further education....help!

[ThatVikRinA22]

posting here as teens gets no one....

DS has ASD and dyslexia.

he was meant to be doing A levels over 3 years. to cut a long story short college has been crap. he hasnt done well but had little support. his senior tutor today proved how little she knows him.

he could now take his clutch of very bad A level results and go on to do a foundation degree - but we only found this out today. tomorrow will entail some fraught phone calls. he was meant to be going back to college for a 3 rd year which is very very pointless. he will just have a mis matched hotch potch of assorted A and AS levels....

or he could do this foundation degree at a college, with a third year full time at uni to get his Bsc Hons. seems like a good idea, but he/we didnt even know this was an option. cue some frantic UCAS applications and student finance applications....

what do i do? how do we do this in time? he has to find out tomorrow if he can get on the course - if he can then we have to do a ucas application and get finance in place ready for the new term. how the heck do i do this? its a better idea than wasting another full year at a crappy college....

Your DS could (potentially, depending on what's available), do a foundation year at a university, and then go on to the general course (if it is a subject that does foundation years).

College level provision for SN can be very variable...my NT sibling did HND at college then conversion course for BSc, and found it challenging as although it was all validated by a uni, they did not get much support.

Doing it in time is challenging :( I'd be tempted to look for the uni/year 0 route as unis are more likely to put support in while waiting for DSA (disabled students' allowance) to arrive.

That said, you may want to check if you can aapply to UCAS now - here suggests clearing is only for people who have already applied.

I am really unsure how foundation degree funding at a College works - it will depend (my sibling could not access higher education student finance for the first two years).

Good luck...

oh shit, vicar. that's crap.

my dsd is doing some sort of foundation degree, I think (i get confused - it's not like it was in my day!)

she didn't do A levels, she did some kind of BTec/diploma (again - was all clear as mud, tbh)

have you asked on higher education whether there are any decent phone helplines you can call?

there must be, at this time of year.

alternatively, is there a linked course your ds could do at college this year, and apply for uni next year? (eg, my dsd did a carpentry course for a year after her A level equivalent - she is doing stage management/scenic construction at uni now, so the course helped her towards that)

I think it is definitely too late for this year, and that snowmash is right - UCAS are dealing with clearing at the moment and I imagine won't be taking new applications. Having said that, you could try finding the course that would suit him and contacting the uni/college direct?
To be honest though, I'd be careful about making any hasty decisions , and I think that going for something next year might be better as it will give you time to research it properly and visit on open days to make sure you're choosing something suitable for him.

this isnt a course at uni for the first two years.
its done 2 full days a week at a futher education college followed by a year at uni to complete the Bcs hons. it means he could still work (he has a job programming part time and gets tons of freelance work and article writing work) - he could strike a pretty good work/education balance with this course.

college say its not too late to apply. but they have written him off. they think he is thick. thats the long and short of it. which he isnt. he got really really good GCSE grades but failed A levels because their attitude at college was if you have SEN and you cant hack it you shouldnt be here. they made no provision for him. he was doing really tough subjects - maths, physics and computing. he passed maths and computing but failed physics by 11 marks.

You could look at part-time courses and apply direct to college/uni. Because students can't get a tuition fee loan for p/t courses tbey aren't filling up through clearing, and lots of institutions will have places. Where are you? Some colleges/unis have much better SEN/disability provision than others.

:( I'm so sorry his college let him down. It seems the message hasn't trickled through to them that they need to "include"!
Since it's p/t, that sounds great for him. I would get in touch with the college direct and ask what to do. Good luck.

got an appointment at the (other) college today - they have an enrolment day today so will go and bend the ear of the bloke who runs the foundation degree course....

ill let you know how we get on.

oh good luck, vicar, hope it goes well.

it is just infuriating how you (one) can battle for years, and still end up in blind alleys at times, through no fault of your own.

it used to eb the case that time out, employment and maturity added somethign to applications for foundation courses too. so maybe (since your ds already has a job), he could try that route if today doesn't work out?

my brother failed his A levels spectacularly, due to lack of support too (thisis going back a few years now!). he dropped out completely, spent a few years scrubbing toilets (not suggesting this is a good route )to pass the itme until he was over 21, and then applied to get on as a mature student, with a foundation year.

there are alawys options - it would just be helpful if people could tell you what the options are!

