All school and academy sixth forms, sixth form colleges, further education colleges and 16 to 19 academies are provided with resources to support students with additional needs, including young people with SEN and disabilities.
This section covers SEN Support for young people with SEND aged 16 to 25 in mainstream further education. Information about EHC plans for young people in mainstream and specialist further education is available on the EHC plans page.
SEN Support in further education and the law
Colleges should be aware of the SEND Code of Practice, especially chapter 7.
- Involve the young person in planning their support
- Keep records of the additional support given and progress made in a SEN Support plan
- Review the SEN Support plan at least three times a year with the young person and where appropriate, their family
- Follow the graduated approach: assess, plan, do, review
- Have a named person in overall charge of SEN provision, similar to the school special educational needs coordinator (SENCo)
The purpose of SEN support in further education is to help young people achieve the outcomes or learning objectives agreed on by the young person and their college or 6th form. Parents, or other family members, can continue to be involved, provided that the young person is happy for them to do so, and it is likely that parents will remain closely involved in the great majority of cases.
There are no duties for further education settings to publish information about what they provide for young people with SEND, but many do have information on their websites or you can ask the college SEND lead.
SEN support in further education can take many forms, including:
- assistive technology
- specialist tuition
- note takers
- interpreters
- one-to-one and small group learning support
- independent living training
- accessible information such as symbol based materials
- support with physical or personal care, such as eating, getting around school safely, toileting or dressing
- advice and/or extra help from specialists such as specialist teachers, educational psychologists and therapists
When colleges want to call in specialists they should discuss and agree this with the young person.
A graduated approach
When a young person is identified as having SEN, the further education provider should use a graduated approach- this is a cycle of four steps. These steps are:
The SEND Code of Practice says:
Colleges should take a cyclical approach to assessing need, planning and providing support, and reviewing and evaluating that support so that it can be adjusted where necessary. They should involve the student and, particularly for those aged 16 to 18, their parents, closely at all stages of the cycle, planning around the individual, and they should ensure that staff have the skills to do this effectively. (7.14)
The SEND Code of Practice says:
Where a student is identified as having SEN and needing SEN support, colleges should bring together all the relevant information from the school, from the student, from those working with the student and from any screening test or assessment the college has carried out. This information should be discussed with the student. The student should be offered support at this meeting and might be accompanied by a parent, advocate or other supporter. This discussion may identify the need for a more specialist assessment from within the college or beyond. (7.15)
Government guidance says:
Colleges should keep a student’s profile and record of support up to date to inform discussions with the student about their progress and support. This should include accurate information to evidence the SEN support that has been provided over a student’s time in college and its effectiveness. They should record details of what additional or different provision they make to meet a student’s SEN and their progress towards specified outcomes. This should include information about the student’s SEN, interventions and the support of specialists. The information should be used as part of regular discussions with the student and, where appropriate, the family, about the student’s progress, the expected outcomes and planned next steps. (from Further education: Guide to the 0 - 25 SEND Code of Practice )
The agreed support should be put in place.
The SEND Code of Practice says that SEN Support in further education should be 'reviewed regularly' (7.19) to check whether the young person's needs have changed, how effective the support is, and whether the plan should be changed. Review meetings should be held with the young person and a supporter, if they want one.
At the meeting:
- Have all your young person's needs been identified?
- Is help in place to meet all their needs?
- Have you agreed outcomes to aim for? These should be specific and measurable.
- What progress is your young person making towards their outcomes?
- What difference is the help making?
For advice about handling meetings, see our section on Getting your voice heard.
SEN Support advice and resources for families and colleges
There is advice available for families and colleges to make sure that young people with SEND get the best possible SEN Support. This includes advice clinics, helplines, webinars and drop ins.
You can find NHS information, advice and local news about teen's health issues and conditions and what is available to help on the Health for Teens Buckinghamshire website.
Integrated SEND Team (iSEND)
The integrated SEND team comprises Education, Health and Care Coordinators and managers, specialist teachers and educational psychologists. They are organised in area hubs.
