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Higher education

Talk to other parents whose children are preparing for university on our Higher Education forum.

SpLD support - reputations of different universities?

42 replies

Pickle454 · 20/11/2022 18:18

DD (diagnosed severe add/adhd) is in Yr 12 so we haven't started visiting etc yet but I am very aware that a) all university websites will pay lip service to being inclusive and offering support on their websites/at open days b) anecdotal reports online make it clear that some universities provide little/no help in reality. Can anyone with experience of this advise how best to identify which universities are likely to actually deliver (oxbridge, russell group etc, will be declaring it on UCAS)? Thanks.

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Pantoufle23 · 24/11/2022 10:21

also interested

Mydoghealsmyheart · 24/11/2022 10:25

I’m interested too

ElephantGrey101 · 24/11/2022 10:34

Have a look at disabled students’ allowance. This is something that she will be able to get wherever she goes to uni and funds study skills tutors and assistive technology. You need a post 16 assessment. It is a bit of a lengthy process so it is good if you are able to help with the application.

The university should also make reasonable adjustments such as extra time in exams, prioritising things on reading lists and this is where some places are better than others. I would avoid Bristol as they have had recently had an awful court case about very poor support for disabled students.

Pickle454 · 24/11/2022 21:30

Thanks @ElephantGrey101 . I know the funding comes from DSA but assume the uni is still responsible for providing assistance? Yes we will need to get an updated diagnosis next year I guess.

Bristol was on my radar re pastoral care issues. I've not read anything to indicate it has really improved much in that area over the years.

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themimi · 24/11/2022 21:33

Pickle454 · 24/11/2022 21:30

Thanks @ElephantGrey101 . I know the funding comes from DSA but assume the uni is still responsible for providing assistance? Yes we will need to get an updated diagnosis next year I guess.

Bristol was on my radar re pastoral care issues. I've not read anything to indicate it has really improved much in that area over the years.

What's on you DC's radar?

Pickle454 · 25/11/2022 08:44

@themimi not sure yet - likely Oxbridge & Edinburgh but not got beyond that.

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SleepWhenAmDead · 28/11/2022 12:57

My dc is in Y13 (asd/deaf/hypermobile). We have visited lots to see if the physical environment is suitable. There tends to be info on the Uni website. I think dc also follows some ND people on tictoc who have done tours of their campus and what to bear in mind when looking for Unis etc.

At some of the Open Days, there is a talk on Disabled Students. All of them had a stand where you can speak to members of the Team. I found this most helpful. Each Uni gave very different answers as to what support they will provide which was very useful. It was also useful to see how well they could engage with her (rather than speak via me). We also went to taster sessions to see if she could lip read the lecturers and again, how well they coped if she tried to ask a question after. When we signed up for the open day, they would usually ask if you have any disabilities and again it was helpful to see how each uni acted on the info. I hope this is helpful. (It's still terrifying).

WindyHedges · 28/11/2022 16:05

I think it's also dependent on the course & the discipline. Humanities subjects will require a lot more reading, writing & independent work. But - IME of teaching in a variety of institutions & in Departments with league-topping NSS scores - we can be better at the detailed pastoral care.

Pickle454 · 29/11/2022 11:31

Thanks for the tips @SleepWhenAmDead .

@WindyHedges unfortunately she does essay subjects which makes things much harder for her (but that's where her interests lie). So you are saying you think humanities departments tend to be more accommodating?

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SleepWhenAmDead · 29/11/2022 12:29

It's the lack of structure that worries me. They only get about 12 hours contact time for the humanities courses my dd is applied for. Having to organise her own schedule and workload in isolation will be a massive adjustment.

SleepWhenAmDead · 29/11/2022 12:33

We had a nightmare at Bristol Open Day. The "arrangements" for blue badge parking were bizzare in my view. That and the general chaos, I wouldn't consider it.

WindyHedges · 29/11/2022 14:06

So you are saying you think humanities departments tend to be more accommodating?

