Education

Below are key policy and guidance documents about education issues for disabled children and young people in transition to adulthood.

2012

Good practice guidelines: education for children and young people with Down syndrome
On 20th December 2012, the UK All Party Parliamentary Group on Down Syndrome (APPG-DS) published a report presenting good practice guidelines for the education of children and young people with Down syndrome.

Academies and funding for SEN specialist services
The Government have announced it will exempt local authority expenditure in relation to SEN services from the academy recoupment process for 2012-13.

Learning Difficulty Assessments guidance for local authorities
On 13 February 2012 the Department for Education (DfE) published new guidance on Learning Difficulty Assessments.

Positive for Youth: A new approach to cross-government policy for young people aged 13 to 19
The Department for Education has published a new set of documents describing all of the Government's policies for young people aged 13 to 19 in England, within the context of a vision for a society which will enable all young people to succeed.

Raising the participation age
The Education and Skills Act 2008 increases the minimum age at which young people in England can leave learning, requiring them to continue in education or training until the end of the academic year in which they turn 17 from 2013 and until their 18th birthday from 2015.

2011

New Challenges, New Chances: Next Steps in Implementing the Further Education Reform Programme
On 16 November 2010 the Government published two documents which set out a radical new strategy for further education and skills, Skills for Sustainable Growth and Investing in Skills for Sustainable Growth. New Challenges, New Chances contains proposals to take this strategy a stage further. All consultations closed on Friday 21 October 2011. The Government response was published on 1 December 2011.

Support and aspiration: A new approach to special educational needs and disability
On 9 March 2011 the Department for Education released its Green Paper on SEN and Disability entitled "Support and Aspiration: A new approach to special educational needs and disability."

2010

Equality Act 2010
It is unlawful for schools and other education providers to discriminate against disabled pupils, students and adult learners. Find out how the Equality Act 2010 has increased protection for disabled learners against unfair treatment.

Equality Act: Guidance for education providers: Further and Higher Education
This guide from the Equality and Human Rights Commission summarises what Further and Higher Education Providers need to do avoid discriminating under the Equality Act 2010.

Foundation Learning
Foundation Learning is the national suite of learning for 14-19s at Entry Level or Level 1. Learners follow personalised programmes tailored to their individual needs and aspirations. A more personalised approach encourages learners to build confidence and fulfil their own potential.

Achievement previously classed as ‘pre-entry’ can be captured in Entry Level 1. This will particularly benefit learners with special educational needs or learning difficulties and disabilities.

Statutory Guidance: Arrangements for 16-19 Funding of Education and Training
The Young People's Learning Agency (YPLA) has produced this guidance to describe and outline the system for funding 16-19 education and training provision for the 2011/12 academic year.

Supporting young people with learning difficulties to participate and progress - incorporating guidance on Learning Difficulty Assessments
This document, by the Department for Education, is statutory guidance for the assessment of the needs of young people with learning difficulties as they move into further education. The guidance outlines a holistic and person-centred process. It states:

“Learning Difficulty Assessments should have a person centred approach focusing on Progression.”

In order to be person centred, a learning difficulty assessment should build on the transition review process. Hence the guidance also states:

“The Learning Difficulty Assessment should be the culmination of an on-going process of assessment and reviews. The Learning Difficulty Assessment is designed to update, add to and build on previous assessments and interventions taking account of changing needs and circumstances – it should not duplicate them or be viewed as a separate, one-off event.”

The Importance of Teaching - The Schools White Paper 2010
The Schools White Paper sets out how the government intends to reform schools.

2009

Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Act 2009
An Act to make provision about apprenticeships, education, training and children’s services. Includes provision for learners with learning difficulities and transport issues for disabled young people.

2007

Aiming High for Disabled Children (AHDC): Better support for families
AHDC was launched in May 2007, and was the transformation programme for disabled children's services. AHDC was jointly delivered by the Department for Education and the Department of Health.

2006

Implementing the Disability Discrimination Act in schools and early years settings
This resource pack includes: an interactive template and framework, resources to support access plans and strategies and early years access planning, training materials to support all sections of the resource, and background information to the projects which developed the resource. This resource pack also provides a guide to the duties in the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA). This includes an account of how the DDA duties fit with the SEN duties and the planning duties and it provides more detail on the definition of disability used in the DDA.

Learning for Living and Work: Improving Education and Training Opportunities for People with Learning Difficulties and/or Disabilities
The national strategy for Learning and Skills Council (LSC) funded provision for learners with learning difficulties and/or disabilities across the further education system from 2006/07 to 2009/10. This document sets out the LSC’s vision for provision for learners with learning difficulties and/or disabilities, and how the further education system should respond to meet that vision.

2005

Higher standards, better schools for all: More choice for parents and pupils - Schools White Paper summary
This White Paper, published by the Department for Children, Schools and Families, sets out the governement's plans to "radically improve the system; putting parents and the needs of their children at the heart of our schools, freeing up schools to innovate and succeed, and bringing in new dynamism and new providers".

2001

Special Educational Needs (SEN) Code of Practice
The SEN Code of Practice provides practical advice to Local Education Authorities, maintained schools, early education settings and others on carrying out their statutory duties to identify, assess and make provision for children’s special educational needs.

Special Educational Needs and Disability Act 2001 (SENDA)
SENDA establishes legal rights for disabled students in pre- and post-16 education. The Act introduces the right for disabled students not to be discriminated against in education, training and any services provided wholly or mainly for students, and for those enrolled on courses provided by 'responsible bodies', including further and higher education institutions and sixth form colleges. Student services covered by the Act can include a wide range of educational and non-educational services, such as field trips, examinations and assessments, short courses, arrangements for work placements and libraries and learning resources.

1996

Education Act 1996
Includes statutory information on the provision of school education for children with SEN.

(This page was last updated on 9 May 2011)