Education

  If your child has been recently diagnosed we suggest taking the following steps:

Supporting your child through their education, needs to be approached as a working partnership between families and school. The following is a brief outline of the steps you should take when talking to the school following a diagnosis of TS:

• Organise a meeting with the school to discuss how TS affects your child
• Find out what the school's level of understanding is regarding TS - what experience do they have of supporting pupils with TS?
• Provide Tourettes Action information and resources for teachers
• Discuss the possibility of informing the rest of the class/school about TS to help reduce any misunderstanding, unwanted attention or bullying 
• Remember to discuss support needs around your child's TS and any related conditions, such as OCD, anxiety etc.
• Share information about strategies you have found helpful at home
• If your child is on medication, explain the possible side effects and inform the school of any changes to medication
• Stay in communication with the school and meet with your child's class teacher and/or SENCO as and when needed, keeping records of discussions about your child's progress
• Discuss ways for your child to manage their tics during the school day, and what adjustments the school can make to support your child  

Presentations

• Presentation for Primary School children - explains about Tourette Syndrome and can be used to raise awareness both at home and in school - download the presentation here
• Presentation for Secondary School children - explains about TS and is a good tool to help educate older children and raise awareness - download the presentation here

EHCP

An Education, Health and Care plan ('EHC plan') is a legal document. It sets out a child/young person's special educational needs, the support they need, and what they'd like to achieve. It covers birth to 25 years (if a young person stays in education). Read our comprehensive Factsheet - EHCP and TS with information regarding how to apply, the appeals process and much more.

Resources

• We provide bespoke advice for parents regarding any questions or concerns about their child's education and school experience. Please contact our Education Manager Lucy for further information. 

• Key Facts For Teachers leaflet - an easy-to-read leaflet that outlines the main facts that all teachers need to know when supporting a child with TS (see right-hand side downloads)

• What Makes Us Tic leaflet – an introduction to TS (see right-hand side downloads)

• Tourette Syndrome Passport - a support aid for students which contains information about their TS symptoms. Contact Venetia for your FREE passport
• Managing exam stress - click here for information on how to deal with anxiety and stress at exam time
• Exam Access Arrangements - This factsheet will inform you of everything you need to know regarding the exam access arrangements available and answer some quastions to help you decide if your child might benefit from putting them in place
• Preparing for Exams with TS - Revision Tips - This factsheet offers tips on how to best prepare for exams
• TS Social Story - a learning tool to help support the exchange of information between children with TS and their teachers, friends and others in social situations (see right-hand side downloads)

• Visit our You Tube channel for video resources

• Our Resources library has more information sheets, print and online artciles and book recommendations relating to school topics and TS

If you are an education professional please visit our Advice for teachers page 

Government support for undergraduate and postgraduate students

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

Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA) is support to cover the study-related costs you have because of a mental health problem, long term illness or any other disability, such as TS. This can be on its own or in addition to any student finance you get.

The type of support and how much you get depends on your individual needs - not your household income.

You do not need to pay back DSA.

For more information about what DSA can pay for and how to apply, please click this link.