London Councils commissioned a review to identify the gap in post-16 SEND provision across London boroughs, and produce a sustainable methodology for projecting demand to inform future planning cycles. The review consisted of five parts
- a demand model that projected the number of 16 to 25 year olds with EHCPs with different levels of learning support
- an analysis of current supply
- a gap analysis
- an EHCP review
- stakeholder interviews.
Key findings from the analysis included a likely rise in demand for certain types of post-16 SEND provision including speech and language support and autism provision; a mis-match between projected demand and existing supply particularly for 19 – 24 year olds; a wide variation in availability of provision across boroughs; and a lack of robust evidence on which to base commissioning decisions.
Resulting recommendations for the SEND sector in London included sub-regional hubs to co-ordinate training and share resources between specialist and mainstream providers; increased funding to address gaps in provision; a London-wide register of providers for commissioners; refreshing demand projections annually and sharing information from EHCPs from Year 9 onwards with commissioners and providers to support their planning.
Regional or sub-regional planning of this nature for FE provision for learners with SEND should be an expectation of all local areas.