DfE Urges FE Colleges to Partner with Specialist SEND Providers

The Department for Education (DfE) has advised further education (FE) colleges to establish partnerships with specialist colleges to maximise the impact of Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) funding. This guidance emphasises that specialist providers possess valuable expertise in supporting learners with complex needs, which mainstream FE institutions can draw upon when planning provision and allocating resources. Effective collaboration between mainstream and specialist FE providers could help ensure that high needs funding reaches the young people who require it most, whilst raising standards of specialist support across the post-16 sector. For local authorities acting as commissioners, this approach may offer a pathway to improving sufficiency of provision and securing better value from SEND budgets. Lead Members with responsibility for education and SEND will need to consider how strategic partnerships between local FE colleges and specialist institutions can be facilitated. This development highlights the ongoing challenge of ensuring young people with Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) receive appropriate support as they move beyond compulsory schooling, and the importance of oversight in how SEND cash is deployed to achieve positive outcomes.