Why summer matters for young people with SEND when preparing for adulthood!
For many families of young people with SEND, the summer holidays can feel incredibly long.
Routines change overnight, support services often reduce, and opportunities can become limited. Parents and carers frequently find themselves trying to balance work, childcare and maintaining structure for their young person.
But there is another question worth asking.
If adulthood doesn’t stop for six weeks every summer, should preparing for adulthood?
School holidays don’t reflect adult life
Once a young person leaves education, the world looks very different.
Employers don’t close for six weeks | Supported employment doesn’t pause until September | Volunteering continues | Communities remain active | Life carries on.
Yet many young people with SEND experience a significant reduction in meaningful opportunities throughout the summer months, despite these being valuable weeks for developing confidence, independence and employability.
Preparing for adulthood happens everywhere
Preparing for adulthood isn’t something that only happens in classrooms. Some of the most valuable learning takes place through real-life experiences.
This might include:
- Volunteering in the local community
- Work experience
- Supported internships and employment-related activities
- Independent travel
- Managing money
- Shopping
- Meeting friends independently
- Learning new hobbies
- Building confidence in unfamiliar environments
These experiences develop the skills that employers value and help young people prepare for adult life.
Summer offers opportunities that school sometimes can’t
Without the timetable of the academic year, summer can create space for different kinds of learning.
A young person might:
- Spend time with an employer
- Develop workplace routines
- Build confidence travelling independently
- Volunteer for a local charity
- Gain experience in hospitality, retail or community organisations
- Learn through doing rather than sitting in a classroom
For some young people, these experiences are every bit as important as academic learning.
We should think differently about summer
This isn’t about removing holidays. Everyone deserves time to rest!
It’s about recognising that six weeks can be a long time for skills, confidence and routines to pause, particularly for young people who benefit from structure and consistent opportunities.
Imagine if every young person with SEND had access to meaningful summer opportunities that reflected their aspirations.
Work experience | Volunteering | Community projects | Employer visits | Travel training | Independent living activities
Not because they have to, but because these experiences help prepare them for the future they want.
Looking ahead
Preparing for adulthood is a journey that doesn’t begin at the end of school, and it shouldn’t be something that pauses every summer.
When we think creatively about how young people spend these weeks, we create more opportunities to build confidence, independence and aspirations.
Because preparing for adulthood isn’t just about education. It’s about preparing for life.
At Future Ready SEND, we believe every young person deserves opportunities that help them build a future around their strengths, aspirations and potential.
References and Further Reading
- SEND Code of Practice: 0 to 25 years (2015)
- Children and Families Act 2014
- Council for Disabled Children
- Preparing for Adulthood Programme (NDTi)
- DfE Careers Guidance and Access for Education and Training Providers
- Gatsby Benchmarks
- BASE (British Association for Supported Employment)
- DFN Project SEARCH
- Summer learning loss
