Your options in education
Wondering what's next after GCSEs or N5s? There are so many different options and the path you choose is completely up to you.
What are my choices?
There are a wide variety of choices for post-16 education. In some cases, you might be able to study for more than one kind of qualification at once. For example, you might do a BTEC diploma and A Levels at the same time, or complete another qualification as part of an apprenticeship.
Depending on your interests, your skills and your future plans, you could think about:
- A Levels (or Highers in Scotland): A Levels are a good choice if you want to keep studying the kinds of subjects you did at school, like maths, English or history. They take two years to complete. Sometimes, you can stay in your school's sixth form, or move to a sixth form college or Further Education (FE) college.
- Apprenticeship: This is an ideal option if you know which job you want to do. An apprenticeship is a way of training while you're on-the-job, while also studying for a qualification at college or university. Apprentices are paid for their work, and apprenticeships are available in all sorts of fields, such as engineering, law, construction, business, beauty and childcare.
- BTEC diplomas: These qualifications are perfect if you're interested in an industry, but not sure which specific job you would like to do. Usually they take one to two years and can be studied at a further education (FE) college. Many courses also include work experience placements. There are thousands of courses to choose from, including health and social care, performing arts, travel and tourism, hospitality, media, sport and loads more!
- T Levels: This is a two year course that lets you study a particular industry in depth, while also getting some work experience. Students spend most of their time studying at college, but they do also complete work placements in their chosen industry. T Levels are still a fairly new qualification and new courses are still being developed, but from 2023, you could study T Levels in agriculture, finance, animal care, science, healthcare, catering and many more!
I want to go to university later - which qualification should I choose now?
There are many qualifications that can help you get into university! A Levels (and Highers) are the most popular choice, particularly if you want to study a subject like English, maths, languages, politics or science.
But if you want to do a course that is more vocational (linked to a specific job or industry), you might prefer taking T Levels. Depending on the level, BTEC diplomas can also qualify you for some university courses.
Considering your options
When considering your options, you might think about:
- your interests - it's important that you enjoy what you're studying. This will help keep you motivated and engaged in your course! You might think about the subjects you enjoyed at school, or things you like to do in your spare time. Maybe there's something that interests you but you've never done it before!
- your future career - do you have a clear idea of the job you want to do? You may not yet - that's ok! But if you do, think about which qualifications will help you reach your goal.
- your skills and talents - everyone is good at something! Maybe you are an amazing mathematician or writer? Perhaps you're great at working with your hands or organising events? Whatever your talents, think about which you want to develop and which qualifications would suit you best.
Remember - no option is better than any other. There is no 'right choice', only the right choice for you!
We asked young deaf people to tell us about the choices they made for their education:
Hello, my name is Daniel. I am 17 years old and my level of hearing is moderate in both ears. I communicate by speech and wear hearing aids. My hobbies are woodworking and photography. I am currently studying a 2-year T Level in Laboratory Science at college.
Following Results Day, I was indecisive of what I wanted to do. I had thought about doing carpentry at college or doing an apprenticeship in warehousing, but I decided that it would be too loud for me in those work environments with all the noise of the machines whirring and the forklift truck beeping all the time.
Then I heard about T Levels! They are a great qualification to study – a T Level is a Level 3 qualification that is the equivalent of three A levels. They are perfect for those who prefer practical work rather than academic and theory work. Following the qualification, you can go straight into the workplace, or you can go and do further study, for example at university.
The reason why I chose this course is because of my GCSE results. I got very high grades for science and decided to use them. The barriers that I had to overcome was a lack of awareness about deafness from my peers and my tutors. But after explaining to them how they can be more deaf aware, I am thriving! In my class there is only eight people so it means that I can hear the tutor better. Following a discussion with my tutors on how to be more deaf aware, they activated the captions on videos.
My course consists of Biology, Chemistry and Physics experiments. We study the theory behind the experiments in depth and learn about how different industries use these techniques. The course also includes health and safety training, writing risk assessments for the experiments, and managing and storing data. The experiments that we do are more advanced than those at GCSE level as we study microbiology, water testing and metrology.
