Preparing for adulthood outcomes in further education

Preparing for adulthood is the reason post-16 education for young people with SEND exists. The goal is not another year in college; it is a life the young person chooses, with work or study, a home, friends and good health. Chapter 8 of the SEND Code of Practice puts this at the centre of planning from year 9 onward. This guide explains the four outcomes, how to write outcomes that mean something, and how colleges can build them into study programmes, support plans and reviews.

It explains duties and good practice, not legal advice.

What are the preparing for adulthood outcomes?

Chapter 8 of the SEND Code of Practice describes four areas where support should help young people achieve good adult outcomes:

See preparing for adulthood in the glossary.

When must preparing for adulthood be included in an EHC plan?

From year 9. Two regulations make this a legal requirement, not just good practice:

• Regulation 12(3) of the SEND Regulations 2014: where a young person is in year 9 or above, the plan must include, within the special educational, health and social care provision, provision to assist in preparation for adulthood and independent living.
• Regulation 20(6): when a young person is in or beyond year 9, the review meeting must consider what provision is required to help them prepare for adulthood and independent living.

For every post-16 learner with an EHC plan, then, preparing for adulthood should be visible in both the outcomes (section E) and the provision (sections F, G and H). See EHCP annual reviews post-16.

Does preparing for adulthood apply to learners without an EHC plan?

Yes, as good practice. The legal requirements above relate to EHC plans, but the Code expects colleges to build study programmes around adult outcomes for learners with SEND more generally. Most learners with SEND in colleges are on SEN support, and the four outcome areas are just as useful for their support plans.

How do you write a good preparing for adulthood outcome?

A good outcome describes a meaningful change in the young person’s life, in words they recognise, that you can check. A practical test is whether the young person, their tutor and a stranger reading the plan would agree when it has been achieved.

Compare these examples. They are fictional.

Good outcomes are:

1. Personal. They come from the young person’s aspirations in section A or from a conversation with them. See person-centred support planning.
2. About life, not the course. “Pass level 1” is a qualification target; “work in a garage” is an aspiration. Use the qualification as a step towards the outcome.
3. Specific and time-bound, usually for the end of the year or key stage, with shorter steps in the support plan.
4. Linked to provision. Each outcome should have provision that makes it more likely.
5. Reviewable. Evidence can be gathered during the year.

How can a college build preparing for adulthood into a study programme?

Start from the young person’s destination and work backwards. Typical components, which colleges combine for each learner:

• Work experience and work placements, with structured feedback.
• Supported internships, a study programme for young people with EHC plans based mainly at an employer, with support from a job coach. DfE publishes guidance on providing supported internships, updated in October 2025.
• Apprenticeships, including adjustments and learning support. See reasonable adjustments for apprentices.
• Independent living skills taught in real settings: shops, kitchens, buses, banks.
• Travel training, often the single biggest step towards work and independence.
• Enrichment and social opportunities, deliberately planned rather than left to chance.
• Health and wellbeing, including understanding one’s own needs and managing appointments.
• Self-advocacy, so the young person can explain what helps them to employers, tutors and services.

English and maths remain part of most study programmes. Frame them around the outcomes, for example budgeting, timetables or reading a job description.

How do the four outcomes fit into reviews?

Use them as a structure for the review conversation, with the young person leading. For each area ask:

• What do you want in this part of your life in a year? In five years?
• What is going well?
• What gets in the way?
• What should we do differently?

Then check each outcome in the plan. Is it still what the young person wants? Is there evidence of progress? Does the provision still match? The support review meeting template and the learner voice question bank can help.

Who else is involved in preparing for adulthood?

Colleges are one part of a wider system. The local authority leads on the EHC plan, social care and, often, transport. Key points for colleges:

• Adult social care. Under section 58 of the Care Act 2014, the local authority must assess a young person who is likely to have care and support needs after turning 18, where the assessment would be of significant benefit and consent conditions are met. Colleges can prompt this when they see a need.
• Health. Moving from children’s to adult health services can disrupt support. Encourage the young person to understand and manage their own health information, with consent.
• Decision-making. From the end of compulsory school age, young people make their own decisions under Part 3 of the Children and Families Act 2014, subject to capacity under the Mental Capacity Act 2005. See Mental Capacity Act.
• Careers guidance, which should be impartial and include supported routes into work.
• The local offer, which should describe services available to young people moving into adulthood. See local offer.

How do you evidence progress towards adult outcomes?

Collect small, regular evidence rather than relying on end-of-year judgements. Useful evidence includes:

• employer feedback from placements or internships
• observation notes from travel training or independent living sessions
• the young person’s own reflections, recorded in their words
• photos or short videos, with consent and appropriate storage
• attendance at enrichment or community activities
• records of support delivered and how often it was needed (a falling need for prompts is progress)

Fictional example: Sara, 19, has a supported internship at a café. Her outcome is to complete a full shift without a job coach present. Her job coach logs the level of prompting each shift. Over 12 weeks it moves from “constant prompts” to “check-in at start and end only”. At her review, this record, her supervisor’s feedback and Sara’s own comment (“I know what to do now”) show clear progress. The team agrees a new outcome: applying for a paid part-time role.

How do outcomes change for learners aged 19 to 25?

For learners aged 19 and over, outcomes need to show clearly what further education or training will achieve and when. Under section 45 of the Children and Families Act 2014, when deciding whether a young person over 18 still needs their EHC plan, the local authority must consider whether the education or training outcomes in the plan have been achieved. That makes well-written outcomes especially important:

• Outcomes should describe the step the learner is working towards, such as paid work, an apprenticeship, a supported internship or more independent living, rather than another year of the same course.
• Progress should be evidenced through the year, so it is clear whether more time in education is the right route.
• Planning should include what happens next, including adult social care and health, well before the plan ends.

A learner who is still progressing towards ambitious outcomes has a clear case for continuing. A learner repeating similar courses without clear progress needs a different plan, not just a longer one.

What are common pitfalls?

• Outcomes about the course rather than life, such as “complete the entry level 3 course”.
• The same outcome every year, with no evidence of progress.
• Low expectations. Paid work, independent travel and friendships are realistic goals for many more young people than plans assume.
• Health and social participation forgotten, with plans focused only on employment.
• No link to provision, so nobody is responsible for making progress happen.
• The young person absent from deciding what their own adult life should look like.

How does Inclusion Studio support preparing for adulthood planning?

Inclusion Studio is learner support software in development for England FE colleges and apprenticeship providers. It is at pre-pilot stage with a clickable prototype using fictional learners. It is designed to capture learner voice in the young person’s own words, link agreed support to outcomes in a support plan, and run reviews that ask whether support helped and record whether it was kept, changed or stopped. Apprenticeship employer collaboration shows employers only the workplace adjustments and their own actions. The provider remains responsible for planning and delivery.