Guide to Choosing a Disabled School or College

Choosing the right school, college or university for a child is always a big decision. But when your child has a physical disability, it is even more important to find a school or college where you are confident that your child will receive the appropriate support and care.

Choosing a disabled school
When considering the best type of education for a physically disabled child, parents are rightly concerned to find an educational establishment where their child will receive a good education, care and support, to help them achieve their full potential in life.

Some parents of physically disabled children choose a non-maintained special school, which can provide many benefits.

Special schools provide education to children who have more challenging conditions such as cerebral palsy, who are in wheelchairs, or who have other physical conditions including those with associated sensory or cognitive difficulties.

A specialist school or physically disabled children will have teachers who are normally qualified in special education, as well as their own specialist teaching subject.

These teachers will usually work alongside specialist staff and professionals from a wide range of other disciplines including psychology, therapy, care and medicine.

A special school will normally take a more holistic approach to educating and caring for a physically disabled pupil, giving special consideration to medical support and independence.

Special schools will have made a greater investment in modern equipment to aid students with their mobility, communication and education.

Physically disabled pupils at a special school will usually be provided with a bespoke care package to help them learn and develop in the way that suits them best.

Often residential education is provided, in a caring and supportive environment where special attention is given to pastoral care. The experience of boarding can often help physically disabled children grow in confidence and independence.

Non-maintained special school charge fees for education and care, which may vary according to the level of support and specialist equipment a child requires. These fees are generally paid by your Local Authority, sometimes with support from the Children’s Services’ social care department. If your child has significant medical needs, the LA may also involve the Primary Care Trust (PCT). In addition some pupils are privately funded.

Choosing a Disabled College
Physically disabled young people go to college not just to learn; they also want to acquire new skills and develop personally. A specialist college for physically disabled can help students to achieve all these aims and more.

A typical disabled college will offer a unique blend of education, with a broad range of vocational and academic programmes available to study at different levels, and Pastoral Care aimed at creating a home from home, and provided by a high ratio of staff to students.

Specialist disabled colleges and universities also provide other specialist services such as Therapy, including physiotherapists, speech and language therapists, occupational therapists and rehabilitation engineering specialists.

Disabled colleges will also provide medical support, with a professional healthcare team available around the clock, and Independence Training to help students learn essential living skills and increase the number of choices available to them in later life.

The cost of a place at a specialist disabled College varies according to the level of support and specialist equipment the student needs, the amount of support a student requires, and the support needed to achieve their academic goals and become as independent as possible.

The Learning and Skills Council (LSC) pays for places for most disabled students from England. There are separate arrangements for young people from Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Smaller numbers of UK students are independently funded.

Article provided by Treloar’s School and College for physically disabled children and students. Treloar Trust provides education, care, therapy, medical support and independence training to young people with physical disabilities from all over the UK and overseas. Our aim is to prepare these young people for adult life, giving them the confidence and skills to achieve their full potential.

Treloar School Given Specialist Status

Treloar special school in Hampshire has been awarded Specialist School status by the Department for Children, Schools and Families.

Treloar School for physically disabled children received its Specialist status in the Physical and Sensory strand.

According to DCSF, the Department for Children, Schools and Families, the Specialist Special Schools Programme is a key part of plans to raise standards, including overall levels of attainment, in special schools, and promote greater collaboration between the special schools sector and mainstream schools.

Special schools like Treloar can specialise in one of the four areas of the SEN Code of Practice i.e. communication and interaction; cognition and learning; behavioural, emotional and social difficulties; and physical and/or sensory needs.

In exchange for extra funding, supplemented by sponsorship raised, specialist special schools develop an SEN specialism and share their expertise and resources with partner schools, support services, multi disciplinary agencies and the wider community.

In order to gain Specialist School status Treloar School had to meet a range of criteria, including showing evidence of specialist practice in teaching and learning, showing evidence that the school is promoting specialist training and development of staff and demonstrating effective outreach working with mainstream schools and the wider community,

The achievement was celebrated at Treloar School on Friday 25th September 2009. Many visitors including partner local schools took part in the day, which culminated in a gathering where 30 individually designed letters were brought together to spell out "Treloar Specialist Special School". The letters were designed and made by students from many forms in the schools.

Treloar’s is a non-maintained special school for children aged seven to 16 with physical disabilities from all over the UK and overseas. The school has places for 110 residential students and up to 40 day students. One of the largest and most successful schools of its kind in the UK, its aim is quite simply to develop the talents and potential of every one of its children to help them get the best out of life. The school has been classed as "outstanding" in its most recent Ofsted inspection across education, care and therapy.

Currently, 70% of Treloar students have cerebral palsy but it welcomes children with a wide range of physical conditions, including those with associated sensory or cognitive difficulties. Around 90% of students are in wheelchairs and 40% have little or no natural speech.

Education Profile: Treloar School and College

Profile of Treloar School and College in Hampshire for physically disabled children and students.

Treloar Trust provides education, care, therapy, medical support and independence training to young people with physical disabilities from all over the UK and overseas. Their aim is to prepare these young people for adult life, giving them the confidence and skills to achieve their full potential.
Treloar's mission is to provide opportunities for physically disabled young people to:

• learn
• develop independence
• realise their potential

Treloar School

A non-maintained special school for disabled children aged from seven to 16 based at Upper Froyle near Alton, Hampshire.

Treloar College

A Beacon status specialist college for disabled students aged 16 and over, based in the outskirts of Alton, Hampshire.

History of Treloar's

Founded in 1907 Treloar’s is a registered charity with a turnover of some £19 million. Most of income comes from fees, which vary according to the level of support and specialist equipment needed by an individual student but they also need to fundraise for a further £2 million a year to keep Treloar's at the forefront of education and services for physically disabled people.

Find out more about Treloar School and College for physically disabled children and students at www.treloar.org.uk.

Sources of Financial Help for Disabled Students

Depending on circumstances, physically disabled students may be entitled to additional financial support on top of any support you receive from the standard student finance package. These types of additional funding can include:

Disabled Students Allowances

Disabled Students' Allowances are grants to help with the extra costs a student may face as the direct result of an impairment, health condition or specific learning difficulty. The amount you can get isn't affected by your household income, and the allowances do not have to be repaid: Disabled Students' Allowances.

Access to Learning Fund

If you're in financial difficulty, you may be able to claim additional financial help through the Access to Learning fund: Access to Learning Fund.

Disability Living Allowance

You may be able to claim Disability Living Allowance over and above Disabled Students' Allowances and other forms of student finance: Disability Living Allowance.

Employment and Support Allowance and Incapacity Benefit

Employment and Support Allowance and Incapacity Benefit are benefits for people with an illness or disability that affects their ability to work. If you already claim one of these benefits, you may be able to carry on receiving it as a student. You can get more information about claiming benefits while studying from Skill: National Bureau for Students with Disabilities: Skill: National Bureau for Students with Disabilities.