Preparing for Adulthood - Columbus Advisors

Paul and Lee are the school's 'Preparing for Adulthood advisors'. They play a vital role in supporting students and their families during their academic journey. By attending key transition meetings, Paul and Lee ensure that students receive the necessary information and assistance.

One of the main focuses of their role is to help families understand the local offer. They provide guidance on accessing various educational providers, day centres, and supported employment opportunities. Paul and Lee's expertise helps students and their families make informed decisions about future pathways.

With their professional approach, Paul and Lee offer invaluable support in navigating the complex landscape of post-school options. They are dedicated to ensuring that every student receives the guidance they need to transition smoothly into adulthood. Please see the SEND Careers & Advice Service for more information.

• As part of the EHCP meeting, we address students' and parents/carers' aspirations when planning their transition from Year 9 onwards, which marks the end of Key Stage 3. In Years 12, 13, and 14, we delve deeper into the post-Columbus options during a meeting that includes the attendance of the school's Preparing for Adulthood advisor. This meeting aims to start building a comprehensive profile of the student's needs and aspirations, while also providing parents and students with valuable information about the available options.

• The area of Enterprise and work related skills in the Destinations curriculum has been developed and broadened in order to meet the needs of a continually changing cohort of 14-19 students. These include the set up and running of a College Café, clothes shop, making and selling enterprise items, making money grow, upkeep of school environments, clothes swap, and upcycling. These activities have been specifically designed so that every student can take part in practising the skills needed in the workplace as well as when making independent decisions and encountering new experiences and communicating with different people.

• The Columbus Transitions event is highly popular and attracts a large number of attendees, including external providers, students, and their families. This event serves as a platform for research, visits, and informed decision-making regarding available options suitable to individual needs. To encourage parent involvement, we organize regular coffee mornings where key speakers are invited to address important topics. Furthermore, we actively accommodate parental requests whenever possible.

Information, Advice and Guidance (AIG) Advisers work with young people who have a Statement of Special Educational Needs or an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan at key transition stages between the ages of 13 and 25.

The AIG Adviser can provide impartial advice on further education, training and employment to help identify suitable options and pathways. They will be happy to meet parents in a range of settings including at school, college or at home. 

If a young person already has a Learning Difficulty Assessment (LDA) their IAG Adviser will continue to review this and support them if they think the young person needs an EHC plan to ensure they are getting the support needed to aid their progression in achieving their identified goals and aspirations as they prepare for adulthood. If a young person does not have an LDA, their IAG Adviser will carry out an IAG assessment and this will form part of the One Planning process or EHC plan.