Michelle Barnett is a Family Advisor for the ND Team at Suffolk Family Carers. She has written an article aimed at young people, and their carers who are considering next steps in education.
Hello, I’m James’s mum, and I’d like to share a bit about our journey as a family navigating James’s transition into college. James is 18 and lives with us, his dad, younger brother, and me in Suffolk. He was diagnosed autistic at around six years old, though he doesn’t often refer to himself as autistic. To his close friends, it’s simply the ‘ism just one part of who he is. But to us, he’s always just been James.
Recently, James started attending a mainstream college, and I thought it might be helpful for others to hear about how we got there through open days, taster sessions, and the application process.
James spent most of his secondary school years at an independent specialist school where he felt supported, understood, and genuinely happy. It was the right environment for him. He made friends, mostly through shared interests like gaming, and engaged well with learning. Against expectations, he achieved five GCSEs something we were once told might not happen.
However, after his GCSEs, James hit a wall. He was completely burnt out and found it hard to stay engaged with the post-16 programme at his school. With a lot of patience and encouragement from us and teachers, he managed to attend school once a week just for English lessons, working hard to pass his English Language GCSE; an exam he’s now attempted several times and has just taken again (4th time lucky!!! 😊).
One key support during this time was a young person’s worker from the local authority, who would come to our home to talk about James’s future. He gently encouraged James to step out of his comfort zone and attend a college open day. So, we went together as a family. It was a lot bigger and busier than his school, but James actually quite liked it.
We toured the entire college, though nothing really grabbed his interest, despite our assumption he’d be drawn to gaming or IT courses. Then we happened upon the science department, just as a tutor was discussing the Forensic Science and Criminology course with another family. Something clicked with James. He had always been interested in science and had done well in it at school but missed out on practical lessons during COVID. The idea of doing hands-on experiments excited him.
That same day, I spoke to the SEND team and asked how to proceed. They explained the enrolment process and said we’d need to submit his EHCP and exam results. James finds it difficult to initiate and organise tasks but with my help, he completed the online application.
As part of the process, James also filled out a wellbeing questionnaire. The student support team then arranged a phone call with him to discuss some of his answers, particularly about his burnout. Since phone conversations are difficult for James, they kindly arranged a face-to-face meeting instead. The staff were warm, respectful, and put him at ease.
From there, the SENCO got in touch with us and suggested some transition visits before the taster day. James was very nervous, so I went with him on the first visit. The SENCO was lovely, and she made a real effort to speak directly to James, not just to me, and that made him feel included. She showed us quiet areas and shortcuts through the building, which helped James feel more comfortable.
She suggested more visits at different times of the day to help James get used to the college environment. He did two more, one at the start of the day and one at the end, both without me. That was a huge step. The SENCO supported him throughout and even introduced him to the learning support team. James was genuinely surprised at how friendly everyone was. These visits helped build his confidence in the lead-up to the taster day.
When the taster day arrived, we were both nervous. I dropped him off, and a familiar face from the SEN team was there to meet him, just as we had arranged. That small gesture made a big difference. James spent the day attending talks and trying out a class in his chosen subject. Importantly for him, he got to eat lunch in a quiet area.
He came home, slightly overwhelmed, tired but proud and thankfully still enthusiastic about the course. That was all we needed to hear.
Here are some tips that you might find helpful when thinking about college:
- Talk through your options with people who can support you. This could be your parents/carers, siblings or teachers and careers advisers.
- Look out for open days of the colleges that interest you or arrange alternative visits with the college.
- Check out the college website, it should contain policies and how they support learners with additional needs.
- Look through college prospectus. These usually include course summaries and requirements too. This should help you find a course you could be interested in. Most colleges have these available to view or download on their website. You can also ask the college for a physical copy.
- Talk with your parents/carers about the support you may need at college.
- Consider making a list of what you want to ask during your visits.
- Think about visiting at different times of the day to get a proper feel of the college.
- Try and arrange to meet with people who will be working with you, for example, tutors or support staff
During and after your visit you might want to try and think about these things:
- Did the college feel welcoming?
- Do the people that go there seem happy?
- Do you think you would be happy at that college?
- Do you think the college can meet your needs?
- How will you get to college?
- Don’t be afraid to ask more questions if you have them!
For further information take a look at the following resources:
