Education options for young people aged 16 and over

Explore your options

All young people must continue in education or training until they are 18.

After you turn 16 and finish Year 11, you could:

• stay in full-time education and go to a general further education college, a sixth form college or a school sixth form
• start training in a workplace, for example as an apprenticeship, traineeship or internship
• start working or volunteering for 20 hours a week, if it is part of an education or training course

You can talk to your family and friends, your teachers and the special needs co-ordinator at your schools or other professionals working with you, about your options and what to do next.

If you have an education, health and care plan (EHCP)

If you have an EHCP, your school will start to help you think about the future at your annual review in Year 9.

The review meeting is where you talk about what you might want to do in the future and what support you might need. Your parents or carers and your teachers will work with you to make a plan for your next year at school.

You can also find out more about the process for a young person with EHCP due to move into post-16 education

If you decide to leave full-time education

If you would like to leave school and get a job, there are many ways that you can get support.

Find out more information about getting help finding work, training and volunteering.

Get careers advice

You can use the National Careers Service website to get advice about your future.