Your Move To College

Visiting Colleges and Providers:

Plan visits to the colleges or training providers you’re interested in as soon as you can.
Talk to your SENCO (the person in charge of SEND) to get more information.
Think about how comfortable you feel discussing your special needs with others.
Bring your EHCP with you to show the support outlined in your plan.
Compare and explore more than one setting to find the best fit for you.

Preparing for College or Training:

Your secondary school and the post-16 settings should work together to make sure your move is smooth.
Attend a transition meeting where your school can share important information about your needs with your new college or provider.
Make sure the professionals who support you from school, social care, or health are at this meeting.

Understanding Your New Environment:

Know the structure of your new day, including how support will work day-to-day, who your main contact or key worker will be, and what special training staff might need to support you.
Planning might include extra visits, photos of the place, prompt cards, clear maps, and schedules to help you feel more comfortable.

Travel Arrangements:

Make travel plans in advance, and be sure to submit any applications for support by May before your new provision starts.
Apply for help with home to school transport (brighton-hove.gov.uk)

Social Aspects of Post-16 Education and Training:

Find out how your new college or provider handles social time. Will there be support available during breaks?
Check if there are quiet areas you can use when you need some time to yourself.
Understand how lunch will be organised and how you’ll pay for it.
Familiarise yourself with important policies, such as those regarding homework, behaviour, and bullying, so you know what to expect.

Transition Planning

All young people need to make plans for their future. Planning helps to support young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and their families through the process of planning for adulthood. All young people with SEND should get support from school in preparing for adulthood but there should be an extra focus on this if they have an Education, Health and Care Plan. If your child has an EHCP, their planning for the future starts at age 13 (Year 9) and should:

Involve the young person in planning their future and making decisions
Involve parents /carers so they can support the young person make choices
Ensure young people and their families know the key people who can help e.g. Learning Difficulties and Disabilities Advisers at BHCC
Ensure the young person can successfully go onto college, training, work or day services after school
Ensure the young person continues to receive the support they need as an adult

From year 9 onwards annual reviews of EHCP’s should have a focus on transition planning and should involve appropriate health, social and education professionals. This may be referred to as the Transition Review and allows sufficient time to start thinking and planning for their future options.

Tips for SEND transition to post 16

Visit to the college / provider:

Visit to new colleges/providers of choice as early as possible
Speak with the SENCO (or named person who leads on SEND)
Check how the young person feels about discussing their special needs with others
Take the EHCP with you to show the support that is written in the plan
Compare more than one setting

Preparation to start college /training:

Secondary schools and post-16 settings should work together to ensure a positive transition.
Ensure there is a transition meeting between the school and college/provider to discuss the arrangements and to share information about the young person's needs in good time
Ensure professionals who supports the young person from school, social or health care attend a transition meeting.
Transition information should include: the structure of the day, how support will work day-to-day, who will be the main contact / key worker from the college/provider, any specialist training needed for staff, information about any special equipment needed.
Extra transition support might include: extra visits, taking photos of the environment and key people, providing prompt cards or checklists for staff, providing clear maps of the site and timetables, adapting the learning environment to ensure accessibility, creating individual support plans
Travel arrangements should be made in advance and any application for support be made by at least May before the new provision starts

Social elements of Post 16 education and training:

Find out how the college/provider manages social time. Will there be support?
Find out if there are quiet areas the young person can use
Understand how lunch will be provided and paid for
Read and understand policies which might affect the young person e.g. homework, behaviour and bullying