Full-time education post-16

•  For students 16-19 (key stage 5 or years 12-14).
• Choices for study programmes can be limited to A Levels.
• Although there may be more flexibility in timetabling, it will still feel very much like a school.
• You may still have to wear a uniform or formal clothing like a shirt and tie.
• There will be opportunities to take part in the wider school extracurricular activities such as clubs and sports teams.

For more information about Croydon School Sixth Forms go to Croydon 2018-2019 Post 16 Prospectus: Options after Year 11.

For students 16-19.

• Sixth form colleges offer a much wider range of study programmes including vocational qualifications directly related to jobs or apprenticeships. 
• You can study alongside students of a similar age to you.
• You can wear your own clothes at colleges
• It will feel different to being in a school setting.

Croydon has two sixth form colleges:

• Coulsdon College    Go to Learning Support to find out about what help for students with special needs.
• John Ruskin College   Go to Additional Learning Support to find out help for students with special needs.

Close to Croydon, there is also Reigate College.

• For students of all ages; young people and adults.
• FE Colleges are much bigger than sixth forms.
  There is a much wider choice of courses and study programmes and they have more facilities.
• There will be learning support in place for students with special needs or other additional needs but you will be expected to take more control of organising your time.
• Croydon has one FE College:
• Croydon College  Go to Study Plus Learning to find out help for students with special needs.

Close to Croydon other FE colleges include:

• Bromley College of Further and Higher Education
• Carshalton College
• East Surrey College
• North East Surrey College of Technology (NESCOT) 
• South Thames College 

• Special school sixth forms offer study programmes and accreditations more suited to the needs and abilities of young people with special needs.
• Admissions to the special sixth forms is managed by the 0-25 SEND service.
• Places are offered to young people who have Education, Health and Care Plans.

In Croydon the following special schools offer post 16 study programmes:

• Beckmead School  
• Bensham Manor School
• Priory Special School

Close to Croydon, other maintained special school Post 16 Provision includes:

• Carew Academy, Sutton
• Clifton Hill, Caterham, Surrey
• Linden Lodge, Wimbledon
• Oak Lodge, Wandsworth 
• Riverside School, Bromley

Start considering your options early to give you enough time to research and find a study programme and post 16 setting that is right for you.

You should:

• Visit open days at different colleges to see what they offer and get a feel of the building, meet staff and find out more about the courses you are interested in.
• Prepare some questions to help you find out if the college is the right place for you.
• Look at websites to see what extra help each college gives to students with special needs.
• Check entry criteria to make sure that you on are track to meet the entry requirements for the course you are interested in.
• Talk with your friends, families and teachers to find out more their views and experiences of courses and colleges.

During Year 11 your school’s career adviser will meet with you to discuss and suggest options that are suitable for you.  The SENCO at your school will also be able to help you too.

If you have an EHC Plan, the review of the plans in Year 9, 10 and 11 will include a focus on helping you to choose and prepare for a move to Post 16 education. Once a place has been confirmed, the plan will be amended to name the college will go to.

Once you have decided on a course and college and make an application, it is important that you let them know about your special needs. The college can then make arrangements to continue with support that can help you to settle quickly and be successful in your studies.

Your current school, the college and you  (and family members if you choose) can meet to share information about what help you have had so far and what you will need in the college setting.

All colleges must put extra support in place for students with special needs. Any discussion or decision about the amount and type of support required should always include the views of the student.
Any support should also focus on helping students to be as independent as possible and helping them to get a job or other purposeful employment or progress to higher education.

Extra support might include:

• Use of special equipment and assistive technology
• Specialist one to one or small group teaching
• Modified teaching materials
• Support and advice from specialist services such as teachers of the visually impaired.
• Any additional arrangements to support students during non-teaching sessions
• Notetakers and scribes.

Any support must be matched to the individual needs of each student.

The college will keep a record of the SEN support that is in place and review this regularly to check that it is helping or to make any necessary changes.

For students with EHC plans the college must make the provision that has been specified in the plan and review the plan annually.

Just like schools, colleges have a duty to make arrangements to ensure that any student with a disability can have access to study programmes and take part in all aspects of college life.

They will have to make reasonable adjustments to plan and prepare support for individual or groups of pupils, for example deaf awareness training for all staff, or audit and  make adaptions to improve wheel chair access.

Chapter 7 of the SEND Code of Practice explains in more detail the actions Post 16 providers should take to identify and meet the needs of young people with SEND.