Post-14 education for young people with an EHCP

Introduction

Deciding what to do after school and preparing for adulthood can be an anxious time for young people and their families. We aim to provide you with all the options available to you after year 11, how to apply for them and where to find more information.

All young people must be in education or training until they are 18. There are different options for you to explore, such as:

staying at your current school if it has a sixth form
moving to a sixth form college
going to a further education college
supported internships, apprenticeships or traineeships
employment
volunteering
transitioning to adult social care

Careers advice

Careers advice for young people with an EHCP

Learning difficulties and disabilities careers advisers provide support to schools and young people with an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP).

They can offer support at the start of your career journey by helping with:

annual EHCP reviews at school
careers guidance
employability skills workshops
careers events

They can also help young people to develop:

self-awareness
confidence
an understanding of career options (including education courses, training and apprenticeships)

View the Enfield Careers Service (PDF, 407.95 KB).

How to contact us

We work remotely in Enfield’s schools and are often available at the borough Moving On events.

Direct support is usually arranged through your school SENCO, but if you need some guidance you can email us at careerservice@enfield.gov.uk (please write ‘LDD Career Adviser Request’ in the subject line).

Sixth form education

Sixth form in your current school

If you want to stay at your current school sixth form, it’s important you understand the entry requirements for the courses you choose. Your head of year should be able to tell you this information or it will be published on the school website. You need to follow the school’s sixth form application process.

Sixth form college

If you want to go to another school sixth form, you will need to check which A levels are being offered and the entry requirements. You should be able to find this out on the school website. You need to follow their application process.

Special school

If you’re planning to stay in special school, you should fill out the preferences form (PDF) so we can plan and make sure you have the right support.

Going to college

Find out what it’s like to go to college by watching our I Learn film below, which shows a day in the life of a young man who attends Barnet and Southgate College.

If you decide you want to go to college to get qualifications that will help you get a job, you need to apply to colleges in September of the previous year. View the process and timeline for transferring to college (pdf).

Each college has their own entry criteria so you should check their websites to see and the courses and when you should apply. Some colleges have more than one recruitment process in a year so you need to ask the colleges when you can apply.

These are the local colleges:

Young people who go to college are expected to travel there and back independently, unless this is not possible for some reason. If required you can get training and advice to travel independently.

On average, college courses are 3 days a week so the other 2 days could be spent doing:

work experience
volunteering
training for life skills such as travelling or living independently
accessing community activities
health activities such as physiotherapy

Once the college receives your application, they will assess you and contact you for an interview. At this point you will need to share that you have an EHCP and inform Enfield SEN Services so they can consult with the college.

If you are not offered a place on your chosen course, the college may offer you another option. For more information and advice, contact the SEN Team.

We prefer young people to go to college close to their home, in order to enhance their chances of developing peer relationships, getting involved in after school activities, reducing the stress of travel or long journeys and make it easier for parents and carers to be involved with the school or college.

For more information on colleges, courses and qualifications for 14- to 19-year-olds, visit GOV.UK.

Your rights

If you do not let the college know that you have an EHCP this could mean that you will not get the support you need. This could prevent you from achieving your agreed outcomes.

Going to university

You should start thinking about which university you would like to go to at the beginning of year 9.

You should consider:

courses you want to do
GCSEs and A Levels you will need
career opportunities the course will provide
distance from home
what support you will need

It is important you visit the university you’re interested in during year 10 or 11, and that you follow their application process.

You will have to apply through UCAS for a place. UCAS will tell you what to do if you do not get your predicted grades. Parents, careers, advisors or advocates can help with the application process.

If you think you still need support to access the course of your choice, you can apply for a Disabled Students Allowance (DSA). You will need to apply for this at least 6 months in advance to have it when you start your course.

Once you start at University, your EHCP will stop. Make sure you discuss your support needs with your SEND case officer so you can get help with transition arrangements.

Course levels

Course levels and equivalent courses
Level	Equivalent to
Pre-entry, Entries 1, 2, 3 and ASDAN	First level courses in college to help you to become more independent or improve your life skills
Level 1	GCSE Grade 4
Level 2	GCSE Grade 5 and above
Level 3	A Level
Level 4	First year of university

All courses at level 4 and above (including foundation degree courses) are not funded through the local authority. Disabled Students Allowance funding is provided by the Higher Education Funding Council. Find out more by visiting GOV.UK.

Supported internships

Supported internships are study programmes for young people aged 16 to 25 years who can work but need extra support to do so.

Find out more about internships.

Annual review

Annual reviews will focus on supporting you with:

education
health and well-being
community interaction and engagement
future living arrangements
transition to adult health and social care (if eligible)

The year 9 to 10 review will help identify young people who require more social care input when they are 18 years old.

The year 11 to year 14 review will focus on school or college.

You will complete your preference form (PDF) telling us what sixth form, sixth form college, further education college, training provider or employment with training you would like to attend.

Once you have given us information about your courses and colleges and you are happy to share information about your EHCP, we will contact your preferred education setting and give them 15 days to respond. This is to make sure they can meet your needs.

They will be asked to consider if:

the school or college is suitable for the young person’s age, ability, aptitude or SEN
the placement would be compatible with the other young people who attend
the placement would be considered as an efficient use of resources

Transitioning to adult social care

If you decide that continuing with education or getting a job is not for you, you can get support from adult social care, if eligible.

At 16 years old, an early notification form is completed by your school SENCo, which notifies the adult social care that you will be transitioning to adulthood. You will then have a Moving On assessment to see if you’re eligible for support and services from adult social care.

If you’re not eligible you will be signposted to other support. If you’re eligible they will work with you to make sure you have a care and support plan in place by the time you’re 18 years old.

Events are held every year for parents to provide information about transition. You can also view our Moving On Booklet (PDF).

For more information on adult social care, visit MyLife.

Support

While you're at school your teacher should give you advice on the types of careers that might interest to you or you can visit Enfield Careers Service.

At your year 9 review you will be supported to make choices for year 10 and beyond including your GCSE options.