Each area has advice available free of charge for schools supporting children and young people on SEN Support including:
- Area advice sessions with specialist teachers
- Advice line – Tuesday afternoons from specialist teachers
- Virtual consultation sessions with Educational Psychologists
- SENCo Support Network meetings with SEND Inclusion Officer, Specialist Teachers and Educational Psychologists
The Educational Psychology team also offer:
- Targeted support for children, schools, and families around areas such as parenting and Emotionally Based School Non-Attendance (EBSNA)
- The Nurture Groups and Emotional Literacy Support Assistant (ELSA) programmes
- EP Advice to support early intervention and prevention
Aylesbury Area Team Specialist Teacher Advice Sessions
As part of a Tiered Approach to allow schools to receive advice, support and strategies from the Specialist Teachers at every stage of SEND Support the Aylesbury Area Specialist Teachers are offering regular Specialist Teacher advice sessions for schools
Aylesbury SENCo Support Network meetings
The SENCo Network Liaison Meetings provide an opportunity for school SEND Coordinators (SENCos) to come together and work collaboratively with other schools in their area including a solution-focused approach to supporting individual pupils.
Meetings run half termly and are facilitated by an Educational Psychologist and Specialist Teacher.
Educational Psychologist School Support
Half termly virtual consultation sessions for schools.
Chiltern and South Bucks Area Team Specialist Teacher Support
As part of a Tiered Approach to supporting schools, Specialist Teachers provide advice on request for early intervention for pupils on SEND Support and for those with EHC plans.
Chiltern and South Bucks SENCo Network Liaison Meetings
The SENCo Network Liaison Meetings provide an opportunity for school SEND Coordinators (SENCos) to come together and work collaboratively with other schools in their area including a solution-focused approach to supporting individual pupils.
Meetings run half termly and are facilitated by an Educational Psychologist and Specialist Teacher.
Chiltern and South Bucks Educational Psychologist School Support
A Termly 1-hour virtual consultation session is offered by a named Educational Psychologist allocated to each school.
Wycombe Area Team Specialist Teacher Advice Sessions
The High Wycombe Specialist Teachers for Language, ASD, and Cognition & Learning hold monthly Specialist Teacher Advice Sessions.
Wycombe SENCo Network Liaison Meetings
The network meetings provide an opportunity for SENCos to share best practice.
Wycombe Educational Psychologist School Support
Other SEN Support advice and resources for families and colleges:
The Buckinghamshire learning disability nurses work with young people aged up to 19 who have a learning disability.
This services is provided by Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust.
Support for young people aged up to 19 for difficulties with:
- physical movement
- communication and/or swallowing
- participating in everyday activities
Support including fact sheets, advice sessions for parents/carers and professionals, webinars led by speech and language therapists, occupational therapists and physiotherapists is available without a referral from.
Young people who have high, urgent health or equipment needs require a referral into the service.
Further details are available here:
These services are provided by Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust.
More information can be found on the Children and young people's therapies page.
If a child or young person is feeling depressed, anxious or behaves in ways which are harmful to themselves or others, there is help available for them.
Informal help is available without a referral or appointment. For example:
Young people with SEND aged up to 25 can join courses and youth drop ins aimed at supporting anxiety and low self-esteem
Online advice for young people:
National mental health helpline:
- The mental health helpline is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to provide mental health advice
- Call 111 to access the mental health helpline
- Find out more here: Mental Health Helpline for Urgent Help
- Free psychological therapies from Healthy Minds for anyone registered with a Buckinghamshire GP- young people can refer themselves here: Healthy Minds Bucks (IAPT)
Confidential support and advice service for children and young people under the age of 35 who are experiencing thoughts of suicide, or anyone concerned that a young person could be thinking about suicide. More information can be found on the Papyrus UK Suicide Prevention website.
When difficulties are long term and complex, perhaps informal help has been tried unsuccessfully, the young person, their parent/carer or a professional may require support from the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS).
CAMHS helps young people up to 18 who are finding it hard to cope with everyday life because of difficult feelings, behaviour or relationships.
There is a wide range of support available. These services are provided by Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust. For more information and to find help and make a referral if necessary, visit the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service Oxford Health CAMHS page.
All schools and colleges in Buckinghamshire have a link worker from CAMHS. The link worker can support staff wanting to refer a child or young person to CAMHS.
