolled on a NVQ level 1 course with a training provider, but again left quickly when she found the work too easy. She secured unskilled work but found it dull and left. She enrolled on a media course at another college, transferred to drama, enjoyed the course for a while but eventually decided that: “It wasn’t my sort of course. I wasn’t getting on with the people there.” Finally, she joined a training scheme offered by an organisation specialising in young people who are out of work and offering a package of work experience, life skills, basic skills and personal development. The difficulties which dogged Andrea’s school career are evident in her post-16 trajectory. It seems that she does not form clear and coherent long-term plans which she is then able to see through. However, it is also clear that there has been even less in the post- 16 structures than there was in her school provision to offer her some sense of direction. She doubtless had support in each of her activities and at the time of our fieldwork had found a key worker who was optimistic about her capacity to stay with Andrea longterm to get her into university. She had also had support from Connexions, though according to her parents this has been no more than supplying information about possible courses when they have taken the initiative to contact them. However, to date, all of these forms of support had been insufficiently robust to keep Andrea on track. The prospect, Andrea’s mother believes, is bleak: “In about five years time we’re gonna be in this situation, she’s still going to be here, unless of course she does get a job in the meantime. That is the only thing that’s going to make a difference. In about five years time if things go the way they have done she’s still going to be here still in the same sort of situation, not going out and just going to Dr Who conventions [one of Andrea’s main enthusiasms]. Post-16 Transitions of Young People with SEN: Wave 2 85
Maybe in about five years time she might be ready to start moving on but I think it’s gonna take at least that to get her to that point.” This is, of course, another articulation of the notion of ‘deferred transition’, except that in this case the deferral is not fully planned and it is particularly difficult to see how that period of deferment is doing much to promote the maturation that is necessary. 5.5 Relevance/influence of transition planning on current activity The majority of young people in the survey who recalled attending a transition review meeting thought that their activities since Year 11 had broadly followed the plan (68 per cent). The main reasons offered by other young people to explain why their activities had not gone to plan centred on: • deciding to do something different (52 per cent of those not following the plan said they had changed their mind) • not gaining the right qualifications to do their intended activity (11 per cent of those not following their transition plan) • ill-health (seven per cent of those following a different post-16 pathway). Parents were generally in agreement with young people with regard to how closely their activities had followed the transition plan. Sixty-three per cent of parents/carers who recalled a transition plan being drawn up reported that the young person’s activities after Year 11 had followed the plan by a ‘fair amount’ or a ‘great deal’ (see Table 5.25). Twentyseven per cent of parents/carers, on the other hand, felt that their child’s activities had not followed the plan much at all. Parents and carers of children without statements and/or those who had attended mainstream schools were more likely to say that their child’s activities subsequent to Year 11 had not followed the plan compared to those with statements of SEN and/or those who had attended a special school. Looking at the type of SEN (Table 5.26), parents of young people with sensory and/or physical disabilities were more likely to agree that their child’s activities had followed the transition plan than young people in any other SEN group. Parents of young people with behavioural, emotional or social development needs were the least likely to report that their child’s activities since Year 11 had followed their transition plan. 86 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
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Table 4.5: Reasons why transition p
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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 94 and 95: Table 5.24: Advice received when lo
Page 96 and 97: However, he was finding this new co
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
Page 144 and 145: Table 9.5: View (4) on the future,
Page 146 and 147: 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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