For a T Level, you are required to carry out an industry placement. I did mine at a secondary school. I helped the teaching staff by assisting in practical lessons and sharing my knowledge with the students. I also helped maintain stock control of the materials required as well as setting up the day’s experiments.
My tips for other deaf young people would be follow your dreams and you will succeed!
Hi! I’m Holly, I’m 19. I have moderate to severe to profound deafness depending on the weather (literally). I use speech and have started learning BSL at University. I use a radio aid, a transcription device and double hearing-aids. I’m part of my University’s BSL group, I’m in an acapella singing group and I’ve been dancing since I was two. I study French and Philosophy at university.
I had originally planned to go to a different university but I ended up having to go through Clearing. This is where applicants that didn’t get into their first-choice universities are matched to places that haven’t been filled yet. As a result, I didn’t have many expectations since I was just happy to get in. The only thing I was slightly concerned about was how close I was to my hometown. However, this isn’t as bad as I thought it would be. It’s actually quite nice to be able to pop home (especially when the washing machine breaks).
I’ve loved my first term. It’s been hectic, a little stressful and there has been a lot to get used to, but it’s genuinely been the best three months of my life so far. There’s been formals and new friendships, fun memories and quirky lecturers. So much has happened and, even though I’ve only been at uni for one term, I feel like my confidence and my independence has grown so much. Living away from home has definitely helped this, and having an accessible fire alarm makes me feel safe when in my room.
However, there have been some challenges. A major one was an inaccessible exam as part of my French module I had. This assessment was extremely important and has an impact on whether I could move up to the second year. It was nerve-racking for everyone on my course, but considering it was an exam that relied on being able to hear and replicate sounds, it was a little more stressful for me. I was originally not going to take the paper, but was convinced by one of my lecturers to try. We had weekly extra sessions and I did about two hours of studying every day for it. The exam itself went well and I did a lot better than expected, but I was almost convinced that I was going to fail because it was a test that relied on being able to hear sounds that I can’t hear, as well as distinguish between different noises such as ‘ooh’ and ‘euh’.
Next term I’m looking forward to learning more (nerdy, I know!) and making more memories with my friends. I’m also looking forward to getting my year abroad set up. The plan is that I will teach English in a French-speaking country. I’m excited but I need to make sure it’s accessible. It will take me longer to get that ready than others which is why I’ll be starting the process in spring.
My four top tips for Deaf young people that want to go to university are these:
- Practise advocating for yourself before you go to university: Even if you’re eight or nine, self-advocating is such a vital skill that can only get better the more you do it. All you need to do is politely tell people how they can help you as a Deaf young person - from asking someone to repeat themselves, to turning down the music at a party whilst they’re talking to you.
- Find a university with a good disability support department: Being Deaf means you’ll face certain challenges that hearing people don’t face. Having disability support officers in your corner helps a lot, and allows you to be more independent without losing out on help.
- Do the course you want to do, not the course people think you’re able to do: Do the course you want to do, not the course people think you’re able to do - I love learning languages and debating. Both of these things require being able to hear, but that doesn’t necessarily mean you have to hear the way others do. I use my eyes to hear, as well as by using assistive technology. This means I can still access my course even though I’m Deaf. Being Deaf isn’t a limiting factor for anyone, even if some people think it is.
- Don’t be afraid to get out of your comfort zone: Join societies. Go out with friends every so often. Talk - or sign - to people. It might seem a little scary at first, but it’s how you build a support network that’ll help you so much during your time at uni.
I hope these tips help, and that me sharing my experiences at uni helps too. Remember that university is an option that’s open for anyone, regardless of whether they’re hearing or Deaf.
Hi! My name is Dinah, I’m 19 years old and I have a moderate to severe hearing loss. I’m studying Medicine at university, but in my spare time I love to cook, play football and spend time with my flatmates and friends. I use speech to communicate but use a lot of technology such as hearing aids, Roger mics and captioning to help with my hearing loss.