Good Luck vic, I have no helpful advice but I do worry about DS in a year or so. I think he'll be hitting uni as a more mature student in his twenties.
If you really don't think that a third year at his current college will help, then maybe it's time to try something completely different.
At least he has had success in using his IT to generate his own income,and he has you.
I'd go and tackle the FE college on all cylinders.

cheers lasses.

am wondering how the heck we apply for disabled students allowance this late in the day....? student finance is going to be challenging enough.

and do we play the disability card with the higher education college?

im so angry with the college he has just done his A levels at - i cant see it doing him any good to stay there for another year and i got the distinct feeling they wanted rid of him anyway.

i really think this foundation degree could be a really good idea - have looked at hte course on the UCAS site - its code G620 and its the one at north lindsey college - looks like a good all round computer degree, am praying now he hasnt left it too late to get a place.

we will know in a few hours.

Vicar, good luck to you and your ds. As far as dsa goes, you just apply late (worth raising support needs with the college to see if they'll support until the dsa comes through/what they can offer - some higher ed institutions do, some don't...)

Vicar, I'm so sorry your son was let down so badly by his college. Like Goblinchild, it's something that I worry about for the future for my DS (even though he's only just starting secondary).

I agree with silverfrog that you shouldn't panic or worry about false starts and trying different routes. My sister has just graduated at age 24 because she changed courses/took time out to work/had to repeat a year. In the long term it really doesn't matter if your son takes a few years to find his path.

If he is doing the foundation degree over 2 years then that will be considered FT, not PT. Two days a week doesn't sound very much but he'll have to supplement that with a lot of independent study, so he needs to be careful about how much paid work he takes on. You could consider doing it PT which will take 3 years for the foundation degree bit, but that has implications for student finance.

Foundation degrees in general tend to be more hands-on and work-focused than normal degrees. With some courses you get a work placement, so do ask about that - it can really help with employment prospects.

Also, don't be too concerned about late applications for DSA and student finance. It's not that unusual for students to enrol and apply at this stage so they are used to it. DSA often isn't assessed until the student is enrolled anyway. I had a look at the college website and they have a Disability Advisor - get in touch with them direct and ask for further info.

There's also a student forum called The Student Room which is useful for getting your head around student issues, esp finance/application queries.

Good luck - I hope the college gives a positive response!

thanks.

seems from speaking to the college that if he gets his ass into gear and applies now through UCAS there will be a place for him. they are aware of his disability and were extremely helpful.

just wading through the UCAS forms now....

so in short it seems he will have a place. hurrah!

Great news!

NAS have a service called Prospects which can be funded through DSA - could be useful for your DS.

brilliant

good luck with the forms, and hope he gets it!

Hi Vic

Just stumbled across this thread

Grrrrr to the useless college. They never did 'get it' did they?

Foundation degree is a good way to go.

He'll be eligible for Student Finance and for Disabled Students Allowance.

Don't know how much you already know so forgive me educating the already educated

UCAS form applying for the course is the first step. he'll need to submit a personal statement saying why he wants to do this etc - blah blah (easy)

Fe College then make him formal offer of course which he then accepts via UCAS.

Then you need to fill in Student finance application see directgov.uk/studentfinance

You should tick the DSA box on Page 1? of the application form - they'll send another form for the DSA application.

He can use the Student finance form to apply for loan for tution fees - which will be paid directly to the FE College by the Student Finance company.

Don't worry of the student Finance people haven't procesed this by the time he starts FE College - it's enough to show the College that he's applied. they'll wait for the money.

As he gets DLA he'll be eligible for a 'Special Support Grant' it's means-tested on you and your DH's income. My DS gets £1211 pa and it doesn't have to be repaid. If he takes the Special Support Grant he won't be eligibl for a Maintenance Grant - but that's OK.

He can also apply for a maintenance loan for everyday expenses.

You'll need to decide whether to apply for the full Maintenance Loan (which is repayable) or just part if he is continuing to live at home. That too is means-tested on your joint salaries. Don't worry if that hasn't been processed in time - he can apply for that at any time up to about May next year so it just be a matter of you subsidising him until the loan came through.

