3 December 2024
This month marks Disability History Month, and celebrates the achievements of people with disabilities in colleges and workplaces. The theme this year is ‘Disability, livelihood and employment’ which is something that schools for children with special needs take very seriously. Whether mainstream or special, no school wants to see a child leave without a place in further education or employment.
In the last decade there has been a huge increase in the numbers of disabled people in employment, with the exception of the pandemic year 2020, which saw the disability gap increase. However, disabled people, especially those with autism, learning differences and mental health needs, continue to experience prejudice when seeking work. To address this, many schools are developing creative and resourceful 16+ provision to give SEND pupils the best chances of employment and independence – both of which play a huge part in self-esteem.
When choosing a school for a child with SEN, look closely at the sixth form courses. Imaginative vocational courses are popular with children who may find traditional academic subjects challenging. BTECS balance practical and classroom learning and use a modular structure, both exams and coursework, and BTEC results can be translated into UCAS points for university applications. At Muntham House School, children can choose e-sports BTEC level 3, which studies computer gaming, and is supported by British Esports – an ideal option for students interested in a career in the burgeoning international world of online gaming. If your child is more of an outdoor lover, St David’s College, in Llandudno, offers animal science (BTEC) which trains pupils to look after animals, build enclosures and study genetics. The course includes practical placements, such as with the Royal Welsh Kashmiri goats, which graze locally.
Some schools we have visited have a dedicated employment officer, who sources and organises work placements to maximise an individual pupil’s strengths. LVS Oxford, a secondary school for autism, has a vibrant programme of internships and work placements woven into the 16+ curriculum. We met students working at Blenheim Palace, Soho Farmhouse and Raymond Blanc’s Le Manoir as well as at local nurseries. Job coaches often accompany and support the pupils on the placement. Some pupils have gone on to be offered full time jobs after they leave the school.
One school we visited had set the lead by offering jobs to former pupils, as classroom assistants or in the estates department. ‘If we are asking employers to take our students, we should be willing to do it too’, said the Zoe Baines, interim head of Slated Row School for moderate learning needs and complex conditions. The school timetables employability as a subject and has set up its own office space to learn business skills, taking equipment orders, filing and copying. Customer-facing skills are polished in the school shop and café or gardening skills in the grounds and polytunnel. We met a handful of young entrepreneurs selling their wonderful (no-alcohol) scrumpy. They had picked apples from the school tree and liaised with a local farm for pressing and bottling before promoting the juice at the school shop.
For further information about individual schools’ 16+ options, see the GSG SEN reviews or UKDHN’s resource sheets for students.
Image credit: LVS Oxford