Making choices about leaving
school
Information
This booklet will help you to make choices when you
start thinking about leaving school.
The booklet is written by Skill. Skill is the name for the
National Bureau for Students with Disabilities. They are
a charity who help people with disabilities who are
leaving school.
You can get this booklet in various different ways. For
example: normal print, large print, or Braille. If you
need any of these ways please speak to someone at
Skill.
The address of Skill is Unit 3, Floor 3, Radisson
Court, 219 Long Lane, London SE1 4PR
Email: skill@skill.org.uk
Website: www.skill.org.uk
Phone: 020 7450 0620
Fax: 020 7450 0650
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You can contact them and ask for help on their
information service.
Open Tuesdays 11.30am – 1.30pm
Thursdays 1.30pm – 3.30pm.
The phone number is 0800 328 5050. Free Textphone
18001 0800 328 5050
SMS text 07786 280 028.
The information service email address is
info@skill.org.uk.
Skill is a company limited by guarantee (2397897) and
a registered charity (801971), also registered in
Scotland (SC039212).
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What is in this
booklet?
Page Number
Thinking about
leaving school.
6
Making choices about
your future
8
Education and Work:
What choices are out
there?
10
Who can help you
with education?
13
Who can help you find
work?
14
What else can help
you make choices?
15
Your transition plan
17
3
Your Transition
meeting
19
What does the law
say? What are your
rights?
20
Useful organisations
22
Useful websites and
booklets
26
4
What Do Some Words Mean?
If you are not sure what a word means in this
booklet and it is in italic, then look at this page to
see what it means.
Transition This is when you are moving on from
school and making changes in your life. You might
need to decide: Where will I live? Where will I go to
school? Will I work?
Connexions This is a service for young people who
need help and support. There is a special service for
young people with disabilities.
Connexions Personal Advisor This is someone
who will be able to help young people when they are
leaving school and education. If you have a disability
they can work with you until you are 25. You can ask
for someone who has experience of working with
disabilities to work with you.
Laws The laws of the Country are the rules that we
have to live by. They are agreed by the Government
who decide which laws there should be. The
Government are a group of people that we vote for
in an election.
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Thinking About Leaving School
At the moment you leave school in England when you
are 16.
Soon, these rules will change. In 2013 young people
will have to stay in education or training until they are
17. In 2015 young people will have to stay in education
or training until they are 18.
Before you leave school you should think about what
you would like to do. Some of the things you could do
are:
You could go to college.
You could look for a job that will teach you how to do it
while you work.
You could start learning how to do a job.
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You might also need to think about friendships and
other relationships, personal care, and where you get
support.
You can get some extra support at school or work.
Sometimes people call this ‘additional needs’ or
‘special needs’. You can decide what you want to call
it.
At college or university you can go to the disability
office for help.
When you are looking for work you can go to the
Jobcentre Plus. They have people called disability
employment advisors who can help you get work.
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Making Choices About Your Future
Thinking about these things might help you to decide
what to do:
What do you like to do?
What are you good at?
What would you like to do in a few years time?
You can use a Skill Thinkpad booklet to help you to
think about your choices. You can get this from the
Skill website. It is important to ask a lot of questions so
that you can find out what you need to know. You can
add your own questions to this list.
If you need some support to decide what to do in
the future you could talk to:
A teacher
A support worker
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Friend or family member
Connexions personal advisor
People who work at your school library.
Below are things that you can look at to help you
decide what you want to do:
The internet where there are lots of useful websites.
Some are listed on page 20.
Pathfinder computer program. Your connexions
personal advisor can help you with this on the
computer.
The guides to courses at colleges and universities.
If you change your mind, don’t worry! You can still go
back and talk to your connexions personal advisor or
others for support.
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Education and Work: What Choices are
Out There?
Education:
You could choose to :
Go to a 6th form in a school or a 6th form college.
Go to a specialist college for people with disabilities.
Going to another type of further education college.
Go to somewhere that teaches higher education
courses. For example, a university.
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To help you pick a place to learn you should think
about a number of things. For example:
What do you want to learn?
What course would be right for you?
What course would be right for the job I want to do?
Do I need any qualifications before I do a course?