The DSA will take time.

As I said, they'll send you the application form. You need to prove that he has a disability - i.e. DLA award. You then send it to your Local Authority to get them to agree to fund a Disabled Student's assessment. That can be undertaken by the College itself or by Prospects. That assessment will identify allthe help and support he'll require at College - e.g. laptop, one-to-one support etc. Make sure they get *all8 his difficulties listed and supported (a bit like a Statement).

The LA are then told how much it will cost to support him and they then agree to a fund the Disabled Students Allowance. Ours is about £1600pa. Things like the laptop are ordered directly by the LA from a company and are sent to you. The rest of the money will fund support - so it goes to the College for them to hire in staff as necessary - that's how ours works. In DS's case they hire in an NAS support worker (Prospects can help you with that too).

It all sounds very complicated but it's just a mater of slogging through the forms and hastening them - DSA assessment is the most important of all these applications.

Meanwhile you'll need to take him along to open a Student bank Account into which Student Finance will pay his student loan and special support grant in 3 equal amounts - one for each term.

If he's planning to live away tell me - ther is another whole host of applications you'll need to make for that.

I think he's making the right call by leaving Toss-pot College (you really should name and shame thse fuckwits).

I've always said to you that HE is a totally different game - the support really is there.

Best wishes - W

Just to clear up a misconception in some of the earlier posts on this thread:

There are Foundation Years - a one-year Level 3 course prior to starting a full 3 year degree. As a Level 3 course it's not counted as HE and therefore the student is not eligible for any HE funding. All you can do is to continue to claim Child Benefit and Child tax Credit. Most Art degree courses insist you do a Foundation year prior to the 3 year degree course.

And then there are Foundation Degrees which are different. These are Level 4 courses that are 2 years long, run by FE Colleges and do count as HE so the student is eligible for HE funding. The course will be affiliated to a University which the student can then chose to go to to complete the 3rd year of a degree course and , as Vic said, they'll then be awarded a full degree. For example you can do 2 years Graphic Design Foundation Degre at FE College in Bath and then edo the 3rd year at the University of Plymouth.

Took quite a bit of getting my head around this - wish they'd called them something different.

witty thankyou! this is a bloody nightmare - i thought i had another year to do all this form filling.

im going to digest your post in bite size chunks.

he will indeed be living at home while doing the first 2 years. he will then go and live at uni for the 3rd year.

im now frantically trying to find P60s and DLA award notices....

ive found my p60 for last year, cant find DH

ive found DH p60 for this year, cant find mine

i have however found the DLA award notice.

i need a filing cabinet.

btw - do student finance accept tax credit award notices as proof of parental earning? i might be able to find them.

The notes that accompany the actual form tell you what evidence to provide.

Evidence of income from employment and self-employment
Supporting an application for 2010/11?

send in financial evidence for the 2008-09 tax year
P60s should be dated April 2009
You can send the items below as evidence of your earned income. If you were employed for part of the tax year, and self-employed (or unemployed) for the rest, you should send appropriate evidence to cover all of these periods.

Any P60 or wage slips you submit must be printed ? hand-written slips are not acceptable.

Employment income
original P60s (hand-written P60s are not acceptable)
'month 12' payslip with total paid to date

'week 53' payslip with total paid to date

a signed or stamped letter from your employer confirming relevant tax year earnings

confirmation from accountant of income from employment

statement of earnings from HM Revenue and Customs

You'll also need to send the same information for any of DS's earnings. Plus you'll also need to send his birth cert / passport.

Just send a copy of the DLA award and a covering letter saying "I think I am eligible for DSA because I recieve DLA..."

is hm revenue and customs the same as inland revenue?

i realise im being mightily thick here btw!

Yep

yep to being thick or yep to the same!

best find the tax credit award notice then....i did have my P60s for that. god knows where they are now....

when i get paid im going to get a filing cabinet.

yep to being thick or yep to the same!

I reaised my mistake as soon as I'd posted it

yep - to HMRC

no - to you being thick

lol!
its ok. i am being a bit thick.

i really do need to learn to file 'stuff'