If you continue with education after 16, you can apply for financial support to pay for things like books, equipment and travel to college. What funding you can apply for depends on where in the UK you’re studying:
- In England, you can apply for a 16-19 bursary fund
- In Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales you can apply for Education Maintenance Allowance
What other types of support can I get?
All colleges should provide support for students with special educational needs and disabilities. This could include giving you extra teaching support to help you with your learning. It could also involve making changes to make sure your epilepsy doesn’t put you at a disadvantage compared to other students. This is called making reasonable adjustments, and is something colleges have to do by law for disabled students.
If you think you might need some extra support with your learning, or you think your epilepsy might make things difficult for you, speak to the college. Most colleges will have someone in charge of making arrangements for students with special educational needs and disabilities. They are often called a special educational needs coordinator (SENCO), although the name may be different depending on which part of the country you are in. They will be able to tell you what support can be put in place.
In England, if you had an education and healthcare plan (EHCP) at school, you can take this support with you to college. An EHCP is when you get extra support with learning paid for by your local authority.