What qualifications does the course give me when I
finish it?
How do I find out about courses?
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Work:
Some ways that you could find work are:
Apprenticeships. You can learn how to do a job at the
same time as doing the job. You might get paid for the
work as well. Connexions and The Jobcentre can tell
you more about this.
Supported Employment. Some colleges can help with
training and support in work.
New Deal helps people who are on benefits to find
work.
The Connexions website can tell you more about these
options. There are other websites that could help listed
on page 20.
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Who Can Help You with Education?
If you stay in education after you are 16 years old you
will be able to get help to learn. For example:
Support when you are in School. This might be
someone who comes in to help you in the classroom
called a teaching assistant or specialist teacher. You
might need specialist equipment to help you learn.
Support when you leave school. The support you get
in college or university might be different to what you
need at school. It would be good to think about the
support you find helpful and the support you might
need in the future.
You can ask for support at College or university. The
support is called additional learning support.
You can decide whether you tell the college or
university that you have a disability or not.
At university you can get a Disabled Students’
Allowances. The disability officer will be able to help
you get support.
Look at Skill’s website to find other booklets that might
help you with applying for college or university and
getting support.
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Who can Help You Find Work?
There are many ways that you can get support if you
want to start work. Some people that can help you are
written below.
Careers advice. A Connexions personal advisor can
help you look at the jobs that you can do.
Disability Employment Advisors. When you are 18
years old you can go to the Jobcentre Plus to get help
with looking for a job. The disability employment
advisors can help you get the support you might need
in the job.
Access to Work. When you have a disability you can
get some money to help you when you are working.
This money is used to pay for things to help you work.
For example, the money could pay for a desk to fit a
wheelchair under it. Or it might pay for an interpreter at
meetings. The Jobcentre Plus can help you get this
money.
Look at Skill’s website to find other booklets that might
help you with looking for work and getting support.
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What Else Can Help You Make
Choices?
Below is a list of things that you could do to help you
decide if going to college or university is right for you.
Open days at colleges and universities
Link courses- this is where you will go to college 1 or
2 days per week to find out what it is like and if that is
what you want to do
Student ambassadors- These are students who can
come and visit school events to tell you more about
what it is like to study
Visiting and meeting staff
Summer schools
Mentoring- This is where you can contact a student
from time to time to ask them questions about student
life
To help you decide what type of work is right for you
you could try these things:
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Work Experience. When you do work experience you
can have a try of a job that you might like to do. You
get a chance to do a job with a person who may
employ you. You may not get paid for doing work
experience.
Volunteering. You don’t get paid for doing
volunteering. You can learn new things that may help
you get a job. Volunteering can help you with your
choices of what you want to do. There are a lot things
to ask yourself before volunteering. For example: Do I
want to work indoors or outdoors? Will I need support?
Do I want to stay in the UK or travel? How much time
do I have to give?
Support. You can get support to do work experience
and volunteering from your school. They could help
you contact the people before you go to tell them what
support would help you. These organizations are at the
back of this booklet.
To see positive stories about disabled people doing
work experience and volunteering look on Skill’s
website.
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Your Transition Plan
If you have a disability then you might already be
getting help at School. The help that you get at
school is given in different ways. For example:
You might get School Action. This is when you get
extra help from a teacher.
You might get School Action Plus. This is when you
get extra help from someone who comes to see you at
your school.
You might have a Statement of Special Education
Needs. This is when you need more help than the
School Action Plus can give you. The statement says
what help you need to help you learn.
You should also have an Individual Education Plan.
The plan writes down what you should be learning. You
will look at the plan on a regular basis with your
teacher. You can also get support about leaving
school.
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A Transition Plan is when you write down what you
would like to do in the next few years. The plan will be
started when you are in Year 9 and aged 14 years.
In the plan you will write down lots of different
things about your future. For example:
Where you would like to carry on your education.
Where you might like to live.
Who you would like to support you.
How you might like to travel around.
Where you would like to work.
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Your Transition Meeting
You will have a Transition Meeting where you will talk
about and write your plan. You might have more than
one meeting to write your plan.
