As an adult, you will now be responsible for completing the process, which means you will need to look out for requests for information from us and respond in a timely manner. You may need to contact suppliers to set up support and make applications for funding.
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At School/College |
At University |
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Support is usually arranged by a SENCO |
You arrange your support with the Disability Advice and Guidance Team |
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No formal diagnosis always needed |
You will be asked to provide supporting documentation to evidence your support needs |
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Parents or Guardians involved in decision-making |
As you are now an adult, you are responsible for arranging your support unless you consent to involve others |
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EHCP or Form 8 Assessments in place |
Disability Advice and Guidance provide a Student Support Information Sheet (SSIS) which lists your adjustments |
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School arrange any exam adjustments |
Exam adjustments will only be made if you have told us about your support needs and have an SSIS in place well in advance of the exam |
Accessing support in school or college
At school, you don’t always need a diagnosis to access support. Instead, your parents may have talked to the SENCO at your school or college about any challenges you are experiencing, or these may have been identified by your teachers. You may have been added to the SEN register and been supported by the SEN department. You may have been told you don’t have ‘special educational needs’ (SEN) but you do have ‘additional needs’ and require support.
Your SENCO may have arranged support for you, which might have included:
- Working with a teaching assistant
- Working in a smaller group
- Access to a quiet room
- Support with getting around school
- Exam arrangements such as extra time
You may have had an Education, Social and Health Plan (EHCP) in place at school. This report will have been put together by your school, your local authority, and other specialists. It will have been used to gain additional funding to pay for this support. Any funding will have been used by your school to pay for your support, or for resources or other adjustments.
You may have had a Form 8 assessment for exam arrangements such as extra time if you have difficulties with processing text, handwriting, or reading speed that your school or college thinks might be related to a specific learning difficulty (e.g. dyslexia, dyspraxia).
As you were under 18 years old at school or college it is likely that your parents, carer, or guardian will have been involved in many of the discussions about your support. You may not have been involved, and you probably didn’t need to complete any forms to access your support. The costs of any support will have been met by your school or local authority.
Summary:
- A diagnosis is not always required at school
- Support is usually coordinated by the SENCO
- Parents, carers or guardians will have been involved in discussions rather than the student
- Exam arrangements may have been arranged through a Form 8 assessment
Accessing support at university
You are responsible for making sure you have access to the support you need during your studies. To do this you will need to tell us about your disability, either on your UCAS application form or at any point during your studies.
Before you arrive
If you have told us about your disability on your UCAS application form, we will email you over the summer months once you have accepted an offer of a place. Make sure you monitor your emails and respond to any requests for information quickly so we can put support in place as early as possible.
During your studies
You can let us know about your disability at any point throughout your studies by registering with Disability Advice and Guidance.
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