SEN funding for post-16 education

16 to 19-year-olds

Education and training are free for 16 to 19-year-olds. All young people must continue in education or training until they are 18.

When you leave school at age 16, you will have to do one of the following until you are 18:

Stay in full-time education, for example at a college
Start an apprenticeship
Spend 20 hours or more a week working or volunteering, while in part-time education or training

If you need help to pay for education-related costs - like clothing, books and other equipment - you may be able to get support from the 16 to 19 Bursary Fund.

Young people aged 19 and over

If you start a new education or training programme when you are 19 or over, you may have to pay tuition fees.

You will not have to pay tuition fees if:

You are over 19 and have not passed GCSE maths and GCSE English at grade C/grade 4 or higher
You are 19 to 25-years-old and have an Education, Health and Care Plan
You are 19 to 23-years-old and want to study for your first full qualification at Level 2 or Level 3

You may be able to get support from the 16 to 19 Bursary Fund to pay for education-related costs if you:

Are continuing a course you started when you were 16 to 18-years-old
Have an Education, Health and Care Plan

Funding for additional support

If you are a young person with SEND aged 16 to 25, you can get extra support to help you study. You will not have to pay for this extra support.

Talk to your college or training provider about any special educational needs and disabilities you have. You can help them understand your support needs by sharing:

Your Educational, Health and Care Plan, if you have one
Any other supporting evidence, such as:
- Letters from your doctor or hospital
- Reports from your speech and language therapist, physiotherapists, or other specialists

Funding from Norfolk County Council

Your college or training provider can ask for high needs funding from us if:

You are 16 to 18-years-old and need additional support costing over £6,000 per academic year
You are 19 to 25-years-old, have an Educational, Health and Care Plan, and need additional support costing over £6,000 per academic year