Before your Annual Review (Phase Transfer) meeting, you should receive Careers, Information, Advice and Guidance from Connexions or from your school’s Careers Adviser to help you make a decision about the post 16 options available. More information on Connexions can be found on www.wolvesworkbox.com/connexions

During your EHCP Annual Review, post 16/19 options will be discussed. The advice you have been given will help you choose a suitable programme/course and this can be discussed in the meeting.

Your school SENCO (Special Education Needs Coordinator) and school careers adviser / Connexions Adviser can help you to get all the information you need to make your preference.

You can express a preference for which Post 16/19 setting you would like to attend. We will always consider your views, wishes and feelings about where you would like to go for your post 16/19 education.

We believe in the principle of young people being educated or trained in their local community, as close to home as possible. 

There are different types of mainstream post-16 providers including: 

• Local general further education colleges (GFEs) which can offer all kinds of additional support.
• Mainstream sixth form colleges and school sixth forms.
• Post 16 training providers
• Special Schools (Academy or local authority maintained)
• Independent Special Providers/Schools*

Information about post-16/19 education providers in and around the Wolverhampton area can be found on the local offer Options for Post 16 Education, Training and Employment. This will also provide you with more information on what type of courses are available and duration of the course i.e 1, 2 or 3 years. Most mainstream courses offer a 3- day course (16 hours a week – this is the guidance for post 16 as what constitutes a full-time course).

If you are seeking work (vocational) based training or an apprenticeship, information is also available on www.workbox/apprenticeships details of relevant training providers can be found here Find Training - Workbox. These routes provide good options for a number of young people who do not wish to stay in a more formal education environment.

It is a good idea to go along to open days so you can talk to tutors and explore choices before deciding. Check college websites and social media for dates of open days.

*The Local Authority would need to agree that a specialist setting is the only type of setting   that can meet your needs.

You will need to contact the provider/college directly to arrange a visit. This is important to make sure you are comfortable at the provision and feel it can meet your needs. The local authority will not arrange this visit for you.

When you visit, be prepared to ask questions about the type of support you need. Take your EHCP with you and ask to meet with the Learning Support Team. View Local College – 16 years old and above to see a list of useful questions and things to look out for when visiting a college or training provider.

The support you receive in your Post 16/19 setting may look different to your experience of school. This is to reflect you becoming older and to help you be more independent.

After visiting, you may have to take part in some tasks/activities for the provider/college to learn more about you. Please be aware that this is a dual process, which means that as well as giving your post- 16/19 preferences to the Local Authority, you must also apply directly to the post-16/19 setting.

If after reading this, you need further help or advice then you can contact the 0-25 SEND Team on 01902 555961.

Summer term of Y10 onwards (Post 16) or Summer term of Y13 (Post 19)

You should attend open days at local colleges/post-16 providers and make your applications for a place directly to them

Between Summer term (Y10) and Autumn Term (Y11) - Post 16
or
Between Summer term (Y13) and Autumn Term (Y14)

School careers adviser / Connexions arrange a careers guidance interview and draw up a Career Pathway Plan for you.

School SENCO (or your SEND Officer if the young person is elective home educated or on an EOTAS package) will arrange the Annual Review (Phase Transfer) meeting.

2 weeks following the Annual Review (Phase Transfer) meeting the school sends the career pathway plan, up-to-date school reports and Annual Review report to the SEND Officer.

Four weeks from the Annual Review (Phase Transfer) meeting the SEND Officer will send you a decision letter   on the outcome of the annual review. This may be a decision to maintain, cease or amend the EHC Plan.

If the decision is to amend the EHC plan a Notice of Amendment letter identifying any proposed amendments to the EHCP will be issued.

A factsheet on annual reviews can be found on the IASS website: EHCP Annual Review Factsheet

Between the Autumn and Spring term (Y11) September – March - Post 16
or
Between the Autumn and Spring term (Y14) September – March - Post 16

A copy of the draft EHCP will be shared with you. You will have 15 days to provide your feedback to the proposed amended EHCP. If you need longer to review the draft EHCP, please let the SEND Officer know as soon as possible.

You will also need to complete your post-16/19 preference form and send it to the SENSTART team: senstart@wolverhampton.gov.uk within 15 days. You must also make direct applications to your preferred schools/colleges.

The SEND Officer will consult with your post-16/19 college/provider(s) preferences to find out whether they can meet the young person special education needs (as written out in their EHC Plan).

If necessary, the SEND team may also consult with other appropriate providers that may be able to meet needs and offer a suitable course.

The 31 March is an important deadline if you have an EHCP and are due to transfer to the post 16/19 phase of your education. This is because we, the Local Authority must legally issue an amended final plan by 31 March naming the placement or type of setting you will be attending from the September.

You will also need to consider how you will get to and from the college/post-16 provider, as there is no free travel assistance for 16-18 year olds. For more information on post 16 transport view the City of Wolverhampton Council Post 16 Transport Policy and All Age Travel Assistance Policy easy read here - transport and travel assistance - pupils-aged 16-19.

Those seeking Travel Assistance/Transport for Post 19 aged learners should also read this policy.

• As you have an EHCP and may move onto a post-16/19 course (e.g. college) in September, you will need to state your preference(s) using the Wolverhampton preference form.
   
• If your preferences are for a college in another local authority area, you still need to complete the form and name the provider(s) and make direct applications to the schools/colleges.
   
• Once a place has been agreed it will be named in the final EHC Plan.
   
• If you are not happy with the allocated place, you can appeal to the SEN Tribunal Service; the details will be included in the letter sent with your Final Amended EHC Plan. 

Please note: 
The Children and Family Act 2014 (Section 19) states that, the importance of young people, participating as fully as possible in decisions and being provided with the information and support necessary (this support may include support from school, connexions, IASS, independent advocate, and parents) to enable participation in those decisions.

The number of places on Post 16/19 courses can be limited, which means that it may not always be possible to allocate you a place at your preferred school or college. Being offered a place will also depend on the course you are applying for, the settings criteria for a place and your GCSE results/qualifications. As places can be limited, we recommend a minimum of 3 preferences are given on the preference form. 

• We must name your preferred choice of post 16/19 setting in the EHCP unless:
  • the placement is unsuitable to your age, ability, aptitude or additional needs, or
     
  • the placement would be incompatible with the efficient education of the other young people with whom you would be educated, or
     
  • the placement would be incompatible with the efficient use of resources. 

You can speak directly to your SEND officer if you need support who will be able to help you and/OR contact IASS www.wolvesiass.org