College and Beyond

Why might it be of interest?

In the past I have run 2 workshops around college for our young people.  One – College – Making the Right Choice – all about choosing a suitable college and another – School’s Out for Summer around tertiary education.

Both of these are based on the premise that our young people will stay in education for as long as possible – which is not necessarily a wrong assumption or aim for them but it’s not the only option.

And as we believe that we’re going to be seeing more young people finishing their education in their earlier 20s rather than around 24 or 25 we think it is important for us to be considering all the potential options probably from about age 18.

Why do we think more young people will be finished with education around 22 or so?  Quite simply, to remain in education a young person must be making progress, or building on a previous course.  Progress doesn’t mean big steps or passing exams but there must be some forward movement even with the provisions in the SEND Code of Practice to ensure that if students need more time they can have it.

At some point young people either age out or they may hit a point when the next level up is too much for them to manage – and then they have to leave education.

So this session was about learning more about all the options for our young people age 18+ and perhaps starting to think a little differently than we have done in the past about the most appropriate route forward.

Why look at this as a single topic?

 I would like to share this view from a parent which really resonated with me and kind of sets the tone for what follows:

Something to keep in mind is that sometimes a young person may be done with college before we are ready to let it go!  College is not always a good fit and something like a supported internship might be a better route to look at.

 Many bright young people with social communication difficulties are now working in jobs they enjoy.  College and school were never quite right but my young person has really grown since working

 While many of our young people will remain in education until they are in their 20s not all will

• It won’t be right for many to remain in education after college
• There may not be the opportunity to remain in education after college
• Also ‘college’ may only be 3 shortish days a week
• So we should be considering all of the options
  • Certainly from 20+ and possibly from 18+
• We need to take the fear out of wondering what the future might look like
• There will be work to do
• And the outcome won’t be as simple as 5 days a week at college
• But our young people can expect to have a fulfilling and meaningful life either after college or as college winds down

Topics for today:

• Education
• Supported Internships
• Apprenticeships
• Working
• Volunteering
• Accessing local activities
• Adult social care
• Benefits

Choices at 16

• Must remain in education or training
• So likely to mean school or college
• Supported internship may be an option – some available from 16
• Apprenticeship potentially an option but not sure how many yp will be ready for this decision at 16

College – Making the right choice:  https://ruils.co.uk/article/college-making-the-right-choice/

School’s Out for summer – tertiary education:  https://ruils.co.uk/article/schools-out-for-summer-post-16-education/

Transport:  transport for 16 to 18 year olds is a bit of a minefield.  While this age must remain in some form of education the local authority does not have the same duty to provide transport as they do for 16 and under and 18 and over.  As, obviously, your young person being able to access their school or college is essential don’t forget about transport and bring it up in discussions about school or college placements.

I have a couple of documents about school transport here:  https://ruils.co.uk/article-cat/school-transport/.

School or college options:

• Special
• Mainstream
• College
  • Could be a special ed unit in a mainstream college
  • Or a specialist college
• School 6^th form
• Alternative provision
  • EOTAS
  • 6Oaks

What level of qualification are you looking at>

• Foundation; GCSE; level 3 – A-level, BTec, etc

See the School’s Out for Summer article above for more info about qualification levels and the articles here:  https://ruils.co.uk/article-cat/skills/.

Socially – still able to access ‘children’s’ activities – not many children’s activities are available to 18 and over.

