Education and Training Post 16

On this page you can find out about the opportunities available to you when you leave school. Whether you want to continue learning or start training, you can find information here.​

Young people aged 16 and 17 are under a duty to continue in education or training until the young person’s 18th birthday. The statutory duty does not extend until the end of the academic year in which the young person turns 18. Young people should however be encouraged to complete the education or training they are undertaking beyond their 18th birthday. Local authorities have a duty to make available to all young people aged 13-19 and to those between 20 and 25 with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), who have an Education, Health and care (EHC) plan, support that will encourage, enable or assist them to participate in education or training.

All schools will be involved in arranging the annual reviews of EHC plans and statements of SEN, and support the aims of the review. Schools should support all pupils with SEND (both those with statements or EHC plans and those without) to make as successful a transition as possible into post-16 education or training. Schools should work with post-16 providers and pass on information about each young person’s needs so that the post-16 provider can put appropriate support in place from the start. The right support will help the young person to remain in education or training.

All careers guidance should have regard to the needs of those with SEND that may in some cases be different or additional to the needs of others.
Local authorities should also provide targeted support to children and young people with SEND, who are significantly less likely to participate than their peers without SEND, to enable them to participate. Where children and young people have an EHC plan, local authorities have a duty to ensure that the annual review of the EHC plan from Year 9 onwards includes a focus on preparing for adult life, including employment. This review should be focused on the child or young person’s needs and aspirations, and include discussion about the next steps after school, and a pathway into further or higher education or employment.

Students are responsible for submitting applications to post-16 institutions. Parents or Carers of children and young people with SEND are advised to contact  their child’s school to discuss applications for post-16 study as early as possible when their child joins Year 11.

Information about post-16 learning in Newham is available here.

You can find out more information from:

• Our Guide to courses in Newham for 16 to 18 year-olds
• Your school careers adviser
• Our Post-16 education team or transition team if you have an education, health and care (EHC) plan
• College websites – to find out about colleges in Newham and elsewhere, go to the UCAS website  
• The Government's list of independent special schools and post 16 institutions in England and Wales
• Colleges
• Providers of work-based learning.