Some people will come to your transition meeting with
you. They might be your parents or carers, your
connexions personal advisor and your teacher or head
teacher. Some other people might also come to the
meeting. You can decide who comes to the meeting.
This is your meeting so you can ask for an advocate to
attend, copies of all information, information that is
easy to understand.
Your school should tell you about the meeting early so
that you can get ready. Here’s some ways to get ready.

Meet with your Connexions Personal Advisor

Talk to family and friends

Look at Skill’s Thinkpad, which you can find on
their website

Get information from some of the other places
written at the back of this booklet.
You are the person who will know what you want to do
in the future. You must be able to tell the people at the
meeting what you want. To tell the people you might
want to tell them in a way that you like. You might want
to write something down or bring in some photos.
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What Does the Law Say? What Are Your
Rights?
The Disability Discrimination Act is a law. It says
that all disabled people should be treated fairly. They
should have a chance to do what they want to do.
Schools, colleges and universities might have to make
reasonable adjustments so that a disabled person can
go there. The reasonable adjustment can be
supporting a person to get help with their learning. It
might be getting forms that people can read.
The Disability Discrimination Act also helps you
when you work. For example: if you are a wheelchair
user then you should be able to use the lift at work.
The law says that school must support disabled young
people to learn and decide what to do. Below is a list of
things that they need to help you with.
Transition Plan will be written in Year 9. It says this in
the Special Education Needs Code of Practice
(Department for Education and Skills 2001). This is
done in your transition meeting.
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Assessment with the Connexions personal advisor.
The law says that you need a Connexions assessment
in Section 139a of the Learning and Skills Act
2000.This is called an assessment but it is not a test. It
is when the Connexions personal advisor talks to you
before you leave school. They will speak to you before
they show it to anyone else.
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Useful Organisations
In the last pages of this booklet there are lots of names
of places where you can get help to make your
choices. These are the choices you need to make
before you leave school and when you have left.
ACE - Advisory Centre for Education
1c Aberdeen Studios, 22-24 Highbury Grove
London, N5 2DQ
Telephone: 020 7354 8318
Email: Enquiries@ace-ed.org.uk
Website: www.ace-ed.org.uk
Helps with support in school
Connexions Direct
Telephone: 0808 001 3219 (open 8am - 2am 7 days
per week)
Website: www.connexions-direct.com
Connexions help with the choices that you will make
when you are 16 years old. They can help until you are
25 years old.
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Transition Information Network
c/o Council for Disabled Children
8 Wakley Street
London
EC1V 7QE
Tel: 020 7843 6006
Web: www.transitioninfonetwork.org.uk
This is a group of organisations and individuals who
come together to improve the experience of disabled
young people's transition to adulthood. The Transition
Information Network is based at the Council for
Disabled Children.
Contact a Family
209-211 City Road, London, EC1V 1JN
Helpline: 0808 808 3555, Textphone: 0808 808 3556
Helpline open Monday to Friday, 10am to 4pm
Email: info@cafamily.org.uk
Website: www.cafamily.org.uk
Offers advice and support to families of disabled
children or young people.
CSV (Community Service Volunteers)
237 Pentonville Road, London, N1 9NJ
Telephone: 020 727 86 601 (Open Monday to Friday
8.30 -5.30)
Email: information@csv.org.uk
Website: www.csv.org.uk
They help if you are interested in doing voluntary work.
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Department for Education (DfE)
Sanctuary Buildings, Great Smith Street
Westminster, London, SW1P 3BT
Telephone Student Support: 0800 731 9133
Textphone: 0800 210 280
Email: info@dfes.gsi.gov.uk
Website: www.dfes.gov.uk
Equality and Human Rights Comission (EHRC)
0845 604 6610 - England main number
0845 604 6620 - England textphone
0845 604 6630 - England fax
Monday - Friday 8am - 6pm
Equality and Human Rights Commission Helpline
Freepost RRLL-GHUX-CTRX
Arndale House
Arndale Centre
Manchester
M4 3AQ
Email: englandhelpline@equalityhumanrights.com
Website www.equalityhumanrights.com
Can help with questions about the Disability
Discrimination Act 1995.
