Prof Noel Purdy OBE, Dr Emilia Symington & Dr Katie Tate, Stranmillis University College, Belfast.
Northern Ireland’s post-19 landscape for learners with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) is characterised by fragmented provision, outdated legislative foundations and persistent gaps between rights, policy intent and lived experience. This presentation brings together learning from three inter-related research projects completed over the past year by the Centre for Research in Educational Underachievement at Stranmillis University College, to present academic findings that are relevant to Assembly deliberations on forthcoming bills relating to disability, higher education (HE) and employment.
The first project – a 2025 comparative review of post-19 SEN legislative frameworks across England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland – revealed the extent to which Northern Ireland remains an outlier in this area. Northern Ireland continues to rely on legislation predating both devolution and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), while the other examined jurisdictions have modernised legal frameworks and embedded rights-based principles. Findings from the review directly informed the 2025 Department for the Economy (DfE) review of post-school provision.
The second project was a DfE-funded feasibility study of Trinity College Dublin’s Centre for People with Intellectual Disabilities, which culminated in the April 2025 Pathways to Inclusion Report. The study synthesised national and international evidence, alongside stakeholder consultation to examine the viability of inclusive HE in Northern Ireland. Findings demonstrated how structured, rights-based approaches to post-compulsory education can enhance life chances for learners with intellectual disabilities, while highlighting the importance of clear statutory duties, cross-departmental accountability and sustained policy commitment.
The third project – the Epic Futures Transform Project – employed a mixed-methods design to explore transitions from education to employment for young people with SEND in Northern Ireland. Drawing on the perspectives of young people, families, educators, employers and officials, the project reported in December 2025, identifying systemic barriers, including inconsistent statutory duties, weak accountability mechanisms and limited routes to redress, which undermine the realisation of rights in practice.
The presentation provides valuable insights based on the noted three academic projects, seeking to support Assembly scrutiny.
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Policy Briefing
Presentation