Transition ILP Goals in NSW: Planning from School into Work, TAFE, and Life

The transition from school to adult life is the most consequential — and most underplanned — phase in the NSW disability education system. By the time many families realise that specific transition goals should have been embedded in the ILP from Year 10, the window for proactive planning has already narrowed.

Unlike the US, where IDEA mandates that transition services and measurable post-secondary goals be included in every IEP from age 16 (and some states from 14), NSW has no equivalent statutory trigger for transition planning. The obligation to plan exists — it flows from the DSE 2005 and the personalised learning and support framework — but the timing and quality of that planning is heavily dependent on the individual school's practice.

Here's what transition planning in NSW should look like, what goals to prioritise, and how the NDIS connects.

When Transition Planning Should Begin

The NSW Department of Education's guidelines indicate that transition planning should begin formally in Year 10 — earlier for students with more complex support needs. For students with significant disabilities who will rely on NDIS supports post-school, the planning horizon needs to extend to at least two years before the student's final year.

In practice, many schools initiate transition conversations much later — sometimes not until Year 11 or 12. By that point:

• Subject selection decisions that affect post-school pathways (ATAR vs Life Skills) have already been made
• Applications for NDIS School Leaver Employment Supports (SLES) need to be lodged before the final year
• TAFE NSW disability enrolment processes and planning take time

What parents can do: If your child is in Year 9 or 10 and transition planning has not been raised, request it explicitly at the next ILP meeting. Put it on the agenda in writing.

The Four Major Transition Pathways in NSW

1. HSC with ATAR (University Pathway)

For students who are pursuing mainstream HSC subjects and aiming for university entry. Transition goals focus on:

• Academic skill development needed for independent tertiary study
• HSC disability provisions applications (lodged via Schools Online — the school submits, but parents drive the evidence)
• Connections with university Disability Support Units for early registration
• Self-advocacy skills — being able to communicate your own needs without parental mediation

2. HSC with Life Skills (Non-ATAR Pathway)

For students whose cognitive profile means mainstream outcomes are genuinely inaccessible. Life Skills courses lead to a Record of School Achievement (RoSA) or HSC but without an ATAR. Transition goals focus on:

• Functional literacy and numeracy for independent living and employment
• Daily living skills — travel training, financial management, shopping, cooking
• Communication skills for workplace settings
• NDIS-funded SLES planning (see below)

The Life Skills pathway can be the right choice for some students. The problem is when schools recommend it for students who don't meet the cognitive criteria — because it's easier than providing the supports a mainstream student needs. This decision must be documented and collaborative.

3. TAFE NSW

Many students with disability transition directly from school to TAFE. Transition goals in this pathway include:

• Independent commuting skills (travel training via NDIS if required)
• Self-disclosure and self-advocacy at TAFE (students must register with TAFE's Disability and Access Services — this is their responsibility as adults, not the school's)
• Connecting with TAFE Disability Teacher Consultants (DTCs) who assist with fee exemptions, specialised learning plans, and accommodation requests
• Building the skills to navigate a new institution without the parent-advocate model that operates in school

4. Disability Employment Services (DES) and Australian Disability Enterprises (ADE)

For students who will not transition to tertiary study and will need ongoing employment support. Transition goals focus on:

• Basic workplace communication and readiness skills
• NDIS plan review to shift from school-phase to adult employment-phase supports
• Referral to Disability Employment Services (DES) providers
• Supported employment options through Australian Disability Enterprises

What Transition Goals Look Like in the ILP

Transition goals should follow the same SMART framework as all ILP goals, but with a post-school focus. Examples across different areas:

Independence and daily living:

• "[Student] will independently plan and execute a weekly shopping list within a $50 budget using a digital banking app with verbal coaching only (no physical prompting) by the end of Year 11."
• "[Student] will independently use public transport (bus and train) to travel to a nominated destination in the local area without adult accompaniment on 4 out of 5 trials by end of Semester 1, Year 12."

Workplace readiness:

• "[Student] will maintain a 2-hour work placement in a supported employment setting with SLSO presence for the first 4 weeks, reducing to check-in supervision only by Week 8."
• "[Student] will independently greet a supervisor at the start of each shift and follow a checklist of opening tasks without verbal prompting on 3 out of 5 observed occasions."

Self-advocacy:

• "[Student] will independently communicate their top 3 support needs to a new teacher or workplace supervisor using a prepared script (verbal or written) by end of Term 3, Year 11."
• "[Student] will register with TAFE's Disability and Access Services and attend the initial intake appointment independently (with parent available by phone) by Week 2 of TAFE enrolment."

Communication:

• "[Student] will independently send a professional email to a teacher requesting clarification on an assignment, using an agreed template, with no adult editing by end of Term 2, Year 11."

Financial literacy:

• "[Student] will create a weekly budget using a digital tool, accounting for income (Disability Support Pension), recurring expenses, and discretionary spending with 80% accuracy on 3 consecutive weekly checks by end of Semester 1."

NDIS School Leaver Employment Supports (SLES)

SLES is a specific, time-limited NDIS support category available to students in their final year of school and up to two years post-school. SLES funding pays for structured programs that build:

• Travel training (public transport skills)
• Workplace communication and readiness
• Job search skills
• Transition to Disability Employment Services

Critical timing issue: SLES must be in the student's NDIS plan before they leave school. If a student exits school without SLES in their plan, they transition directly to DES — a different and less intensive service. Adding SLES retrospectively is possible but requires a plan review.

Families whose children are approaching their final year should request a NDIS plan review that includes SLES goals and funding well before the end of Year 12.

The NDIS-School Boundary at Transition

As students approach the end of school, the tension between NDIS funding and school funding becomes acute. Schools remain responsible for all educational reasonable adjustments until the last day of school. The NDIS funds transition support, not school-based educational support.

This means:

• SLSO support during school hours remains the school's responsibility under IFS (or LLAD) — the school cannot direct the family to use NDIS funding to replace school-based aide support
• NDIS funding can be used for pre-transition programs operating outside school hours (vocational programmes, life skills groups)
• The handover of responsibility from school to NDIS needs to be planned — it doesn't happen automatically

International Context

US: IDEA mandates that every IEP from age 16 include "appropriate measurable postsecondary goals based upon age-appropriate transition assessments related to training, education, employment, and, where appropriate, independent living skills" and the "transition services" needed to help the student reach those goals. This is a hard statutory requirement with specific procedural protections. NSW has no equivalent.

UK: Preparing for Adulthood is a statutory phase in England's SEND framework — from Year 9, EHC Plans must include transition planning, and local authorities are responsible for coordinating adult support. More comprehensive than NSW's framework.

Canada: Provincial approaches vary. Ontario requires transition planning beginning at age 14 for students with IEPs, with annual updates. Again, more systematically structured than NSW.

NSW: The obligation exists through the DSE 2005 and personalised learning and support policy, but its implementation depends heavily on the school and the family's knowledge of what to ask for.

The NSW Disability Support Blueprint covers transition planning in the NSW system — including the SLES application timing, the TAFE connection process, the Life Skills pathway safeguards, and the transition-specific ILP template.

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