Debate contribution: Education, Skills and Training Provision: SEN Students

Debate contribution by Dr Caoimhe Archibald on 16 June 2025.

MLA

Dr Caoimhe Archibald

Party at the time

Sinn Féin

Date

16 June 2025

Type

Debate contribution (made as a minister)

Business

Ministerial Statements

Heading

Education, Skills and Training Provision: SEN Students

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 5010332

Read the official Assembly record

Text

Go raibh maith agat, a Leas-Cheann Comhairle.

Today is the start of Learning Disability Week, and I will provide an update on the review of education, skills and training provision for young people with special educational needs. Last year, my predecessor, Conor Murphy, advised the Assembly of his concerns over gaps in provision for school-leavers with special educational needs and the inequalities and injustices that those young people face. He tasked officials with reviewing the issues. My team has since engaged with schools, colleges, community and voluntary groups, training providers, social enterprises, parents, young people and subject matter experts. I put on record my recognition of the way in which officials have embraced that piece of work. It has been done comprehensively and thoroughly, as will become clear in the rest of the statement. My team and I have also met Alma and Dee from Caleb's Cause, a campaign that has done so much to raise awareness of the issues. Moreover, Stranmillis University College was commissioned to carry out a comparative analysis of the different legislative frameworks across Britain and Ireland. I am grateful to everyone who contributed to the review. Now that officials have completed their work, I will outline the key issues and challenges that have been identified, as well as the measures and actions that, with appropriate resources, my Department intends to take. I will also highlight issues that require collaboration across Departments. Leaving school can be a huge milestone for any young person to navigate. For people with special educational needs and their families, however, there are often additional challenges. The review highlighted many examples of excellent support from colleges, training providers, day opportunity providers and social enterprises. There are many dedicated workers in the service who go above and beyond in order to ensure that our disabled young people are fully engaged, learning and thriving. I have met some of those people during visits to further education colleges and to providers such as Access Employment Ltd (AEL) in Larne, Springvale Training in Belfast and Compass Advocacy Network (CAN) in Ballymoney. The system is not working for all our young people, however. The challenges that I will outline will no doubt be familiar to many families who have tried to navigate the system. Improvement is needed primarily for school-leavers who come from special schools and from specialist provision in mainstream schools (SPiMS). The challenges for those learners often begin before they leave school, during what is known as the transition process, which starts after they turn 14. The transition process, on which the Education Authority (EA) leads, involves a range of stakeholders. Some of the initial issues arise owing to a lack of capacity in the stakeholder organisations, such as the Education Authority's transition service and the health trusts' children's disability teams. There are gaps in timely, accurate and comprehensive information on potential options and eligibility requirements and questions about whether there will be sufficient places, the required level of supervision and available supports. There is also uncertainty over transport arrangements. That means that planning for life beyond school can create significant stress and uncertainty for families. The majority of learners from special schools and from specialist provision in mainstream schools typically progress on to one of two pathways: a Department for the Economy-funded pathway that involves further education or training provision or a Department of Health-funded pathway comprising day opportunities or day care. The feedback that was received did not suggest that those pathways are wrong. Rather, it signalled a need for investment in both. There is simply not enough suitable provision available, and young people are not guaranteed access to the most appropriate pathway for their needs.

