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College, Courses and Education

Three people outside a college setting

Overview

From year 9 onwards, it’s time to start thinking about what you want to do after you leave school. You need to stay in some form of education or training until you are 18 years of age. Let’s have a look at some of the things you can do next. 

Your choices are often dependent on what kind of grades you’re likely to get, what you’re interested in studying, what kind of environment you want to learn in, and the best route to the level of qualifications you want.

The Careers East Sussex website goes into more detail about this, including options such as:

Visit the Careers East Sussex website to find out more.

YES (Youth Employability Service) is a free service which offers support and guidance to young people in the East Sussex area. Commissioned by East Sussex County Council, they work specifically with young people aged 16-18 who are not in education, employment or training (NEET), or are at risk of being NEET.

Finding a College in East Sussex

Mainstream Colleges and 6th Forms

The East Sussex Local Offer directory on 1Space lists mainstream schools, 6th forms and colleges throughout East Sussex. These listings include useful information including each settings Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENCo) contact information, accessibility information for each location, signposting to each settings full SEN Information Report and any Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) relevant staff training.

Once on the directory, you can further refine your options using the filters available. This can include filtering results down to educational settings with a sensory room, or those with level access throughout the academic areas. You can also use the ‘Type of school’ filter list, and select either 6th form or college, to just show those results:

Please note, we are currently in the process of adding all educational settings to this category. While the directory does not currently list all colleges or 6th form providers, we are aiming to get them all added as soon as possible.

Independent Colleges and 6th Forms

Independent special schools and colleges are self-managed and not directly funded by the Local Authority, and accessing them can be a different process to mainstream settings.

You can find a list of independent and non-maintained special schools and colleges on the main government website:

Careers East Sussex

The Careers East Sussex website also allows users to search for college courses.

SEND College Transport

A vehicle with disabled access at the rear. An adult stood behind a young person who is in a wheelchair, on the vehicle lift.

If a young person with an EHCP is unable to travel independently to their college due to their SEND, they can apply for post 16 travel assistance. Their application and family circumstances will be assessed to determine whether there are barriers to stop them from getting to college without assistance.

East Sussex County Council's website contains a page that provides more information and a way of applying:

University and Higher Education

Universities have a statutory duty to try their best to support students who have SEND. This can include things such as:

These changes are known as “reasonable adjustments”. They make sure that young people with SEND have the same access to a university education.

If you have an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP), this will no longer apply when you go to university. It could still be a good idea to share your plan with the university you want to go to. This will allow them to understand your needs and make sure the right reasonable adjustments are put into place.

UCAS (the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service), is an independent charity, and the UK's shared admissions service for higher education. We recommend you visit their site if you have any queries about applying for and attending university, as they provide lots of useful information:

The UCAS site also has further insight on what support young people with SEND can expect from universities:

Supported Employment, Apprenticeships and Internships

This website also has a page which explains the process and options available for young people looking for supported apprenticeships, internships and routes into employment.

Glossary of East Sussex SEND Terms

Some of the terms used on this website are explained on our page, Glossary of East Sussex SEND Terms.

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