Preparing for Adulthood

Post-16 Framework

Est. September 2025

College · Warmley Park School & College

Preparing for Adulthood (PfA)

Our Post-16 curriculum is built around the national Preparing for Adulthood framework — supporting every young person to develop the skills, knowledge and confidence they need to lead a fulfilling and independent adult life.

Employment

Developing core workplace skills and vocational pathway support.

Independent Living

Building essential daily life skills to encourage self-reliance.

Community Inclusion

Fostering active participation, relationships, and social confidence.

Good Health

Promoting personal well-being, healthy habits, and self-care advocacy.

Why PfA matters

“Being supported towards greater independence and employability can be life-transforming for children and young people with SEN — and should centre around the child or young person's own aspirations, interests and needs.”

Section 7.37 — SEND Code of Practice

The national framework

The Five Key Messages of the PfA Framework

Personalise your approach

Tailor services and support to the unique strengths, needs, and aspirations of each individual young person.

Develop a shared vision

Build a unified consensus across education, health, social care, and families to support successful adult pathways.

Improve Post-16/19 options and support

Expand and enhance local opportunities for higher education, employment training, independent living, and community participation.

Raise aspirations

Encourage young people to aim high, focusing on their potential for paid work, independent living, and active citizenship.

Plan services together

Co-produce strategic plans and design pathways with joint funding and resources across all key local agencies.

PREPARATION FOR ADULTHOOD

The Four Pillars of PfA

Our structured curriculum empowers young learners with key life skills, active community participation, and supportive guidance for a successful transition to adulthood.

PILLAR 1

Employment and skills for life

PILLAR 2

Independent Living and advocacy

PILLAR 3

Community Inclusion and contribution

PILLAR 4

Health and wellbeing

PfA Outcomes

What are PfA outcomes?

“An outcome is the benefit or difference made to an individual as a result of an intervention.”

Section 9.66 — SEND Code of Practice

How Outcomes are Used

Support development of creative and meaningful ways to progress
Be a positive starting point focusing on what is possible
Support setting of long and medium-term outcomes with clear pathways
Be applied or adapted at any age with flexible guidance
Support an individualised approach tailored to unique needs

Measuring success

As a school, how will we know we are successful?

Our PfA provision is shaped by national guidance, ensuring our benchmarks represent the highest quality of preparation. Through clear markers of success, we consistently measure and refine our paths to guarantee meaningful independent futures.

1. The school will have a culture of high aspirations for all children and young people with SEND.
2. The school's strategic vision clearly prioritizes preparation for adulthood across all year groups.
3. School leadership ensures curriculum pathways and planning support long-term goals.
4. School leaders promote effective strategies for independence and transition success.
5. The school critically analyses destination patterns to guide future opportunities.
6. The school works closely with key partners to ensure smooth transitions post-16.
7. The school critically analyses and reflects on the views of pupils and families to continuously improve.

Full curriculum document

Download our Post-16 PfA Framework

Warmley Park School and College — Curriculum Provision Post-16 — September 2025 · PDF

Preparation for Adulthood (PfA)

Our Post-16 curriculum offer embraces the five key messages and four pillars of the national PfA framework as outlined by the National Development Team for Inclusion (NDTI). For more information visit ndti.org.uk.

The PfA Outcomes used in our curriculum are developed with guidance from the Durham County Council PfA Outcomes Toolkit.