Some schools in Buckinghamshire have support from the Bucks Mental Health Support Team (MHST). The MHST supports young people who have emotional wellbeing difficulties, including anxiety and low mood, confidence and self esteem issues. The team provides evidence based therapeutic support both individually and in groups to young people and parents.
Oxford Health can assess and advise on children and young people aged up to 18 who have or may have Autism, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and/or learning difficulties including challenging behaviour.
For more information see the Autism Toolbox and the Oxford Health Intellectual Disabilities team page.
Oxford Health also have a consultant available for schools for advice with supporting children with Autism/ADHD. To access this schools should contact the Single Point of Access (SPA)
A child or young person does not need a diagnosis to get support from their school or other educational setting.
You should not be asked to get a diagnosis before help is put in place.
You should not be asked to pay for a private assessment.
Currently there are long waits for diagnostic assessments.
If possible, referrals for diagnostic assessment should be made by the education provider. Alternatively, any young person aged up to 18 can refer themselves or be referred by a parent/carer. All referrals should be made using the Single Point of Access (SPA).
- assessments for children and young people aged up to 18 are made by Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust
- any young person referred for a diagnostic assessment who also has a mental health need identified will be assessed and treated as appropriate for this whilst waiting for the Autism/ADHD diagnostic assessment. Young people with mental health needs are usually offered an appointment within 4-6 weeks or sooner if there is an urgent need
Choice of NHS Provider for diagnosis and ongoing Support (ASD and ADHD)
If your GP feels that a diagnostic assessment is clinically appropriate for your child or young person, in most cases, you have the legal right to choose the hospital or service you would like to go to. This may include private hospitals if they provide contracted services to the NHS. Learn more about your choices in the NGS.
The Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West (BOB) Integrated Care Board (ICB) are aware that some providers are suggesting that referrals can be made directly to the provider and that the ICB will pay for these services. For a Choice referral, the referral must be from a GP, and the provider must have an NHS commissioning contract.
Parents wanting to explore this option should provide information from the education setting to the GP to help inform the referral.
Private diagnosis
Some people choose to seek a private diagnosis. If it is completed by appropriate professionals using a recognised approach, this will usually be accepted as part of an Education, Health and Care needs assessment
As the EHC needs assessment is based on need a diagnosis is not required. Requesting an EHC needs assessment will not speed up an Autism/ADHD diagnostic assessment.
Guides for families with children with autism, ADHD, OCD, dyspraxia with or without a diagnosis
This non-clinical team provided by Oxford Health supports children and young people with Autism and/or an Intellectual Disability who are at risk of placement breakdown or admission to a mental health hospital.
Find more information about the Dynamic Support Facilitation Team.
Queries and referrals should be made using the Single Point of Access (SPA).
CAMHS work with children and young people up to the age of 18 and their families to restore health and wellbeing.
More information can be found on the CAMHS Eating disorder service web page.
Queries and referrals should be made using the Single Point of Access (SPA).
Young people aged over 18 with an eating disorder should seek advice and a referral from their GP.
If a young person is feeling depressed, anxious or behaves in ways which are harmful to themselves or others, there is help available for them.
Informal help is available without a referral or appointment. For example:
Young people with SEND aged up to 25 can join courses and youth drop ins aimed at supporting anxiety and low self-esteem
Online advice for young people:
National mental health helpline:
- The mental health helpline is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to provide mental health advice
- Call 111 to access the mental health helpline
- Find out more here: Mental Health Helpline for Urgent Help
- Free psychological therapies from Healthy Minds for anyone registered with a Buckinghamshire GP- young people can refer themselves via the Healthy Minds Bucks website
- Confidential support and advice service for children and young people under the age of 35 who are experiencing thoughts of suicide, or anyone concerned that a young person could be thinking about suicide: Papyrus UK Suicide Prevention
When difficulties are long term and complex, perhaps informal help has been tried unsuccessfully, the young person should contact their GP.
Most young people aged 18 or over with a mental health will be supported by their GP. Some will be referred by the GP to adult mental health services. This information tells you what to expect following a referral to adult mental health: AM-054.15-Buckinghamshire-AMHT.pdf.