Well, they can be on a personal basis, and the emphasis on small group teaching ad academic skills/academic literacy is central to the study of the subject.

That said, as @SleepWhenAmDead says, Humanities students are responsible for a lot of independent organisation of time. But they can find or make structures for themselves: my modules require students to read 1 long or 2 short texts each week, and then participate in a pretty open-ended seminar discussion of their reading and interpretation of these texts, and how they fit with other reading & knowledge. So I recommend students set aside 2 full days (or 3-4 mornings/afternoons) to sit and read, and we discuss how they might read, what they're looking for & what sorts of notes they might take as they read.

A self-aware and thoughtful student, who knows she has concentration difficulties could tun this into a timetable for herself. You know, like Monday morning lecture followed by an hour looking up references in the library, borrowing books etc; lunch; 3 hours - in 30 or 45 minute chunks reading. THat's a good day's work and allows for brain breaks to calm down.

And so on ...

So scheduling and setting small, manageable realistic goals might be skills to focus on. These would be things I'd discuss in seminars on occasion - in passing as we've got to get through the syllabus! And or Learning Disability support people would do the more intense coaching.

But students are generally expected to be able - and eager - to work more independently. It's unlikely there'd be as frequent as weekly coaching support, let alone daily help from the equivalent of a TA.

SleepWhenAmDead · 29/11/2022 14:57

I only have promises, no practical experience. Birmingham say they would offer for my DC to arrive about a week early with a small group of ASD students for orientation and a parent or friend can stay with them in their flat but has separate activities during the day. I think there was a period of weekly mentoring, but peer mentoring I believe.

Nottingham said that if she needed a support worker, they would not provide these, but would allow access to halls, lectures etc as required.

I have been told that Durham has one of their halls designated for students with ASD.

I am not sure about ADHD. I think you have to ask. Myself as an ADHD person would never get the books read 3 - 4 mornings a week. I'd be reading them the night before and on the way in in the morning. I did a clinical course with 5 days of combined uni and clinic placements and a part-time job to keep me out of trouble. For Dc, I had been focussed on the university rather than the type of course, but that is also a very important consideration. Thank you.

Pickle454 · 06/12/2022 21:11

@SleepWhenAmDead it’s interesting, as you say, there seems to be quite alot of help in place for ASD eg early orientation etc but it’s impossible to tell isn’t it? Especially with ‘invisible disabilities. With ADHD yes one of the big problems will be time management - and not just from an academic pov.

@WindyHedges thanks for the insight and tips. I still don’t fully understand how easy it is to get useful mentoring support to help with study skills and keeping on top of everything via DSA?

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MastieMum · 07/12/2022 17:21

I work in this area. Just to clarify, the uni isn't always responsible for proving support like mentoring - sometimes DSA is provided by an agency. The most important thing is to make sure your dc has a diagnostic assessment for their adhd. Without that you can't get DSA and it may be a barrier to other support too.
I'd recommend talking to the disability team at open days - you'll get a feel for what they can offer. And think about the support your dc might need to manage their time etc - students with adhd often don't use the support available because of the difficulties in getting to appointments on time etc.

gogohmm · 07/12/2022 17:29

I would flip it around, what does your dc need to enable him to access higher education? Then see which institutions have a teaching and pastoral model that fits their needs.

Universities differ in how they deliver their curriculum, in how support is structured etc. I would also suggest considering whether university straight after a levels is a good fit, my dd benefitted enormously from a gap year (working in the U.K.) as she learned lots of independence and coping strategies etc.

The fancy high ranking universities may or may not be a good fit, make it centred on his needs not perceived prestige

Sadik · 07/12/2022 17:33

DD is at Manchester. She has various things paid for through DSA - an hour study skills support per week, and an hour's mentoring.

She's been provided with recording equipment of some sort - not exactly sure what - but to enable her to record seminars plus she has some software, again not sure of the details.

She theoretically gets access to slides and lecture notes in advance, though she says that with some lecturers that can be 15 mins beforehand (I guess depending on when they write them!).