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Independent Panel For Special Education Advice
(IPSEA)
6 Carlow Mews, Woodbridge,Suffolk, IP12 1DE
Telephone: 013 9438 0518
Advice line: 0800 018 4016
Website: www.ipsea.org.uk
They can help if you have a statement of special
educational needs
The National Association of Specialist Colleges
39 Sanders Road, Quorn, Loughborough,
Leicestershire, LE12 8JN
Telephone: 01509 554357
Email: kevin.obrien43@ntlworld.com
Website: www.natspec.org.uk
They have a list of specialist colleges in the United
Kingdom.
UCAS (The Universities and Colleges Admissions
Service)
Rosehill, New Barn Lane, Cheltenham,
Gloucestershire, GL52 3LZ
Telephone: 0870 11 222 11 (Open Monday to Friday
8.30am to 5.30pm)
Email: enquiries@ucas.ac.uk
Website: www.ucas.ac.uk
You contact them if you want to go on to higher
education
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Volunteering England
Regent’s Wharf, 8 All Saints Street, London, N1 9RL
Telephone: 0845 305 6979
Email: information@volunteeringengland.org
Website: www.volunteering.org.uk
Useful Websites
Aimhigher Don't Stop
Tells you about Higher education and how it can help
with your future.
www.dfes.gov.uk/aimhigher
Ask Mencap
Lots of help from Mencap about what to do with your
free time.
www.askmencap.info
BBC Ouch!
A website with things written by people with disabilities.
community. www.bbc.co.uk/ouch
The Big Tree
Help about transition for people with learning
disabilities.
www.thebigtree.org
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do-it
People can find out about volunteering where they live.
www.do-it.org.uk
Fast Tomato
Help with what you want to do when you leave school.
www.fasttomato.com
Jobcentre Plus
You can find out where the Jobcentre Plus is near you.
www.jobcentreplus.gov.uk
Jobs4U
Examples of people who have got jobs.
www.connexions-direct.com/jobs4u
Moving on Up
For young people in transition from ethnic minority
communities.
www.movingonup.info/
Need 2 Know
Lots of help for young people who are in transition.
www.need2know.co.uk/
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The National Deaf Children’s Society (NDCS)
Lots of help for young deaf people in transtition.
www.ndcs.org.uk
One Life - BBC Radio1
Radio 1's has help for 15-24 year olds.
www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/onelife
TheSite
Lots of help for young people.
www.trans-active.org.uk
UniAid
Help with money when you are a young person.
www.uniaid.org.uk
Whizzkidz
Help for young people who use a wheelchair.
www.whizz-kidz.org.uk
Useful Booklets About Transition
The places written down below have booklets that can
give you and your carers help with the choices after
leaving school.
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Adders.org
Thanet ADDers ADD/ADHD Support Group
45 Vincent Close, Broadstairs
Kent CT10 2ND
Email: support@adders.org
Website: www.adders.org
Help for people with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity
Disorder (ADHD).
You will find a booklet on their website called
‘Introduction to Transition’ .
Contact a family
209-211 City Road, London, EC1V 1JN
Telephone Helpline: 0808 808 3555
Textphone: 0808 808 3556
Email: info@cafamily.org.uk
Website: www.cafamily.org.uk
You will find a booklet on their website called Transition
in England and Wales
The National Autistic Society (NAS)
393 City Road
London, EC1V 1NG
Autism Helpline: 0845 070 4004
Email: autismhelpline@nas.org.uk
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Website: www.autism.org.uk
Help for people with autism and Asperger syndrome
and their families.
You will find a booklet on their website called:
Transition planning at the age of 14
The National Deaf Children’s Society (NDCS)
15 Dufferin Street
London, EC1Y 8UR
Freephone helpline: 0808 808 8880 (voice and text)
Email: helpline@ndcs.org.uk
Website: www.ndcs.org.uk
Help for people who are deaf and their families.
You will find a booklet on their website called:
Transition plans and annual reviews of statements of
special educational needs for deaf children
Last updated April 2010
Some of the pictures in this
document were from Change
Picture Bank, Valuing People
Clipart and Skill
This document was
made into Easy Read by
Advocacy Partners
Speaking Up
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