Buckinghamshire Adult Mental Health services are provided by Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust. For young people who need continued help from Adult Mental Health services, there is further information via the site, Adult mental health
Buckinghamshire Recovery College offers a range of free courses designed to contribute to wellbeing and recovery. They help people to recognise their own resourcefulness, talents and skills in order to become experts in their own self care. The courses are for:
- Anyone over the age of 18 who uses services from Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust in Buckinghamshire
- Their supporters (family, friends, carers)
- Oxford Health staff, volunteers and students
- People who receive services from the College’s co-production partner organisations and their staff
A child or young person does not need a diagnosis to get support.
Any young person aged 18 to 25 can ask their GP to refer them to the Bucks Adult Autism Diagnostic and Intervention Service asking for an assessment. There is further information about what to expect here, Bucks-Autism-Diagnostic-Service.pdf.
Some people choose to seek a private diagnosis. If it is completed by appropriate professionals using a recognised approach, this will usually be accepted as part of an Education, Health and Care needs assessment. As the EHC needs assessment is based on need a diagnosis is not required. Requesting an EHC needs assessment will not speed up a Bucks Autism Diagnostic Service assessment.
Where to find help if your young person is not as independent as you would expect for their age and needs a lot of help to look after themselves, to communicate and make friends.
For young people aged up to 18, see the Buckinghamshire social care for children with disabilities page.
For young people aged up to 18 nearing their 17th birthday. As a young person approaches adulthood, the responsibility for any social care required will pass from children’s services to adult health and social care services. The relevant law for young people of this age switches from the Children Act 1989 to the Care Act 2014.
A different assessment is done. The Care Act says that if a young person is likely to have care and support needs beyond the age of 18, the Local Authority must complete an assessment before they reach 18. The assessment for young people is called a Transition Assessment.
The Care Act does not say that the child or young person has to be a certain age to be able to ask for an assessment. It says that local authorities must consider whether there would be a ‘significant benefit’ to the individual in doing an assessment.
This means the local authority is able to take each individual’s circumstances into account when deciding whether to assess them. This is instead of having a blanket rule that means everyone has to be assessed at the same age. This flexibility recognises that the best time to plan the move to adult services will be different for each person.
There is no requirement in law for a young person to already have a social worker or to have an Education, Health and Care plan before they can be considered for a Transitions Assessment.
To ask for a Transitions Assessment from Buckinghamshire Council, use this form: Transitions referral form or contact the Transitions team on 01296 383119 or by emailing [email protected]
How the Local Authority decides whether to give Adult Social Care support
Adult Social Care will arrange for support to be provided if the assessment shows that a young person meets certain eligibility criteria based on the Care Act:
To qualify for support a young person must meet all three of the eligibility criteria below:
- The young person's needs must come from or be related to a physical, mental health, frailty, impairment or disability;
- The young person will have difficulty with or cannot do at least two of the everyday tasks or activities (also known as outcomes) listed below because of a physical, mental health, frailty, impairment or disability;
- There is, or there is likely to be, a significant impact on the young person's wellbeing as a result of having difficulty or not being able to do at least two of these everyday tasks.
The everyday tasks are:
- Eating and drinking
- Managing personal hygiene
- Using the toilet
- Getting dressed
- Looking after the home
- Staying safe in the home
- Maintaining, improving or building personal relationships
- Managing work, learning and volunteering
- Getting out and about
- Managing parenting or caring responsibilities
The assessment is done by a social worker, usually face to face, in the home, with the young person and their parent/carer.
Parent/carer assessment
Care assessments include an assessment of the parents/carers' and any young carers' needs - the assessment must consider whether the carer:
- is able to care now and after the child in question turns 18
- is willing to care now and will continue to after 18
- works or wishes to do so;
- is or wishes to participate in education, training or recreation
If the young person or carer does not meet the eligibility criteria for adult social care support, the Local Authority should write to them explaining why they have come to this decision. The letter should be personalised to include information and advice about how to meet needs in other ways.
If the eligibility criteria are met, the Local Authority will write a Care and Support Plan to include the help the young person and the carer will require. A financial assessment will be done to decide whether the young person has to make a contribution to the cost of their help.
