Post-16 options
If you are aged 16 to 18
The law requires all teenagers in England to continue in education or training until at least their 18th birthday.
Most continue in a school sixth form or move to college until the end of the school year in which they turn 18, but there are other options available.
These options include:
Education at school or college
Sixth forms, mainstream college and specialist colleges
Work-based learning and training
Apprenticeships, traineeships and supported internships
Employment or volunteering
Working, volunteering and setting up your own business
Transport post-16 →
If you have an EHC plan →
Education at school or college
There are a few options for you to continue in full-time education when you reach 16 years old (year 12):
Staying at school (sixth forms)
You may move into the sixth form of your mainstream or special school, or move to another school.
You may do a programme of study leading to academic or vocational qualifications, from entry level to GCSEs, BTECs and A levels.
You can find a list of secondary schools on the Council website.
Mainstream further education (FE) colleges
College is a great option if you want to learn skills for a job. You can get these skills by taking a vocational subject.
London South East Colleges (LSEC) has two campuses in Bromley and Orpington which offer vocational and technical education (T Levels) and training to all age groups (16+) as well as access to higher education, degrees, HNCs, HNDs and many other professional qualifications for adult students (19+).
Capel Manor College has two campuses in Bromley (Crystal Palace Park and Mottingham) which offer courses in arboriculture and countryside, conservation, animal care and management, garden design and horticulture. Courses are available for students at all levels and all ages from 14+.
Specialist further education (FE) colleges
A specialist further education college only provides education for those who have an EHC plan.
London South East Colleges’ Nido Volans Centre is based at the Bromley and Bexley Campuses. The centre offers a range of courses, facilities and work experience opportunities, including a supported internship programme.
RSBC Dorton College is an independent specialist day college supporting students with vision impairment (VI), some with additional needs, from the age of 16 at The Walnuts in Orpington.
Apprenticeships, traineeships or supported internships
Education does not have to be all classroom-based learning in a school or college.
There are also training options, which give you the chance to develop the skills you need for a particular job while continuing to study.
Apprenticeships
A programme that combines study towards qualifications with paid-on-the-job training. Apprenticeships are open to young people over 16 with or without EHC plans. They can lead to qualifications from GCSE level up to degree or diploma level.
Traineeships
Traineeships are a great option for teens aged between 16 and 24 (or 25 for
individuals with an EHC plan), who don’t have the skills or experience to take on a job or apprenticeship.
A programme to help you gain skills to get a job or apprenticeship. It includes work experience and study. Traineeships are unpaid and usually last for six months or less.
Supported internships
This is a workplace training and study programme if you are aged between 16 to 24 and have an EHC plan. It is unpaid, based mainly at an employer and lasts for at least six months. The aim is to help you to take up paid employment at the end of the internship, which could be with the same employer.
You will follow a personalised programme. This includes on-the-job training and support from a work coach. It could also include studying for qualifications such as Maths and English, if appropriate.
Employment, training or volunteering
You can go to work, undertake voluntary work, become an intern or even set up your own business when you leave school.
However, you’ll still need to be doing part-time training or study at the same time that leads to a regulated qualification, like a Vocational Technical Qualification (VTQ). This means that as well as gaining valuable experience, you’ll also gain a recognised accreditation that supports your future career.
Part-time education or training alongside full-time work must be of at least 280 guided learning hours (GLH) per year. This means the equivalent of about one day a week spent being taught by a lecturer, supervisor or tutor. These hours can be taken flexibly around working hours, as distance learning, or in blocks.
If you are interested in this option, you should contact the National Careers Service where you can use an online chat to talk to a careers adviser.
Transport post-16
Free help with transport to education is not an automatic right.
Transport assistance
If you’re aged 16 or over, you may be eligible for transport assistance. For further guidance you can view the Council’s SEN transport policy. This policy also gives information about the appeals process to follow where an application for home to school transport is declined.
You may also be eligible for assistance with travel expenses from home to school.
Travel training
Travel training is available if you use assisted home to school transport to get to and from sixth form or college. The travel trainers will support you to develop skills and confidence to become an independent traveller.
Talk to your Senco or the person responsible for SEND at college about this training.
16 – 19 Bursary Fund
You could get a bursary to help with education-related costs if you’re aged from 16 to 19 years old and:
- Are studying at school or college (not university)
- Are on a training course, including unpaid apprenticeships
A bursary is money that you, or your education or training provider, can use to pay for things like clothing, books and other equipment for your course, as well as transport and lunch on days you study or train.
The GOV.UK website provides further details about the bursary, including how you can claim via your school, college or training provider.
Other travel information
Our travelling around the borough page provides more information on public transport options.
Discounted travel on public transport
You could also look into applying for a disabled person’s railcard and/or an Oyster Zip card.
If you have an EHC plan
If you have an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan, it does not have to end when you leave school. It can continue up to the age of 25, as long as you still have SEN and stay in some kind of education or training.
However, if you join Higher Education whilst in full time employment, your EHC Plan will cease.