Celebrating neurodiversity: findings from an evaluation of ELATT’s learner support

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17 Mar 2025

Lorraine Lanceley, Senior Research Fellow

As we have now entered Neurodiversity Celebration Week, it’s a perfect time to highlight IES’s evaluation findings of learner support at ELATT, funded by Youth Futures Foundation. ELATT received a grant from Youth Futures Foundation to provide wrap-around learner support to learners aged 16–24 in 2021 to 2022 and 2022 to 2023, with the evaluation by IES spanning this period through to mid-2024.

ELATT, previously known as East London Advanced Technology Training, is an education and training charity offering sixth form provision and adult learning. The sixth form provision is delivered at ELATT’s centre in Haggerston, Hackney, offering personalised, flexible learning to young people with additional and special educational needs. The sixth form offer includes IT technical and vocational qualifications, maths, English, and English for speakers of other languages (ESOL). Most IT technical and vocational sixth form learners were on Level 2 (47%) or Level 3 courses (41%), and over half (59%) were neurodivergent, disabled or had a health condition (in 2021 to 2022 and 2022 to 2023).

Why is good learner support so important?

Without the right support, people with special educational needs and disabilities are at risk of not being in education, employment, or training (NEET). Data from the 2023 Annual Population Survey shows 10.6% of people aged 16 to 24 with learning difficulties or autism were NEET. Research commissioned by Youth Futures Foundation concluded that experiencing multiple risk factors is linked to a cumulative increase in the likelihood of a young person becoming NEET. Furthermore, NEET rates are increasing, with 13% of all people aged 16 to 24 NEET in July to September 2024, a problem the current Labour government are seeking to address with plans proposed in the 2024 Get Britain Working white paper.

ELATT’s learner support model

The overall approach to learning support reflects ELATT’s strategic objective to “teach the skills they need, delivered in the ways they need, with the support they need.” The sixth form learner support model is interesting for several reasons. Firstly, they offer continuous enrolment throughout the academic year. This means learners don’t need to wait for a new term or new academic year to join ELATT’s sixth form. ELATT staff explained that this appeals to families of young people with special educational needs who have withdrawn from other learning providers part-way through the academic year, and how important this is to minimise the length of time out of education.

Secondly, ELATT have a flexible approach to learning and attendance, particularly during periods of physical or mental ill-health. This enabled learners to stay engaged in their learning and re-engage fully when able. This is in-part facilitated by some learners having education and health care plans, which enables them to stay in education up to age 25 if needed. However, the flexibility appeared to be instrumental in maintaining engagement in education during challenging times, with few learners (7%) disengaging from all their courses. One young autistic person we interviewed explained how they were able to be on a reduced timetable and receive support from the educational psychologist during a period of high anxiety, which enabled them to stay engaged with their course and increase their timetable later when they were able to cope again. This is particularly important given the link between anxiety and autism and other types of neurodiversity.

The support package available to ELATT’s sixth form learners is both comprehensive and embedded within daily college life. Learners are supported by a wide range of staff in addition to their teachers and teaching assistants, including an emotional literacy support assistant (ELSA), keyworkers, an employability adviser, a Speech and Language Therapist (SaLT), and an educational psychologist. The support is provided at the centre in Haggerston whether it is from ELATT employees or bought-in provision. From a young person’s perspective, this means they can access the support in a familiar environment, where additional support is normalised not stigmatised. Some neurodiverse learners explained during research interviews how they found it easier to ask for and receive support at ELATT compared with previous schools and colleges. For example, one explained how they had weekly additional learning support (ALS) from their teacher, found out about college open days from the employability adviser, and that the keyworker would check in with them from time-to-time to see how they were getting on. This individual did move onto another FE college but decided to return to ELATT for a Level 3 course, as they felt support wasn’t as readily available at the other college.

ELATT also offers a small learning environment compared with many mainstream further education providers, with class sizes of up to 12 students, and utilising ‘volunteer’ teaching assistants to enable high staff to learner ratios. In addition, learners can access up to six-months support after leaving ELATT, to help them successfully transition into the next stage of their education or employment journey.

Lastly, ELATT staff work hard to adapt the support offer to meet the needs of learners each year, rather than maintain a fixed model of support. For example, during the evaluation period educational anxiety was more prevalent than in previous years. Consequently, ELATT decided to use Youth Futures and other funding to ‘buy-in’ an educational psychologist who supported both teachers and learners. ELATT staff reported having 100% attendance for English and maths exams in 2021 to 2022 as a direct result of this support. Similarly, the partnerships ELATT develop with local charities and employers change and develop over time, reflecting the needs and interests of their learners. For example, a new partnership that developed during the evaluation period was with an organisation offering barista training for learners with special educational needs.

Celebrating success

Sixth form learners reported many positive outcomes during the evaluation. For example, it was incredibly encouraging to hear ‘increased engagement with education’ and ‘a more positive attitude to learning’ as outcomes commonly reported by sixth form learners during research interviews. In my opinion, these are important and positive outcomes for many learners, particularly in a post-pandemic era where educational anxiety appears to be increasingly prevalent among young people.

Education outcomes were also strong, with data showing 87% of sixth form IT technical and vocational learners completed at least one course and achieved a qualification. The results were based on 82 sixth form IT technical and vocational learners in 2021 to 2022 and 2022 to 2023.Typically, learners were studying one IT technical or vocational course, with personal and social development tutorials, and Level 2 English and maths as needed.

Some learners undertook work experience during their time at ELATT, and one of the case studies we highlighted was of a young autistic woman, Alice (not her real name), who undertook a paid work experience placement. ELATT worked closely with the employer prior to the placement to ensure they understood Alice’s needs and ELATT were able to meet the employer’s request that Alice have a chaperone accompany her on the work placement. After a successful first day, both Alice and the employer were happy for her to complete the placement unaccompanied. Alice described how she enjoyed the work placement, felt brave doing it, and that it motivated her to apply for an internship after she finished her course.

Learner destinations were on the whole education destinations, including returning to ELATT the academic following academic year. Learners could progress up through course levels, and a small number went onto university. I believe ELATT is an excellent example of what can be achieved when the right support and provision is available to neurodivergent learners and those with additional needs.

For the full evaluation report, please see ELATT learner support process study.

For the summary evaluation report, please see ELATT learner support process study summary.

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Any views expressed are those of the author and not necessarily those of the Institute as a whole.