It’s hard to pigeonhole our sector into a singular, narrow definition because specialist FE exists for many purposes. But let’s be clear: specialist FE is not predicated on a deficit model. We’re not a symptom of a failing system. We exist because our young people need our skills and expertise to thrive.
During this Power of Specialist FE Week, we celebrate the breadth and depth of our wonderful sector and its power within an inclusive education system.
Our colleges are the opportunity for young people to translate their schooling into life skills and capabilities for their future. In this sense, specialist FE is the same as the wider FE sector. We all want our young people to have a sustainable place in society. What will help our learners sustain their future will look different, but the ultimate goals are aligned. For some, the key to their next steps will be a suite of qualifications; for others, the confidence and self-advocacy needed for a job interview with unfamiliar people; and for some the ability to indicate preference in their care and support. The FE sector is already highly collaborative and successfully inclusive. Ninety per cent of learners with EHCPs are already in a mainstream FE setting, with Specialist FE meeting the needs of the remaining students who require our specialisms.
Specialist FE is often the most positive and transformative period in a young person’s educational journey. We know that many have faced a challenging route through their education, where support has only been accessed by first proving current provision was demonstrably notworking. We unlock our learner’s education, transforming this complex history by delivering highly inclusive, specialised support, creating life-changing results.
This Power of Specialist FE campaign celebrates our sector and its power to secure greater recognition and parity of esteem in policy reform so we can continue delivering long-term, meaningful outcomes for our learners.
Despite our demonstrated success and efficiency, our ability to maintain this vital provision is hampered by an absence of recognition by policymakers. Our young people’s education is entirely publicly funded but we are treated differently from colleges in the statutory FE sector, viewed as independent or exclusive, creating systemic barriers to equitable investment and funding.
Our settings are wonderfully unique. We have colleges that operate multiple sites across large metropolitan cities, small single sites with highly adapted buildings, colleges who operate almost entirely within local business environments and large residential settings with onsite nursing and therapies.
Some are run by charities, others are community interest companies and some have origins as schools or adult social care provision. These unique estates and structures need to be recognised and understood in funding decisions to ensure their uniqueness can thrive and meet the needs of their learners. One-size-fits-all doesn’t work for our young people and it won’t work for specialist FE.
The final, most important chapter in this story is the people who make specialist FE the magical and transformative world it is. The work we ask our staff to do is often challenging. Teaching and supporting young people with complex needs, highly individualised communication and at times much shorter life expectancy requires exceptional talent and passion. But all across the country, our skilled, determined staff make a difference to the lives of our learners every day. We need a governmental strategy to support recruitment and retention in our sector and address the pay disparity in specialist FE. Policymakers must also stop talking about care and support roles as ‘low skilled’ – they are far from that, and the term is often an analogy for low pay. The depth of expertise and passion in our teams ensures we deliver on the highest aspirations, whatever the complexity. This is the life blood of the sector and to every single person in it, I say thank you.
The specialist FE sector consistently delivers high-impact, life-changing outcomes. It is a vital contributor to social inclusion and economic opportunity. We’re calling on the government to recognise the power of Specialist FE. This week I want to celebrate it and say how grateful I am to get to be a part of it. Together we unlock education, we transform lives and we create lasting impact.
Your thoughts