About Finished at School

Finished at School banner

Finished at School is a national campaign which aims to secure more and better educational options for all young people with autism aged 16 – 25 to enable them to develop skills, gain employment, live more independently and ultimately to live the life they choose.

Boy uses visual timetable in classroomWhy have we launched Finished at School?

Just 1 in 4 young people with autism access any form of education once they have finished at school and we believe this is unacceptable and needs to change.

With their education effectively finishing as they leave school, many young people with autism enter long-term residential settings and live alongside people three times their age. This destroys their life chances and often means they are dependent on benefits and care for the rest of their lives.

While there are some examples of excellent education provision for young people with autism who are over 16, these are few and far between. The vast majority of colleges want to support young people with learning difficulties and disabilities – the problem is that the current system creates barriers to this.

What are we looking to achieve?

Ambitious about Autism is calling for young people, parents, professionals, schools, colleges and policy makers to sign up to support our campaign which is calling for:

  • A clear legal right to educational support up to the age of 25 for young disabled people;
  • A funding system that gives young people and families more information, choice and support;
  • A cross-government focus on outcomes and destinations for young disabled people; and
  • A further education workforce with the skills to support young people with autism to achieve their ambitions.

How you can get involved

Read the Finished at School report

 

Download the Finished at School report (PDF 1,944KB)

Download the Finished at School summary report (PDF 485KB)

Campaign launch

The campaign was officially launched on Monday 17 October 2011 at the House of Commons. Over 100 guests made up of MPs, Peers, sector partners and young people with autism came together to launch the campaign. Speakers at the event included our host Robert Buckland MP; Minister Sarah Teather; Ambitious about Autism Chief Executive, Jolanta Lasota; Steven Philp, a young man with autism who talked of his success at college; and Barbara Titmus from Weston College, the college that Steven attends. You can see photos from the event on our Flickr page:

Childrens Minister Edward Timpson responds to campaign supporters

Minister for Children Edward Timpson MP responded to emails from Finished at School campaign supporters, setting out what more he will do to create support for young people aged 19-25 through the Children and Families Bill.

Want to know more?

If you have any questions or want to find out more about the Finished at School campaign, please email supportfas@ambitiousaboutautism.org.uk