Over the summer, the run-up to getting my A-Level results built up a lot of anxiety and uncertainty. So when my place at university was confirmed, the excitement definitely took over!
I wasn’t really sure what to expect at uni. Moving to a new city and living with people I had never met was a big decision, but one I’m very pleased I’ve made. I was worried that I would feel left-out during Freshers’ week as I’m not one to enjoy clubbing or loud gatherings (partly due to my hearing loss). But I soon found my feet and have found a great group of friends who enjoy socialising in a similar way to me.
I currently live with nine other people, each with our own bedrooms, but sharing a large kitchen. For most people, the concern would be too much noise at night-time, but this is not a problem for me being deaf! I enjoy living with a lot of people as it is very social and we all get along really well, but sometimes the kitchen gets noisy and I miss parts of the conversation. My flatmates are all really understanding, particularly as one of them has deaf people in their family. They make sure to repeat things they’ve said or get my attention before talking to me.
Although my overall experience of uni so far has been positive, there definitely have been some challenges. I was supposed to get specialist notetaking support through my Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA). This means a professional notetaker with medical knowledge would write down notes in my lectures for me, so I won’t miss any important information. Unfortunately, this hasn’t happened and it has been very difficult and frustrating to try and sort out. My university has funded some support for now, but this hasn’t worked out because no specialist medical notetakers have been available.
I anticipated this would be an issue and I didn’t want to let it stall my university experience. I focused on making a ‘Plan B’ – using online summary resources, recording lectures and using my Roger mic. Medicine is an extremely content-heavy course - I do sometimes struggle with the workload but I’m motivated to find ways around this.
Studying can be stressful, so it’s important to find ways to take your mind off studying and enjoy your university experience. I cook quite a lot at home and taking time each day to make my dinner and eat with my flatmates means that I get a break from work and some time to relax before bed. During Freshers’ Fair, I signed up to a lot of activities, some that I had done before and some that were completely new. I tried as many as I could and picked my favourites, such as an art class, a comedy show production and women’s football, which I look forward to every week. I play tennis as well, but I find it harder to socialise if I have to shout and try to hear from the other side of the court!
Since moving to university, a big thing for me has been having more responsibility for my own healthcare. My parents have always been there to make appointments and be a ‘second set of ears’ at the doctor’s. So when I started having extreme ear pain and additional hearing loss in the early hours of a Saturday around two weeks into university, I was a bit panicked of what to do! My only option was to phone 111 using captioning. I struggled for a few days, as my hearing was reduced significantly more than usual, and I was only allowed to wear one hearing aid while my ears recovered. This made lectures and socialising a lot more difficult, but in a way, it helped my new friends to better understand my deafness and find good ways to communicate with me. Thankfully my ears recovered and I managed to catch up.
It’s important to consider that university is very different to sixth form or college, and the support you find useful may not be the same. I applied for Disabled Student Allowance (DSA) and the technology side has been great. I was given lots of useful equipment such as software, a specialist Bluetooth stethoscope, and a new Roger mic. Applying for DSA early is vital, as the process takes a while to complete, and having everything ready before term starts means you’re more prepared.
Dinah’s Top Tips:
- Choose where you live carefully: I love the social side of having a big shared kitchen, but if you hate mess then I would advise against it!
- Ask your university if you can talk to another deaf person on your course before starting: Although every deaf person is different, it’s really useful to hear what the university does to support them, and whether they have any advice.
- Get involved in the uni experience outside of your course: There’s a huge variety of opportunities, and there are ways you can meet new people that don’t involve loud background noise and clubbing (if that’s not your thing!)
- Get work experience, particularly if your course is vocational: It will give you an idea of what support and adaptations you may need.
- Connect with other deaf people at your university if you can: There’s currently no deaf society at my university, and it’s something that I’ve been considering setting up. I haven’t met many people with hearing loss at university, but when I do, it’s very easy to start a conversation as you already have something in common!
- If your original support doesn’t work out, make a fuss and fight for it: Don’t be afraid to escalate a situation. You have the right to accessible education.