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Tertiary Education Options – Workshop notes

Created: 20/11/2023, Bright Futures @Ruils

Who by? Bright Futures @Ruils

Why might it be of interest?
The next step in education for our young people is not always obvious and the options are not always obvious either. In these notes we talk about university, qualifications, apprenticeships and supported internships, mainstream and specialist colleges, local or residential college, when an EHCP might cease, additional considerations, benefits, Disabled Students Allowance.

This is really an overview and this document references other documents that you can find on the Bright Futures hub. Taken together we hope that you will be able to find information to help you and your young person make the right choice for their further education.

In years 9 or 10 students should be offered an interview to discuss future planning.  We’re not sure whether this happens reliably – it may have happened and parents not informed – so may be worth checking with the school.

University

Further information about DSA in a few points time

  • DSA – disabled students allowance
  • Needs Assessment
  • Specialist Mentoring
  • Disability Rights ‘Into Higher Ed’
  • Additional things to consider when looking for a course

See documents Disabled Student Allowance for more information about DSA; What is Specialist Mentoring; Into Higher Education; Booking a Needs Assessment

BTEC

  • And other qualifications
  • City and Guilds
  • T-Levels

See document Skills Levels Comparisons for information about how the levels of various qualifications compare

Examples:

Entry level, 1, 2, 3 – these are providing functional skills below GCSE grades

Level 1 – starting out or new to a subject – lower GCSE grades, Functional skills level 1, NVQ Level 1 – BTEC First Certificate = 1 GCSE

Level 2 – higher GCSE grades, BTEC first cert and BTEC First Diploma = 4 GCSEs

Level 3 – AS and A-Level, NVQ Level 3, BTEC National cert/dip, T-Levels

BTECs may be more modular with a more practical aspect than typical GCSEs or A-Levels

Apprenticeships

Supported Internships

  • Age 16 to 24
  • Usually for one year
  • A young person needs an EHCP for a supported internship
  • Project Search say that they get about 65% of their interns into work
  • Like apprenticeships these are about preparing for work
    • So, a young person needs to have an interest in the area of work the internship covers
    • A placement might have 3 mini-placements, eg
      • health and safety – checking water purity
      • Managing recycling
      • Office admin
    • Speak to your Case Worker
    • AfC has information about local supported internship providers

https://kr.afcinfo.org.uk/pages/local-offer/information-and-advice/training-and-employment/supported-iternships

  • The West London Alliance has an extensive booklet about local Supported Internships:

https://wla.london/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/The-2024-Supported-Internship-Guide.pdf

typical offerings:

  • hospitals
  • hospitality
  • councils
  • Thorpe Park / Chessington
  • Animal Care
  • Horticulture
  • Leisure
  • Each Supported Internship has an education provider and an employment partner
  • It will be up to you to read up on what’s being offered and to make enquiries or an application
    • Although your Case Worker needs to be kept in the loop they will not do this for you
  • There will be classroom time but also the opportunity to learn everyday IT skills as these will be part of the job
  • These may be for 3 days a week but many are 5 days a week
  • A young person could go to college, do a supported internship and finish with an apprenticeship

Mainstream local colleges

  • Local colleges, such as Richmond and Kingston, have a wide range of courses at differing levels
  • Many courses can be studied at an entry level and then onto higher levels
  • Some young people may be ready to leave school at 16 and study for A-Levels or equivalents at a local college rather than continuing onto their school 6th form

More specialist local colleges

  • Some are offering more general and life skills based courses
  • Others have a specialism, eg
    • Horticulture
    • Asd
    • Catering and hospitality
    • Animal care
    • Performing arts
    • Animals, plants, environment

See document Local College Overview – LB Richmond

Local or residential colleges

  • A residential placement will probably not be easy to come by
  • There needs to be very specific reasons why a young person’s needs can only be met at a residential college rather than at a local college while the young person continues to live at home or in supported living
  • You are likely to need professional reports to back up your preference for a residential college – it will not be easy to prove your case to the local authority
  • Residential is NOT the right choice for most students
  • There are many reasons to attend a local college and live at home or in supported living

If you are considering a residential placement do speak to Sue Robson, Bright Futures @Ruils for information and advice.

Natspec

  • This is a website that lists all the specialist education colleges across the country
  • Day placements and residential
  • Search geographically or by need
  • Link to the college website for more information
  • Does not list mainstream colleges with a specialist department

Not continuing in education

  • This is an option most parents don’t consider!
  • But for some young people leaving education and getting a job could the best way forward
  • Choice Support
    • Organisation commissioned by LBR to support young people with disabilities into work
    • Other LAs have similar commissioned services
  • NEET – not in education, employment or training
  • AfC have a team to support NEET
  • Pathways programme – pre-employment support
  • But they will not talk to you until you are actually NEET even if it is obvious that that’s what will happen

https://kr.afcinfo.org.uk/pages/local-offer/information-and-advice/training-and-employment/pathways-programme-pre-employment-support