Choices at 18 and 19

A young person doesn’t have to remain in education post 18

You will want to consider whether they will attend a local day college or whether you feel that a residential placement is needed to meet their needs

College – Making the right choice:  https://ruils.co.uk/article/college-making-the-right-choice/

If you are thinking about residential you are going to have to make a very strong case – basically that their needs can’t be met with some combination of local options

24 hour or waking day curriculum:

https://ruils.co.uk/article/24-hour-curriculum-or-waking-day-curriculum/

https://ruils.co.uk/article/notes-about-the-term-waking-day-curriculum/

Natspec:  https://natspec.org.uk/

Lists all the specialist provision across the country – day and residential but not units attached to mainstream colleges

Rarely any problem from the LA for a young person to attend a local college, eg

Orchard Hill; Richmond; Kingston; Great Oaks; West Thames

Again, consider the level of qualification – foundation; GCSE; level 3 – A-level, BTec, etc

Students going to university:

• EHCP ceases
• Students apply for the Disabled Student’s Allowance for academic support

Other options:

• Supported internships
• Apprenticeships
• Online education

AfC list the specialist colleges local young people are attending:  https://kr.afcinfo.org.uk/pages/local-offer/information-and-advice/post-16-education-pathways/specialist-education-institutions-spi-s  (this doesn’t include colleges that students have attended in the past)

Leaving education?

Is staying in education right for your young person?

• Choice Support can support with looking for work: https://choicesupport.org.uk/find-support/find-support-near-you/richmond-wandsworth
• AfC programmes: https://kr.afcinfo.org.uk/pages/local-offer/information-and-advice/16-to-25-pathways-to-employment

Adult social care

• Ideally approached by adult social care about 17.5 years old
• To support social and independent living activities
• May lead to supported or independent living
• If your young person is eligible and not in college full time then you might expect adult social care to provide the support they need on the other days

For eligible young people having an adult social care package means that parents can take a step back and be more like mum and dad again and if your young person is likely to need support throughout their life you have to start somewhere – and 18+ is a good age to start.

Financial support can make a big difference to what a young person can do in their daily life.

Choices at 21+

• LA may well support attending a local specialist college even after another college
  • Eg yp attending Orpheus, or residential, returns locally
• However, likely to be somewhere like Orchard Hill rather than Ambitious for Autism – this is likely cost related

Must be demonstrable educational benefit

• Again, we must consider whether continued education is best for the young person or is it just the easiest?

Supported Internships

• Full time – ie 5 days a week – 10am-4pm
• Mostly in the workplace
• So a young person should have an interest in the workplace and / or the role
• Aim is to lead to work but even if not should enhance skills and confidence
• Mostly young people with moderate LD
• Might be uncomfortable for more able young people as they may feel ‘different’ to the majority of the cohort – but let’s not assume
• But worth having a conversation directly with a provider

Apprenticeships

• I have heard the term ‘supported apprenticeship’ but it doesn’t seem to be widespread
• Involves 4 days at work – full working day
• One day a week at college
• A young person MUST want to do this type of work and able to manage it
• And be able to manage the college work
• It is paid
• Talk directly to local employers who might be of interest
  • Info for organisations wanting to offer an apprenticeship
  • Government support
    • Eg additional funding for reasonable adjustments which could include additional staff or specialist equipment
    • Info and advice

A challenge here is that this is very much full time and it is paid so a young person must be up to it – it is a real job

Post Education

Continued study:

• RHACC for special ed courses
• More able can join any community college course

Daycare

Activities

Working

Volunteering

 

We’ll look at each one of these

College probably won’t be full time – so what do young people do on days not at college?

RHACC

Local activities

• Rarely specifically for young people
• Focus on the interest
• Hope is that a shared interest will matter more than age or disability
• Wide range of activities provided:
  • Arts and crafts
  • Sports
  • Gardening
  • Exercise, local walks
  • Cookery
  • Pub nights
  • Book clubs
  • Drama groups

People Hive

Mencap

United Response

Local charities

• eg, Ruils has a gardening group, creative writing, etc

 

• Usually a regular schedule
• Very often regular attendees
• So there’s an opportunity to build friendships and community
• Downside is if the young person doesn’t connect with other attendees

