Navigating the Post-16 Pathway in Wales

🎓 Navigating the Post-16 Pathway in Wales: What Every Parent and Carer Needs to Know (and How the New LWL Toolkit Can Help)

Introduction: The Post-16 Cliff Edge

For many families across Wales, the transition from school to post-16 education can feel like taking a leap of faith. Support carefully built through the Additional Learning Needs (ALN) system can suddenly change or disappear once a young person turns 16.

From delays in college assessments to uncertainty about Individual Development Plans (IDPs), parents and carers often find themselves lost between education, health, and social-care responsibilities.

Learn Without Limits CIC understands this struggle — and our December App Release (v5.0) will include a brand-new Post-16 Parent/Carer Toolkit designed to make this journey clearer, calmer, and fairer.

The Changing Landscape: ALN Code 2021 and Post-16 Responsibilities

The ALN Code for Wales 2021 reshaped how post-16 learners are supported, replacing Statements and Learning and Skills Plans with a single, unified Individual Development Plan (IDP) that continues from school into further education.

Under the Additional Learning Needs and Education Tribunal (Wales) Act 2018, local authorities now retain a duty to ensure continuity of support. However, implementation has varied across Wales, leaving many families unsure who is responsible once their child leaves school.

Key facts for parents:

Colleges must identify ALN and collaborate with the local authority where necessary.
Local authorities must not cease an IDP simply because a young person moves to further education.
Every learner is entitled to an appropriate education — whether in college, through EOTAS (Education Otherwise Than at School), or specialist provision.
Decisions should always be person-centered and evidence-based.

(Keywords: ALN support in Wales, SEND reforms Wales, ALN Code 2021, inclusive education Wales)

Common Barriers Families Face

Even with new legislation, the path can be difficult. Our research and community feedback highlight several recurring challenges:

Late or missing transition planning between school and college.
Confusion over IDP transfer - families told support “ends” at 16 (it doesn’t).
Inconsistent communication between school ALNCOs, local authorities, and FE colleges.
Gaps in wellbeing and transport provision once college begins.
Limited awareness of post-16 entitlements within health and social-care teams.

How the December Toolkit Helps

The upcoming Parent/Carer Post-16 Toolkit, launching inside the Learn Without Limits App this December, has been built specifically to fill these gaps.

What’s inside the Toolkit:

🧭 Step-by-step checklists for Year 10–11 transition reviews and college planning.
📝 Printable templates and model emails — for requesting post-16 IDP reviews, transport assessments, and reasonable adjustments.
💬 Case studies showing how families successfully navigated post-16 transitions across Wales.
⚖️ Legal references from the ALN Code 2021 and Education Tribunal decisions.
🤝 Directory of Welsh agencies supporting disabled young adults into education or work — including Careers Wales, ITEC, Communities for Work+, and local authority transition teams.

(Internal link prompts: “Download the Parent/Carer Post-16 Toolkit” | “Explore our App features” | “Join the LWL Facebook community”)

Why This Matters

The transition to adulthood should be a time of growth — not anxiety.
Our goal is simple: to empower parents with the information and templates they need before problems arise, ensuring that every young person in Wales continues to receive the support they deserve.

“Every young person deserves a plan that grows with them — not one that ends at 16.”

By combining lived experience with deep knowledge of Welsh ALN law, Learn Without Limits CIC is helping families replace uncertainty with confidence.

Call to Action

✨ Be the first to access the new Parent/Carer Post-16 Toolkit
The toolkit will be available for free in our December App Release (v5.0).

📲 Visit learnwithoutlimitscic.org
💌 Email: support@learnwithoutlimitscic.org
📣 Join our community: Facebook – Learn Without Limits CIC (Wales)

We’d love to hear your experiences navigating post-16 education — share your story or subscribe for updates on ALN and SEND developments in Wales.

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