Table of contents
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About Natspec and our vision
Natspec is the membership association for organisations in England and Wales that offer specialist further education (FE) and training for students with learning difficulties and/or disabilities aged 16–25.
Our vision is that all young people with additional learning needs (ALN) and/or disabilities can access high-quality education and training that meets their individual needs and supports their aspirations for skills, work and life.
Why further education (FE) matters for young people with ALN
FE provides young people with ALN a platform to step into fulfilling adult lives. It equips them with the skills, knowledge, behaviours and attitudes to gain and sustain employment, participate in their communities, and live as healthily and independently as possible.
Principles of a high-functioning post-16 ALN system
The next Welsh Government should commit to a system that is:
- Equitable – access to education is not determined by postcode or diagnosis.
- Person‑centred – decisions start with the learner’s aspirations and needs.
- Inclusive by design – inclusion means the right to the most appropriate setting based on need rather than simply inclusion within a mainstream setting.
- Collaborative and accountable – clear responsibilities and transparent funding between education, health and social care.
- Ambitious and aspirational – planning for adulthood focuses on independence, employment and lifelong learning.
The specific role of specialist FE providers
While most young people with ALN in FE attend a mainstream setting, specialist FE providers educate and support those with the most complex needs. They deliver education, therapies and life‑skills programmes that many learners cannot access in Further Education Institutions (FEIs), enabling independence, qualifications and progression to a fulfilling adult life, including supported employment for some.
Fair access to further education for young people with complex needs
What’s going wrong?
Inconsistent interpretation of the ALN Code
- Variation in how local authorities interpret “reasonable need for education and training” creates a postcode lottery.
- The ALN Code does not clearly define what constitutes “further education” for young people with complex ALN or when such education is considered to have begun.
- Ambiguity around the scope of the two‑year entitlement to education leads to inconsistent decision‑making.
- A place‑based understanding equates inclusion within mainstream settings only, risking the exclusion of learners with complex needs from FE and diversion into social care settings instead.
Limited information and guidance
- Families and ALNCos are not routinely informed about all FE options; impartial careers guidance does not consistently cover specialist FE.
- Gaps in national information channels and oversight leave learners with complex ALN excluded from guidance on post‑16 options.
Issues with Individual Development Plans (IDPs)
- Recognised gaps in sufficiency, quality and content of IDPs; they are often less ambitious than previous plans, may omit therapeutic needs, or be ceased prematurely.
- Limited reference to the quality or expectations of post‑16 additional learning provision (ALP) suggests a lack of ambition for learners with complex needs.
- Insufficient involvement of appropriately qualified education professionals and inconsistent outcomes/review processes.
What are the solutions?
Address ambiguity in the Code
- Publish clear, unambiguous statutory guidance defining “further education” for learners with complex ALN
Ensure better provision planning at local and regional level
- Set high expectations for local and regional strategic planning to ensure a balanced mix of mainstream and specialist provision, address shortages of specialist places and plan sub‑regionally for highly specialist provision.
- Collect, present and analyse robust data on 16–25 ALN to support provision planning and person‑centred placement decisions.
Provide better information and support about post-16 options
- Provide impartial information, advice and guidance on all post‑16 options from Year 9 onwards, with access to independent transitions advisers.
Set minimum standards for IDPs
- Set national quality standards for IDPs and require qualified, independent professionals to assess “reasonable need.”
- Ensure therapeutic needs are appropriately recorded and enforced on an IDP.
High quality further education for young people with complex needs
What’s going wrong?
Funding & commissioning uncertainty
- Local devolution of funding creates concern that financial pressures influence decisions, disadvantaging learners needing specialist provision.
- Absence of a lead commissioner and ring‑fenced budgets causes delays and uncertainty during transitions.
What are the solutions?
Fund and assure high‑quality further education
- Guarantee ring‑fenced, multi‑year funding for specialist FE placements and appoint a designated lead commissioner in every case.
- Create a capital improvement fund for publicly funded specialist FE colleges and include them in future FE capital rounds.
- Invest in workforce development, including specialist hubs and targeted recruitment programmes for staff working with those with the most complex needs.
Post-college opportunities for young people with complex needs
What’s going wrong?
Not enough support for post-college
- Insufficient funding and support to enable a positive transition out of college, making it feel like a ‘cliff-edge’ to many young people.
- Too little post-FE support for getting and keeping jobs or to help young people participate in their communities and enjoy fulfilling social lives.
- Lack of suitable accommodation and too few opportunities to engage in adult learning.
Employer attitudes to employing disabled people
- Understanding of disability among employers remains limited and employers are not offered enough support and training to create accessible and inclusive workplaces.
What are the solutions?
More robust planning for post-college destinations
- Require multi‑agency post‑college planning at least a term before leaving FE and before any IDP can be ceased.
- Ensure funding supports tapered education with increased social care involvement in the final term.
Increase employment support
- Specialist careers advice for all, more disability employment advisers trained in supported employment and a dedicated funding stream for transition‑to‑work support.
Five key asks of the next Senedd
- Publish clear statutory guidance on commissioning specialist FE, including a robust definition of “further education” for learners with complex ALN.
- Guarantee ring‑fenced, multi‑year funding for specialist FE placements, with a designated lead commissioner in every case.
- Set national quality standards for IDPs and require qualified, independent professionals to assess “reasonable need.”
- Ensure the availability of impartial information, advice and guidance so every family understands the full range of post‑16 options.
- Champion choice and inclusion based on needs rather than place, recognising specialist FE as an equal and essential part of Wales’s education system.
How members of the Senedd can help now
- Publicly support the vision for a high‑functioning FE system for young people with ALN and champion specialist FE as an integral part of that system.
- Engage Welsh Government ministers and committees on the importance of specialist FE ahead of the 2026 Senedd election.
- Highlight the role of specialist colleges in Senedd debates and questions, particularly on ALN and post‑16 policy.
- Visit specialist FE colleges in your region/constituency to understand current challenges and successes.
- Work with regional partners to promote employment, housing and lifelong learning pathways for FE leavers with complex needs.