Post-16 options: compare the course, setting and support

The short answer

Compare more than course names. Ask what the young person will learn, where and how they will spend each day, what qualifications or work experience are included, how support is arranged, what travel is required and what the route can lead to next. Sixth form, further-education college, apprenticeships and supported employment routes place different demands on independent study, communication, travel and workplace learning. The names, funding and eligibility rules differ across the UK, so check the current route for the nation and provider concerned.

• Start with the young person’s interests, preferred environment and support needs.
• Compare the timetable, teaching style, travel and unstructured parts of each option.
• An apprenticeship is a paid job with training; it is not college with a longer placement.
• England’s supported internships are unpaid study programmes for eligible 16-to-24-year-olds with an EHC plan.
• Visit support staff as well as the teaching department.
• Ask what happens if the first choice is unavailable or proves inaccessible.