SEND Directory

Access to Work can help you get or stay in work if you are 16 or older and have a physical or mental health condition or disability.

Sunny Days Children's Fund is a national registered charity that raises funds to help children under 18 with a wide range of adverse medical conditions, including Leukaemia, Cerebral Palsy, the Deaf and Blind, Terminal Illnesses, and all other life-hindering conditions.

They provide small grants to help as many children and their families as possible, whether for day trips, medical equipment, respite, hospital travel, or making children's remaining time as comfortable as possible, to include, where achievable, children's last wishes.

Help if you're a undergraduate or postgraduate student with a learning difficulty, health problem or disability

You could get a bursary to help with education-related costs if you’re aged 16 to 19 and:

• studying at a publicly funded school or college in England - not a university
• on a training course, including unpaid work experience
• A publicly funded school is one that does not charge you for attending it.

If you’re 19 and over

You could also get a bursary if you either:

Information includes information and discounts for:

• Transport accessibility
• Disabled persons freedom pass
• Taxicard
• Dial-a-Ride
• Blue Badge Parking Scheme
• Disabled Coachcard
• National Rail

If you’re aged 19 or over, on a further education course and facing financial hardship, you could get Learner Support. Learner Support can help pay for things you need to attend your course or study that are not covered by your course fees.

Grants and Holidays for Children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities and Serious Illnesses.

Short breaks, also known as respite, provide opportunities for children and young people with special needs to spend time away from their primary carers. These breaks can occur during the day, evening, overnight, weekends, or school holidays and can take place in various settings such as the child's home, an approved carer's home, a residential setting, or a community location.

Types of short breaks:

Personal budgets for children and young people with special needs and/or disabilities and their families will now be known as the Short Breaks Grant.  

A new policy statement and self-assessment form are being finalised and launched in early 2025. 

This page will soon include more details. In the meantime, if you have any questions, please contact the Disabled Children’s Team.