She also gets an automatic one week extension on deadlines for coursework that contributes to her final grade.

I believe they also have a regular social for ND students, but DD hasn't been to it afaik.

What I would say is that actually getting in place all the agreed support once signed off was quite challenging for her. It's provided by private companies, & the students do have to do quite a bit of arranging themselves. However, she's older & was living away from home already, I think it would have been easier if she was a regular 18 yr old student & we'd been able to support her in writing the necessary emails / filling in the forms in advance of her moving to Manchester. I know about all of the above as I spent quite a lot of time making encouraging noises over the phone while she wrestled with it!

gogohmm · 07/12/2022 17:34

Ps dealt with 3 universities (so far another story) and their support to students seems inverse to their lead table position! A friends dc is at a post 92 and has so much support, dd2 struggled to even communicate with the access department at her very highly ranked university (top in U.K. for her subject)

RampantIvy · 07/12/2022 18:30

Ps dealt with 3 universities (so far another story) and their support to students seems inverse to their lead table position!

I also get that impression from higher education forums.

One thing that is clear is that an awful lot of students go to university thinking that it is a higher extension of school and come a cropper when no-one chases them for work. The lecturers are very hands off and deliver the bare bones of a topic which the student then has to do further reading around.

The onus is very much on the student working independently. I get the impression that some of the lower ranked universities are better at guiding students.

CoffeeWithCheese · 07/12/2022 18:41

I know it's very bottom of the league tables but I really can't fault De Montfort for their support that I had - as an autistic, dyslexic, mature student with kids of my own during the time of the school closures. Varies according to the department somewhat but I had lots of support from the Autism service at the university in terms of advocacy, making sure I had reasonable adjustments in place and making sure I had everything possible I could need in place via DSA funding - study skills (I didn't need this - I cope with things by being hyper organised and when ASD hyperfocus kicks in I'm unstoppable), mental health mentoring (she was fab) and the only good experience I've ever had with counselling was provided via the university. I also had a department who realized and accepted that my way of working might not fit their "typical" student model and, when they knew I was someone who knew what they were doing and would get their head down and just do it, they let me go and run with it - so instead of the usual way of giving people mini-deadlines to get their dissertation done, which didn't work with the way my mind doesn't cope with small repeated deadlines and needs to get near the main deadline and work through it as a whole task - they let me run with it and work in that manner (it worked - I got a first for it, and a first overall).

RampantIvy · 07/12/2022 19:24

Well done @CoffeeWithCheese
I think I read some of your earlier threads about your course placements, so I'm pleased you got the result you wanted Flowers

Pickle454 · 10/12/2022 14:42

@CoffeeWithCheese great to hear you've found somewhere offering proper support. I fear the posts are right on here about there being an inverse relationship between league tables and consistency of help. Just have to hope that wherever she goes we can get everything in place and encourage her to advocate for herself (easier said than done of course!).
@Sadik interesting to know what your DD has been given thank you. Sounds pretty good. It does sound like DSA is sometimes somewhat independent of the university - we shouldn't have any problems though may need to get report updated as she was diagnosed at 15.
I think someone mentioned gap year (though I now can't find it)? It feels like that would be particularly beneficial for someone with ADHD to allow them to gain a bit more maturity and confidence and develop non academic skills that may be lacking. I do keep mentioning it ....

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radrado · 10/12/2022 14:43

Liverpool has been good for my dyslexic son. He has a one to one supporter on zoom one hour a week (it’s external through DSA) but the Liverpool team have been pretty good.

Pickle454 · 10/12/2022 14:43

meant to say also, anyone any experience of UCL from this pov?

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Soontobe60 · 10/12/2022 14:57

Although not having Dcs with disabilities, I’m a Senco and find it increasingly disappointing that HE institutes are still only paying lip service to providing real time support to students who are ND. Surely there must be something out there that’s common for all institutions to utilise that details what support is needed, how to access it, what to expect in the day-to-day life of a student. It’s not rocket science!