Question about 3 year residency

Hello

For context, I am 17 yo thinking about going to university this year
I am of British nationality and so is the rest of my family, however, I went to live abroad with my mother for a period of about 4 years to complete my GCSEs and secondary education. I returned to the UK in mid 2023 where my father resides and owns a home, but to be eligible for student loans I need to have lived in the UK for the last 3 years, so I was wondering if there are any exceptions to this rule? I heard about temporary absence or something but I don't know if my situation counts as temporary absence (lived abroad for educational purposes). I've also heard something like if you are a family member of someone who is ordinarily resident (my father)