How do young people with special educational needs experience transition from special school to further education?

Abstract

Revisions to the Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) Code of Practice (2014) provide more opportunities for Educational Psychologists to work with the 16-25 age range, due to legislative changes in the Children and Families Act (2014). This has informed educational psychology (EP) research in relation to post-16 transition, given the additional barriers that young people (YP) with Special Educational Needs (SEN) face in accessing and maintaining Further Education. With the aim of building upon the literature, a meta-ethnographic approach was utilised to systematically review six studies, all drawing upon qualitative methodologies. Findings suggest that, for YP, relationships with others and their environment act as a mediating factor in navigating their transition to post-16 education. In conclusion, further research was required to understand how YP experienced relationships during transition. An empirical research study is then presented which explores the experiences of four YP who transitioned from a specialist school to Sixth Form college. By drawing upon an idiographic approach, underpinned by a qualitative methodology, semi structured interviews were employed and analysed using Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis. Findings suggest that relationships at college are different in nature to those at school. Further, YP have perceived passivity in relation to others regarding decision-making and a sense of sharing an experience as well as feelings of separation. There are tentative links between the role of teachers and autonomy in decision-making to understanding how relationships in college help to prepare YP for adulthood. To conclude, implications for EP practice are considered in relation to the development of the role.