FEATURE: SEND
Beyond attendance and grades: what does success look like for young people with SEND?
ANTHONY THOMPSON, Founder and CEO of Navigators, shares his insights with Education Today.
For young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), success cannot be defined by attendance and exam results. It should reflect the progress they make in becoming more independent, managing themselves and preparing for adult life.
Recent debate around school absence has shown how hardline policies can overlook why a young person has disengaged. Unmet SEND needs, poor mental health or difficult circumstances at home can all affect their ability to participate in learning.
If we are serious about
inclusion, we need to look beyond the figures and consider what success means for each individual and their parent/carer.
Success should be measured against outcomes that reflect a young person’s needs, starting point and aspirations. This could mean learning to regulate their emotions, travelling independently, preparing for employment or gaining a qualification.
Navigators is an alternative education provider supporting children and young people across Greater Manchester. Its specialist 121 Post- 16 programme works with young people aged 16 to 25 who have an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) and need an alternative pathway to mainstream college or an apprenticeship.
The outcomes identified in a personalised EHCP often go far beyond qualifications. Understanding what success looks like requires close work with the learner and their family.
For one learner, the next milestone might be securing Functional Skills in maths and English. For another, it could be completing a Passport to Work course, communicating confidently with somebody new or making a journey alone.
Grades cannot capture all the progress a learner with SEND may be making. Focusing on them too heavily can draw attention away from the development that is most important to that young person.
Travel training is a good example - while taking a tram independently may look straightforward, it involves decisions that some young people find overwhelming.
There are many things to remember including buying a ticket, , finding the correct platform and deciding where to sit or stand. If the tram is busy, they may need to ask whether a seat is taken and manage the noise. They must also recognise their stop and know when to get off.
Completing that journey alone may take time and carefully supported practice, but the outcome can lead to a learner becoming more confident and able to solve problems without immediate help. Independent travel can then open up access to college, employment and the wider community, making it an important part of preparing for adulthood.
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Alternative provision can give young people the individual support they need to reconnect with education through trusted relationships and learning linked to their interests. The experiences of two Navigators students, whose names have been changed to protect their identities, show what this can mean in practice.
Sarah joined Navigators after finding mainstream education extremely challenging. She was a young carer for her father, who had experienced severe mental health difficulties, and was managing considerable responsibilities at home.
The initial priority was to build a strong relationship with her mentor and support her wellbeing. As Sarah became more settled, she began working with others and grew in confidence. She achieved Functional Skills Level 1 in English and maths, alongside several AQA Unit Awards, before progressing to a Level 1 Hair and Make-up Diploma.
Roman, another Navigators student, took a different route. He completed practical tasks that enabled him to gain a Construction Skills Certification Scheme qualification, showing that he had the knowledge needed to work safely in the construction industry. This helped him move into an apprenticeship.
Their qualifications were part of their progress, but by no means the full story, and both students developed the confidence and practical abilities needed to take their next steps. Both of these students, without personalised intervention, which was considered with tailored progress with detailed success and outcome milestones would have otherwise been classified as NEET, another statistic and another young person not getting the life they deserve.
Recognising different forms of achievement does not mean expecting less from young people with SEND – it means accepting that there is more than one route to a positive future.
When schools are judged mainly on attendance and academic outcomes, the circumstances behind those figures can be lost. A learner whose needs are not being met may be treated as an attendance problem rather than a young person who needs a different approach.
Just being in an education setting is not the same as engaging in learning - re-engagement may depend on mentoring, consistent relationships, family support and a curriculum that feels relevant to the young person. These approaches address the reasons for disengagement rather than concentrating only on the resulting absence.
Schools, colleges and alternative provision settings can begin by agreeing with learners and their families what progress should look like. Achievements should be recognised as they happen, while everyone remains honest about where more support is needed. And working alongside parents/carers is key to this with clear, ongoing communication an important part of the process.
Success is not a fixed destination, and no provider has every answer. At Navigators, we know that supporting young people well requires us to keep learning, and that listening to learners, families and staff helps us understand where our practice needs to improve.
Success might mean gaining a qualification, moving into an apprenticeship or returning to learning after a period of disengagement. It might also mean knowing which tram to take and having the confidence to make that journey alone. What matters is that the achievement reflects real progress for that young person and helps them move towards the future they want.
October 2026
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