Who is the 5 day offer for?
The “Five Day Offer” is a supportive framework which focuses on young people aged 16+ (with a learning disability) who are leaving full time education. It helps them to develop links around further learning, independent living skills, volunteering, paid work and leisure in their local community.
You will typically have had an Education, Health and Care plan
- Will have a recognised learning disability
What is the 5 day offer?
The purpose of the 5 day offer in Peterborough is to help prepare you to make a successful transition to adulthood.
Through primary and into secondary school you have been used to doing something every day, Monday to Friday. As you move on to college and 6th form you might find that most further education and post 16 courses are offered over 3 days.
The 5 day offer is a package of provision and support across education, health and care that can be put together to meet your needs to cover up to 5 days a week. The 5 days do not have to be at one provider and can include time in different settings and with different providers and include a range of activities to compliment the education outlined within your education health and care plan EHCP.
There is no requirement to have a 5 day offer and some young people are able to structure their week to build in their existing hobbies, interests, part-time work or volunteering or are able to undertake coursework and homework independently or with other students outside of lessons, as well as socialising with their college or 6th form peers with the education environment.
The package, which does not need to include study towards formal qualifications, can include activities such as:
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volunteering or community participation
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work experience
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independent travel training
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skills for living in semi-supported or independent accommodation
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training to develop and maintain friendships
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access to local facilities
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physiotherapy
These activities can tie in with vocational studies, for example, volunteering in a work area you are studying or be different and linked to your hobbies or interests.
What can it cover?
The 5 day offer in Peterborough can be built around your existing post 16 education; for example courses delivered at our 3 colleges
- City College Peterborough
- Peterborough College
- Stamford College
How to put a 5 day offer together
From year 9 onwards at the annual review of your EHCP the four preparing for adulthood themes will be discussed and focus on the outcomes you want to achieve under each heading:
- Employment and education
- Friends, Relationships and Community
- Independent Living
- Good Health
Once you have had an offer of a place or started at college or 6th form; you will have an idea of your typical week at college and what days you will do which lessons and any work experience or placements. There will be things in your EHCP that you would like to do/achieve.
Step One
First have a discussion with tutor/EHCP coordinator and build up a typical week taking your college time table as starting point, then think about what else you would like to do. Write out a timetable for the week and add activities you are doing for each day.
Step Two
Identify opportunities from a range of sources – this can be existing websites, or through a discussion with your family or others who know you well. You can then add these to your typical week.
You don’t have to do activities across all 5 days and can put together a timetable for 4 days, as the 5 day offer can be up to 5 days. It is also okay to plan in some time with your friends or family or individual study.
Step Three
You might find that something you really want to do (for example swimming or sailing) is only available on a day you are timetabled to be at college. Sometimes college can swap days so talk to your tutor about swapping college sessions if there is only 1 day when an activity is on offer.
Where to find opportunities
There are lots of places to find out about opportunities to include in your 5 day offer.
Get Yourself Active is a national programme which aims to find ways for disabled people to get active in their local area. It is run nationally and supported by Inspire Peterborough and Disability Peterborough. Click on the blue links below to go to the websites to find lots of information about local sporting activities.
You can also put disability peterborough into the keyword search box on the top of any of the Local Offer pages, to find a list of things to do. Here are a few examples:
Riding for the Disabled
Peterborough Disabled Angling Academy
English Federation of Disability Sport (EFDS)
Peterborough Sailability
Disability Sports Programme - Peterborough Adapted Cycling Scheme
Access to Work grant scheme
Access to Work is a government grant scheme which supports disabled people in work. Access to Work might pay for:
- a British Sign Language interpreter
- specialist equipment
- extra transport costs, such as a taxi where no public transport is available
Access to Work can also pay for assessments to see what you need at work. You can apply for Access to Work up to 6 weeks before you start work.
Find lots more information on the SCOPE website
Money and claiming benefits as a young adult
Young people may be able to claim benefits as they become adults. For some benefits this might be when young people are 16 or 17 and for others it may be at age 18. You can find out more about universal credit, other benefits and where to get advice and support in the money section on our Preparing for Adulthood - Independent Living (Local Offer) | Peterborough Information Network page and on the Adults Welfare Benefits page.