Education - Young People

Post 16 education providers should give all applicants a chance to tell them about a learning need, medical condition, or disability that may affect their learning. When a student tells them about this, the post-16 education provider should discuss with the young person how they will help them and make a support plan. This plan of support should be reviewed regularly to make sure that the right support is being given. For more information, please see our Post 16 SEN Support Factsheet (PDF, 105KB).

Some young people who need extra help with learning have an Education, Health and Care Plan. These are also called EHC Plans or EHCP. The local authority, sometimes called ‘the council’, looks after EHC plans. EHC plans use information from your EHC Needs Assessment to say what you want to do and what help you need. Everyone has a different plan because everyone is different. All the people who support you will be able to see your plan. It should help them work together to help you. For more information, please see our EHC Needs Assessment Factsheet (PDF, 73KB) and Education, Health and Care Plan Toolkit (PDF, 66KB).

Personal Budgets: As part of the EHC Plan some young people are able to receive a personal budget. This video by KIDS explains what a personal budget is and how you can get one. For more information, please see our Personal Budget Toolkit (PDF, 69KB).

Annual Review: An EHC plan must have a formal annual review within 12 months of the final plan or the last review. The annual review is a way you can raise concerns or suggest changes in outcomes and provisions set in your EHC plan. This video explains the process. For more information please see our Annual Review Factsheet (PDF, 304KB), Annual Review Timeline (PDF, 82KB) and How to share your views for your Annual Review (PDF, 16.4MB)

If you are unhappy with a decision that has been made about your EHC Plan you can appeal to the court, known as SEND Tribunal. If you are over 16 you can do this yourself, or with the support of a parent, carer, or SENDIAS caseworker. SEND complaints: A guide for Young People in education explains who you can go to for support, and the steps to take.

Going on to college is exciting. It is important to choose the best college for you and you may want to discuss this with your parents/carers, teachers and careers adviser. It is helpful to look at different college websites and brochures, and to visit colleges that you are interested in. You can visit during open days, or your parents/carers or school may want to arrange another time to visit. For more information about getting the most out of a college visit, please see our Visiting Colleges Factsheet (PDF, 75KB) and Applying for College Factsheet (PDF, 74KB).

If you decide to go to university, you will still be able to receive support for your SEN, but this will not be through SEN Support or an EHCP. Universities have a duty make reasonable adjustments for students with SEND under the Equality Act 2010. Most universities have a disability support team, who provide support to students with SEN. It’s worth getting in touch with the university’s disability team to find out more about what they offer.

Students with higher needs may qualify for a Disabled Students Allowance to fund specific help such as note takers, sign language interpreters or specialist IT equipment. 

For more information, please see our Support in Higher Education Toolkit (PDF, 68KB).

Most of the time problems can be resolved by discussing them with your tutor or teacher. If you are still unhappy with the decision, you may need to take further action and make a formal complaint.

• Complaining about Colleges: They should have a complaints procedure on their website that explains how to make a complaint. 
• Complaining about Council: The first step is always to follow Milton Keynes Council's own complaints procedure.

If you need any help, you can call us on 01908 254518 or email us on mksendias@milton-keynes.gov.uk

When People Can’t Agree – A Guide for Young People in Education provides advice for young people aged 16-25 who are unhappy with their special educational needs (SEN) provision or support at school or college and need help and guidance to sort those problems out.