Choosing a school or college

Mainstream Schools and Colleges 

These are the schools and colleges most young people will attend.   

Mainstream schools can support young people with mild to moderate special educational needs. Each school has a qualified SENCO (special educational needs coordinator) who organises support for students.  

For more information on SEN (Special Educational Needs) Support follow the link to our Support in school or college page  

Targeted Mainstream Provision (TMP)  

These are units within a mainstream school that have additional resources to support young people who require more specialist support. This helps young people with special educational needs or disabilities make progress within a mainstream environment. Your Local Authority SEND Caseworker should be able to give you more information on the Targeted Mainstream Provision in your local area.   

Special Schools and Colleges 

You need to have an Education Health and Care Plan to attend this type of school or college.   

Special schools and colleges provide for students whose special educational needs or disabilities requires more specialist support. North Yorkshire Council arranges the admission to these schools through consultation of an Education Health and Care Plan.  

The Finding a school | North Yorkshire Council tool on the Local Authority website can also be used to search all schools and colleges. You can also find information on schools and colleges local to where you live on the Get Information about Schools website.  SENDIASS also have lists of special schools and colleges that we can share with you.  You can contact our advice line to request a copy using our Young Person’s Contact Form.

Specialist Independent Schools and Colleges  

These are Independent special schools and post-16 institutions – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) that offer specialist support. Some of these settings will require that you have an EHCP (Education, Health and Care Plan) or a certain type of need, for example autism. North Yorkshire Council arranges the admission to these types of schools through consultation using your Education Health and Care Plan.  

 You may already know which school or college you would like to attend.  

• Visit the schools or colleges you are interested in with a trusted adult 
• Have a look at their website, prospectus, or brochure 

Different types of schools and colleges have different values, teaching methods and admissions policies and some schools have specialist services for young people with special educational needs click on the link to North Yorkshire Council for more information.  

You may want to have a look a school or college’s Ofsted report.  Ofsted publishes regular inspection reports online – you can  search for Ofsted reports by postcode, town, or area.  

For more information about what a school or college offers, look at their SEN Information Report – you can find this on the school or college’s website, where you will also find lots of other useful information.  

Legally you can leave school at the end of year 11, when you are 16, but you must be in education, training, or employment until you turn 18. If you remain in education or training this is known as Further Education (FE).             

After the age of 18, you will be classed as an adult learner. You have a few different choices to remain in education. Some special schools offer education for 19-25-year-olds. You might plan to go to university which is known as Higher Education (HE).  

You should receive information and advice about suitable options and courses in time to make the right decision.  

As well as getting information from your school or setting, you can also check North Yorkshire Council’s SEND Local Offer | North Yorkshire Council site to see what is available in or visit the  National Careers Service website.       

You can choose from:  

• Sixth form at your current school or setting if they have one 
• Sixth form at a new school or setting 
• A further education (FE) college
• A specialist FE college – If you have an EHC Plan 
• A traineeship 
• An apprenticeship 
• A supported internship – if you have an EHC Plan
• Studying part-time 

You can find out more about these options on our adulthood page.

If you chose to go to university, and if you have an Education Health and Care Plan this will automatically end.

You can still have extra support, as universities have duties under the Equality Act 2010 to make reasonable adjustments for disabled students.  

This could include support such as flexible seminar times, support for study skills or access to specialist computer software.  You may also be able to apply for a  Disabled Students Allowance (DSA)  to help fund specialist support or equipment that you need.  

UCAS, the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service, is an independent charity, and the UK’s shared admissions service for higher education and has lots of helpful information and advice. They also have a webpage specifically for SEND students .

It is helpful to visit any school, college or setting that you are thinking of attending. This would give you the chance to look at the environment and meet the staff. 

You could also look at the school, college or setting’s website to see what they offer and read about the way that they run things. This might help you with your decision making.

When making a visit, it can be helpful to take down some notes and write down any questions you may have. At the end of the visit, you can ask questions that you may not have answers for.

You can visit a few settings, if appropriate, so that you can compare them and see which one feels best for you. 

Things to ask or think about while visiting a setting:

• What SEND Support can they offer you?
• How does the learning space feel to you? 
• Do you think you will be able to move around independently? 
• Is anything worrying you? 
• How is the teaching organised? 
• What are the class sizes? 
• Do they have any students with similar needs to you? 
• Do they run any clubs or groups that might interest you? 
• How would you get there? 
• How do they track progress? 
• How do they communicate with home? 

SEND Local Offer | North Yorkshire Council  

The right to a mainstream education | (IPSEA) Independent Provider of Special Education Advice  

Link to our preparation for adulthood

Preparing for adulthood | North Yorkshire Council  

Preparing for Adulthood: All Tools & Resources – NDTi  

Transition into adult services | Mencap  

Transition tips – a guide for higher education professionals (autism.org.uk)  

UCAS | At the heart of connecting people to higher education  

Disclaimer  

Whilst we hope that you find these resources helpful, the information in this section is not endorsed by North Yorkshire SENDIASS and we are not responsible for the content of sites or services offered by third parties.