Funding and capacity are two of the biggest challenges that are faced across the entire post-school system. The loss of the European social fund and associated provision in the voluntary and community sector has reduced the available offer, and in the provisions that currently exist, there are regional imbalances. The issues have been exacerbated by a 29% increase in the number of learners with special educational needs over the past 20 years, a 134% increase in the number of pupils with a statement of SEN and the growing complexity of needs. The consequences of not ensuring that the right supports are in place are stark. There are far too many young people who are not in education, employment or training (NEETs). If a young person with SEN is in that category, it is highly likely that their parent or carer also faces leaving work or reducing their hours to meet the care needs of their disabled young adult. My officials spoke to many people who are in that situation. It is damaging to the well-being, mental health and household income of those families, and it is damaging for our economy to lose skilled and experienced workers in that way. I am committed to driving forward a significant programme of reform to my Department's education, skills and training offer for learners with additional educational needs. My reforms sit under three broad themes. The first is improved provision. There are excellent examples of our six further education colleges providing support to learners with a disability. In the review, my officials received some inspiring feedback about lives that had been changed. A young woman at the North West Regional College (NWRC) completed her HND in childcare, and she hopes to continue her education up to degree level. A young man received tailored support at the Southern Regional College (SRC) so that he could fulfil his ambition of studying animation at Ulster University. A student in the north-west had a fantastic college experience and is now on a placement with Translink. He is now doing a level 3 extended diploma and has won an NCFE Aspiration award. A young woman with complex medical and learning difficulties has been supported to achieve her level 3 qualifications, and she has secured employment as a classroom assistant. My officials also received very positive feedback about the various training providers that deliver my Department's Skills for Life and Work programme, with half the participants on the programme having disability-related support needs. However, funding for further education provision for students with learning disabilities and difficulties has not increased for many years. That has constrained the growth of capacity and subjects at our colleges. The entry level provision for SEN learners has not always been refreshed to ensure access to newer programmes, such as digital arts and creative media. I want to see investment in the colleges to enable them to update and expand their offer; to improve physical accessibility, particularly in our older buildings, some of which lack lifts, ramps or Changing Places toilets; and to ensure that their staff can refresh their knowledge and skills to deliver high-quality programmes and support to all learners. I want a more consistent offer across the college network so that people who are in rural areas have the same level of provision as people who are in urban areas. I want the continuation of a strong part-time offer. That pathway is often accessed as part of the health-based day opportunities programmes for adults with a learning disability, and it enables lifelong learning. To help us build on existing best practice and inform the shape of our future expansion, my Department has asked the Education and Training Inspectorate (ETI) to undertake an evaluation of the existing further education provision. That work commenced last week, and the inspectorate will report in the autumn. Once complete, the evaluation will also help ensure that the funding bids that I bring forward are evidence-based and focused on excellence. Apprenticeships are a fantastic pathway for many people, and in-training disability support is available for apprenticeships. In addition, through my apprenticeship inclusion challenge fund, two dedicated disability projects are testing approaches to improve participation and outcomes for people with disabilities. The projects are piloting new pathways that enable individuals with disabilities to thrive and reach their full potential. We know that learners with special educational needs can flourish in work-based environments. Our aim is to partner with employers in order to create sustainable, long-term employment opportunities. Therefore, an action identified in my three-year apprenticeship action plan is to co-design a pilot approach to a new model for apprentices with special educational needs. Social enterprises provide opportunities for disabled adults to engage in training and employment initiatives, often as a core part of the health and social care trusts' day opportunities programme. The work to strengthen the social enterprise sector through our social enterprise action plan therefore also has a contribution to make. The review highlighted, too, the unrealised potential for higher education-based provision for learning disabled students, and I have asked officials to examine how we might give effect to that. Stranmillis University College recently carried out a feasibility study, funded through our Step Up programme, on the possibility of higher education opportunities for learning disabled students, informed by the model at Trinity College Dublin. I can see real value in enabling inclusive pathways of that nature for raising aspiration and opportunities for all our young people. The second theme is enhanced learner support. If our further education colleges are to become a destination of choice for a greater number of learners with special educational needs, provision must be accompanied by the right learner support. We have had feedback about the challenges of accessing support at college being exacerbated because the statement of special educational needs does not continue beyond school. Students and their families report being nervous when choosing a college, because they do not know in advance of starting what support a young person will receive, and colleges report spending significant time at the start of an academic year on duplicating assessments that will have been carried out at school to assess support needs, exam support requirements and so on. Those systems should be more integrated so that the transition from school to college is more seamless. To that end, I have asked my officials to develop a statutory assessment and support model for students with learning support needs in further education. We anticipate that building on the current special educational needs statement approach through schools but being tailored for the further education environment. The new assessment and support model will be underpinned in legislation. Having approved that approach, I have tasked my officials with working up a costed plan to design and deliver the new model. The assessment and support model will give clarity and assurance as to the support that a young person will receive in college, with appropriate mechanisms to raise and