  • If a yp stops being in education their EHCP will cease
  • Any therapies in the EHCP will also cease
  • Therapies can be accessed via Your Healthcare (Richmond and Kingston GPs)
    • But therapies are assessed and delivered differently in adult healthcare so don’t expect the same as in the EHCP

EHCP and exclusions

  • When might an EHCP cease
    • When a young person is no longer in education
      • This can be before they turn 25
    • When they start university
    • When they are 25
  • College trying to exclude a student
    • This needs to be worked through on an individual basis
  • How well can the support in the EHCP be delivered at the college
    • Don’t assume it will continue in the same way
    • Eg therapies – a school might have a block contract – does the college?
  • Reasonable adjustments
    • No definitive list of what is a reasonable adjustment
    • Setting based so what is reasonable in one setting may not be in another
  • Outcomes – for Post 16 young people outcomes should be looking forward with some indication of where all the provision in the EHCP is taking them
    • eg by the age of 25 Jack will have the specialist skills to hold a part-time working role, with a meaningful job description and clear duties, which meets his abilities and interests

 

See document EHCP Outcomes.  This is a list of outcomes written for a young person’s EHCP when they were approaching 19.  The young person in question is severely learning disabled so the specifics of the outcomes might not be relevant to your young person but they give you a flavour of where all the support and provision in their EHCP was intended to lead.

Making the right choice

Bright Futures is running a workshop on 30 January 2024 about choosing a college and how to make the right choice.  The workshop is aimed at parents of young people with moderate to severe learning disabilities so if you are looking at uni or that sort of level of education it may not be quite appropriate to you but some of the notes from the workshop might be helpful.

We will be talking a bit about:

  • What might influence your decision
  • Researching colleges, including specialist colleges
  • Essential, desirable, acceptable, unworkable – breaking it down
  • Visiting – what to look for, what questions to ask

Examples of things to think about:

  • Size of the college and how far you need to travel within the college each day
  • Travelling to the college
  • Course content and how the course is delivered
  • Field trips – are these essential to the course, can you manage them
  • What can the learning support team offer
    • Contacting the learning support team at your college or uni is essential
  • How helpful does the learning support team seem to be
  • Managing medication and health needs

See document Colleges – Making the Right Choice

 Additional things to consider

  • Adult social care
    • Most young people with an EHCP will not be eligible for adult social care as they will have the EHCP primarily for education purposes
    • See document Social Care Assessment Information
  • Do you need social care support if you are living away from home
    • Adult social care assessment is the first step and should be established before you leave home
    • The support package you might have while living at home will likely be different to the support package you will receive when away from home
  • What if you’re not eligible for adult social care?
    • How will you manage outside of college
    • What support will you have in college to manage your studies
      • eg a mentor

Disabled Students Allowance

  • What it covers
    • Specialist equipment, non-medical human support, general expenditure that is higher because of your disability – maybe you need to take taxis
    • Not means tested, not paid back
    • Does NOT fund personal care
  • How to apply
    • Through Student Finance
  • Evidence needed
    • What is your disability
    • How does it affect you
      • EP reports, letters/reports from healthcare
      • Diagnostic assessment for specific learning difficulties
      • Must be relatively recent
    • Needs assessment
      • Go prepared
        • What has helped before
        • What do you think might be difficult at uni
        • Take notes with you!

 Benefits

Universal Credit (UK) is an earnings replacement income so can only be claimed by young people still in education in very specific circumstances

  • The key is that the young person has a limited capability for work (LCW)
    • And claiming PIP (potentially might still be DLA for some young people)
  • LCW has to be established BEFORE starting the course
  • You might be able to apply for UC in the summer holidays before your course and if a Work Capability Assessment (WCA) can be carried out in time which establishes that you have an LCW you will be able to claim UC
  • WCAs take time and you may have started your course by the time your LCW is established
  • Students at uni cannot generally claim Universal Credit unless they have already established a LCW
    • Degree, diploma of higher ed, higher national diploma
  • Students on a non-advanced course may be able to claim UC
    • But ONLY if they have established a limited capability for work BEFORE starting their course
      • A or AS levels, NVQ level 3
    • Maintenance Loans will be deducted from your UC
      • This does not include a special support loan or grant
        • Income support, ESA, HB, HA
          • This is for lone parents or people with disabilities
        • Contact recommend applying for new style ESA, credits only
          • While young person is still at school
          • No money will be payable but it will trigger a Work Capability Assessment
          • If the WCA establishes a LCW the young person can apply for UC before starting their college course
          • There’s no guarantees that they will be able to establish a LCW

 If you are applying for UC for your young person – or with them – and are on benefits yourself – take advice

Categories: College Information, Education & Employment

Tags: apprenticeship, benefits, btec, disabled students’ allowance, Employment, qualification, Residential college, supported internship, universal credit

Five members of the Ruils team seated on a grassy lawn having a chat.