School, college, or university

If you are at school, college, or university and you have epilepsy, a law called the Equality Act 2010 aims to make sure you are treated fairly by everyone involved in your education. This includes lessons, trips out, practical subjects, and exams.

The charity Disability Rights UK has more information about the Equality Act 2010. Call their Disabled Student Helpline on 0330 995 0414.

Telling others and getting support if you need it

Wherever you are studying it might be useful for other people to know about your epilepsy. This means they can help you if you have a seizure at school or college. But you may want to choose who you tell about your epilepsy. The important thing is to find a balance that you are happy with.

For some people having epilepsy won’t affect how well they get on at school, college, or university. However, it may be worth thinking about the following:

• If you take anti-seizure medication (ASM) and it makes you feel sleepy or tired, it may be more difficult to concentrate or learn new information.
• After a seizure you might feel confused or tired so it’s important that you have time to fully recover. Your teacher or lecturer might go back over key information for you if you ask them. Or a friend might be able to explain what you missed.
• Schools, colleges, and universities are required to give you some support if you need it. If your epilepsy affects your school or college work, talking to a teacher or to the college about ways they can support you may be helpful.

See more about epilepsy and education at school and epilepsy at university.

Support for higher education providers

Higher education is a time of learning and self-discovery, but sometimes epilepsy can get in the way. Physical injuries from seizures, side effects of medication, or increased social anxiety can be some of the things people with epilepsy struggle with. By understanding more about epilepsy colleges and universities can help to support people better.

That's why we're hosting our one-off ‘Epilepsy in higher education’ course on 16 July. We want to support higher education providers by sharing knowledge and understanding of how they can best support students with epilepsy.

If you're in higher education, or you want to know more sign-up to our exclusive course to help support your student disability services.

Epilepsy Society is grateful to Dr F J Rugg-Gunn Consultant Neurologist & Honorary Associate Professor, Clinical Lead, Chalfont Centre for Epilepsy, who reviewed this information.

Information updated: November 2023