Support provided previously by Children's Social Care may end or change but only after the Care Assessment is completed. Support will continue until adult care and support is in place to take over – or until it is clear after the assessment that adult care and support does not need to be provided. There is no ‘cliff-edge’ where someone reaching the age of 18 who is already receiving support will suddenly find themselves without the care and support they need at the point of becoming an adult. Where a local authority has been providing children’s social care services to a young person under the age of 18, and they have an EHC plan in place, local authorities can continue to provide these services on the same basis after the age of 18.
The Care and Support plan must include:
- details of the needs identified in the assessment
- which needs meet the eligibility criteria
- which needs the local council is going to meet, and how
- the outcomes that the young person wants to achieve
- the personal budget available (the amount of money that the local council has worked out it will cost to arrange the necessary care and support for them)
- information about direct payments
- information and advice on what can be done to reduce their needs, and to prevent or delay the development of needs in the future
Some examples of the kind of help that could be available to the young person:
- changes to their home to make it more suitable
- equipment such as a hoist or grab rail
- a care worker to help provide personal care at home
- a temporary stay in residential care/respite care
- meals delivered to their home
- a place at a day centre
- assistance with travel, for example to get to a day centre
- laundry services
- respite care/ short break for the parent/carer
The Care and Support Plan must be reviewed at least once every 12 months. The SEND Code of Practice says that the Local Authority should make sure that review processes for Care and Support Plans and Education, Health and Care Plans are aligned.
For advice about what to do if you do not agree with a decision made by social care or want to complain about something, see 'What to do when things go wrong' page.
Funding for SEN Support in further education
Further education colleges receive funding to meet the cost of additional support and reasonable adjustments to all learners with special educational needs and/or disabilities.
SEN Support plans should include information about the total hours of support or cost of the support. Ask the education provider for this information if you do not have it. Remember that if the young person has been taught in a small group, only a proportion of the hours or cost will benefit them e.g. A young person in a group of 4 for one hour per week will benefit from 15 minutes of small group support per week which is 25% of the total cost.
The Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) funds schools and academies with sixth forms, further education colleges, independent learning providers and special post-16 institutions. The funding is provided for the education and training of learners:
- aged between 16 and 19 years on SEN Support or with an Education, Health and Care Plan
- up to the age of 25 for young people with an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan
This means that for young people over 19 without EHC plans, tuition fees may be charged, depending on the type and level of course. Learners on certain benefits may be exempt: check the college’s fee remission policy.
Certain courses may be free, for example basic maths, English or employment skills, or a first GCSE or A level course. Colleges and training providers can also help with course fees at their discretion.
Young people aged 19-25 with an EHC plan receive free tuition, as long as the course meets the outcomes in their EHC plan. Providers of apprenticeships receive funding for all young people, and the amount is increased for a young person with an EHC plan. Depending on the course, other financial support may be available –ask the education provider about this.
Equality Act 2010 technical guidance on further and higher education especially chapters 6 and 7 Detailed information - helps you to make sure that your young person with SEND is treated fairly.
When SEN Support is not enough
Think about what the education provider has already done. For example:
What evidence is there of the graduated approach?
For example:
- reviewed SEN Support plans
- information about the total hours of support or cost of the support from the last year.
Ask the education provider for this information if you do not have it. Remember that if the child or young person has been taught in a small group, only a proportion of the hours or cost will benefit them e.g. A young person in a group of 4 for one hour per week will benefit from 15 minutes of small group support per week which is 25% of the total cost.
Could the education provider do more from their own resources?
- Has the young person been mostly taught on their own, on a part time timetable for more than 6 weeks or even excluded? These may be indicators that the current help isn't enough to enable the child to be included in activities with other children.
- Have they had a lot of help but not made progress?
- Is the education provider giving the young person more help than they have resources for, so the help might have to stop? What would be the impact on the child if the help stops?
- Maybe everyone agrees the child or young person requires additional support, but it has not been provided, because it is not available without an Education, Health and Care plan.
- Perhaps the education provider has been providing a great deal of help under SEN Support and now the young person is due to move to another education provider which will not be able to give the same level of support, or has a different environment which the young person will find very difficult without more help than the education provider can give.
Sometimes the next step may be to ask the local authority for an EHC needs assessment. If the school or college decides to do this they must involve you. If you think it is needed you can ask for it yourself.