Have a PA

• Out and about – may be further afield
• Support with independent living skills

Daycare

This is not babysitting

No actual daycare options in LB Richmond

But there are options in Kingston and nearby

• Enhanceable
• Dramatize
• Probably not for our more able young people

They provide activities and structure

Volunteering

• I know this is sometimes a tricky concept for our young people who may see it as slave labour!
• The key here is to find a role / organisation / person that has some interest for the yp where they may learn actual work related skills
  • (example – a young person connected over a shared interest with a volunteer in a local charity shop and now volunteers at the shop – who are very flexible)
• If that’s relevant – earning money is not important to everyone
• How to sell it?
  • Think of gaining real work related skills
    • Skills that might lead to a paid job if that’s the young person’s aim
  • Building confidence
  • Feeling of value
  • Being the one giving something rather than always on the receiving end of things

Working

• Few of our young people – even the more able – will have any work related skills
• Or any real idea of what working actually involves
• And this can be a tricky situation as some of our young people don’t see why they can’t just get a job – and not at the lowest level either!
• Many may be able to work part-time but not full time
• But work should be considered as a real opportunity for some of our young people
• Especially where earning some of their own money will support their wellbeing
• It’s likely to need a lot of support
  • From you
  • From the employer
  • (example: yp working for a local supermarket; mostly OK but every time there’s a new manager some adjustments get forgotten; parents have to have a meeting a couple of times a year)

Choice Support can support with looking for work:  https://choicesupport.org.uk/find-support/find-support-near-you/richmond-wandsworth

AfC programmes:  https://kr.afcinfo.org.uk/pages/local-offer/information-and-advice/16-to-25-pathways-to-employment

It is entirely possible to fill a week for a young person which will be both satisfying and meaningful – but it will be a bit of a patchwork

Benefits

Few of our young people will be able to work enough to fully financially support themselves so will rely on benefits:

• PIP
• UC
• New-style ESA, credits only
• Changes in April 2026

Change is coming – what we know for sure from April 2026:

• The LCWRA element of UC will only be available to young people over 22
• The basic element of UC will be rising by about £7 per week
• People newly eligible (after April 2026) for the LCWRA element of UC will receive it at about £50 per week – about half the current rate
• People already receiving the LCWRA element of UC will not be affected by these changes

Future changes – but not yet agreed or the timeframe

I must stress that none of this might come about – but this is what was originally proposed and then put on hold for further input and reporting:

• The work capability assessment will be scrapped – this is what currently determines whether a person has a limited capability or work or a limited capability for work related activities
• Eligibility for the LCWRA element of UC will be based on eligibility for PIP – so a single assessment
• The criteria for PIP are likely to change – and it won’t be getting any easier to qualify
• The proposed change – which may not come about – is that a person must score 4 points on at least one descriptor as well as an overall score of 8 points for standard rate or 12 points for enhanced rate
• People currently receiving PIP won’t be affected until their review

New-style ESA, credits only

Making a claim for this benefit – which does not pay out any money – is a way of ensuring your young person can claim UC when they leave school even if going onto college:  https://ruils.co.uk/article/uc-and-students/

As the rules stand now – the government could change these rules at any time.

The key is that the claim triggers a work capability assessment – yes, that assessment that might be abolished – which establishes that a young person has a limited capability for work or a limited capability for work related activity.

And it is this status – LCW or LCWRA – along with receipt of PIP – that enables a young person to claim UC on finishing school.

If the young person is under 22 they will not actually receive the LCWRA element of UC.

If the family receives benefits this may be especially important because the young person will come off your claim at some point and if they are not able to claim themselves because they remain in education and do not already have an established limited capability for work then that could be a big drop in family income.

For young people over 19 who have not established a limited capability for work and who are still in education you can argue that their course is not incompatible with receiving UC as they either study for only a few hours a week and / or their disability would meant that they would not have any work related conditions.  However, this is undoubtedly a harder route so try to do the New-style ESA, credits only claim.

And finally!

Just a sum up really:

• Don’t be afraid of the time your young person finishes in education
• There are educational options – college, supported internship, RHACC, etc
• There are many social activities available locally
• A young person can volunteer if paid work is not an option
• But paid work for a day or two a week may well be an option (and earning a small amount doesn’t affect benefits)
• Your young person may be ready for the change even if you are not!