Working with the College will be slightly different from the way you may be used to working with a school.
To prepare your young person for entry into work when they finish their studies, we encourage them to be independent and to take responsibility for their learning. That means that most of our communication is direct with the student.
There may be occasions when you have concerns that you wish to raise or discuss about your young person. In the first instance this should be done through their Progress and Performance Tutor. Each student will be part of a tutorial group with regular contact with their PPT. If you wish to speak to your young person’s PPT with them, then they can arrange a time for a meeting with the PPT.
Alternatively, if you have more serious concerns, you or your young person can make an appointment to speak with their Head of Department or Curriculum Manager, who are dedicated to providing a strong and supportive academic and pastoral system for their students.
The College operates a balanced framework of support and disciplinary procedures which ensure the consistent and fair application of standards among our students. Contact with parents for students aged under-18 is an important part of our procedures when deciding the best outcomes for students.
We will write to you at different points in the year to inform you about events and College activities that are relevant to your young person. Staff may call you to discuss support or matters where you may need to intervene. We ask you to provide accurate contact information, such as a mobile telephone number and your email address through your young person. We endeavour to collect this information at enrolment.
We may need to contact you because:
- Your young person is not attending College and we have not been advised of the absence in accordance with our absence procedure. This will usually be by telephone. For persistent absence, when we have not been able to contact you by telephone, we will write to you.
- PPTs and subject tutors may contact you with concerns about engagement with the programme of study, persistent low level behaviour issues and unexplained absences. They may also contact you to let you know if your young person is entered into an award or competition.
- Heads of Department are in charge of a curriculum area and may contact you over serious academic achievement concerns or behavioural issues. They may also contact you to recognise and let you know when your young person has achieved something or note or won a competition.
- Curriculum Directors may contact you for serious behavioural issues, attendance patterns that will affect or impact on achievement, and as part of the disciplinary process. They may also contact you to recognise areas of praise that should be celebrated with your young person.
- The Safeguarding team may contact you in cases where concerns for the welfare or safety of your young person have come to light. They will only do this when it is deemed in the best interests of the young person and others. There may be occasions where the team is not allowed to do this because safeguarding legislation directs them to take other actions.
Please be aware that we will only contact the next of kin as listed on the enrolment form. Please ensure where possible that two contact names are recorded on our college system. Please check with your young person that the contact details are up to date. If your young person is 18 years or older (without an EHC Plan) we will need the student’s permission to contact you. Therefore, it is important that you check this consent has been given to allow a positive relationship between you and the college.
Your young person’s department will produce a regular newsletter to inform you of developments in their area of study.
The College will host opportunities for parents and carers to visit the campus with their young person and meet with tutors to receive feedback on performance and to provide feedback to the College.
The College will, on occasion, issue surveys to gather the view of parents to inform planning and decision making.
