To ask the Minister of Education (i) to detail any concerns raised with him by parents and schools in relation to education provision for those over 18 years old with special educational needs; and (ii) for his assessment of enabling special schools as a setting for education and training for those up to 25 years old.

The issue of both post-16 and post-19 transitions for young people with statement of special educational needs has been a focus of a specific workstream under the End-to-End Review of SEN.

As my officials have progressed this work, I have been made aware, by both young people, their families and school leaders, of the concerns and challenges in regard to ‘leaving school’ and the lack of appropriate supportive pathways,

Legislative responsibility to provide for young people beyond the age of 19 falls outside the direct remit of the Department of Education (DE). This is set out within The Education (Northern Ireland) Order 1996, Part II, Article 3, which states that for the purposes of the provision of special education a ‘child’ is defined as ‘a person who attains the age of 19 years at any time during a school year at any school shall be deemed not to have attained that age until the day after the end of that school year.’

Within the Special Educational Needs/Disability (SEND) Act 2016 there are provisions which specify that both the Education Authority (EA) and Health and Social Services Authority must ‘co-operate in the preparation of a transition plan’ for pupils with a statement of SEN and this will set out any arrangements appropriate to help facilitate a satisfactory transition from childhood to adulthood.

The scope of a transition plan also falls across the remit of the Department for Communities (DfC) and the Department for the Economy (DfE) and my officials are working with colleagues across these departments to inform and shape any required legislation and policy development in this area.