resolve any disagreements. In the short term, I have asked my officials to explore with the colleges, the Education Authority and the Department of Education administrative mechanisms that can give greater certainty to young people aged 16 to 18 who had a statement in school and are moving to college. That interim measure is aimed at ensuring that those young people do not lose support because they have to leave school at 16 years, often because their school does not have appropriate post-16 provision. Of course, the best possible solution is that schools provide specialist provision, and I will work with the Minister of Education on that issue. Another concern is that families often do not know who to ask for guidance when they face challenges during the transition from school to college. The Education Authority transition team is closely involved with all young people from the age of 14 who have statements in planning for their next destination after school, yet the Education Authority's role ends the minute that the young person leaves school. The young person and their family can quickly feel lost if, a few weeks into a college course, they decide that it is not the right fit and that they instead want to look at training, a different college or Health-based options. The Education Authority is no longer able to guide or support them. Furthermore, sometimes, they need extra support to plan for their transition onwards at the end of their college programme. I have therefore asked my officials to bring forward proposals for creating a new transition support function for learners in my Department's education and training provision. We want to provide learners with the information, guidance and practical support that are needed to ensure a more seamless transition from school, and we want those learners to feel suited to their chosen pathway, make progress, enjoy their learning and flourish in their new environment. Our third theme is strengthened foundations. Better provision and enhanced learner support need to be underpinned by improvements in other areas. More effective and timely data-sharing among Education, Health and Economy will help to improve understanding of the type of demand that is coming into our systems and to facilitate better forward planning. There is not a direct read-across between the categories such as special education in schools, to learning disability in Health, to disability in our system. That creates confusion and increases the risk of people not being identified and their needs not being met. We need to improve our understanding of which pathways and provision are most effective in supporting learners to progress and achieve positive outcomes. The ETI evaluation will contribute to our knowledge in that area. Stranmillis University College recently secured funding through the EPIC Futures partnership to take forward some provision-mapping work, and we have launched a research and innovation policy fellowship to undertake SEN-focused research, using the longitudinal education outcomes dataset. That type of work is crucial to ensuring that evidence, data and best practice underpin all that we do. Our Careers Service also has a key part to play. That is recognised in the new DFE and joint-DE careers action plan, which will be published in the coming week and sets out a range of measures that will strengthen support for people with disabilities and special educational needs. The measures include, for example, professional development for careers advisers so that they are better placed to understand and adapt to their clients' needs. It involves the development of innovative software solutions for autistic clients and the new careers portal will provide inclusive and equitable access to careers information, tools and resources for people of all ages and backgrounds, including young people with special educational needs as well as their parents and guardians. My Department's actions alone will not meet the needs and aspirations of all school-leavers with special educational needs. Many issues were raised with my officials that are outside our remit but which I intend to bring to the attention of the Executive because they have an impact on so many young people and their families. Young people and their families want choices. While many young people with special educational needs aim to progress to skills- and training-based pathways after school, a very substantial number of special-school-leavers want to progress to a Health-based pathway, usually day opportunities, as they feel that they are the most suitable destination. A smaller number want a work-focused route such as supported employment. Those pathways also need significant investment to be able to respond effectively to the level of need. I would like to see a model here that gives all young people the opportunity to progress to the pathway that is right for them and will best enable them to thrive. My proposed changes to the assessment and support model for further education will, hopefully, encourage and enable more young people to choose our colleges for their next step beyond school. However, we know that it is not the right destination for everyone, and for those young people who are more suited to a Health-based pathway, I would like to see similar assurances in relation to their entitlement, access and support. That is an issue that I intend to raise with the Health Minister. Many school principals highlighted the situation of a particular group of school-leavers who have attended a special school from the age of four to 19. They have evident additional needs. Those young people and their families do not consider that further education and training options are right for them. They want to access day opportunities. However, access to those Health pathways is determined by a learning disability assessment. Every year, a group of special-school-leavers are assessed and deemed not to meet the relevant learning disability threshold, meaning that they are ineligible for Health-funded pathways despite their evident vulnerability. That closes off the Health pathway and it can it can prevent them from accessing college too if, for example, they need a direct-payment-funded support worker to help meet their personal or other care needs. Without access to Health or further education pathways, those young people and their families often feel in limbo. We may be able to explore the development of collaborative and co-funded cross-departmental pilots to try to provide pathways for those young people for whom our existing systems do not work. There may also be a need to revisit the existing learning-disability eligibility arrangements, especially in relation to autistic young people, as the feedback suggests that those are the vulnerable young people most affected by this issue. Many schools have also raised an issue in relation to the requirement to leave a special school at 19 years. It was flagged that there are flexibilities —

— in deferring starting school and transition from primary 7 into year 8.

2,907 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Assessment

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Assessed 21 October 2026 at 12:50 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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