COLLEGE CONNECT SUPPORTING YOUR CHILD’S FUTURE SUCCESS
College Connect Issue 2 February 2020
Bolton College - Part of the University of Bolton Group
US A’int seen nothin’ yet! Football ace Jack Foxley is flying high after securing a Soccer Scholarship in the USA. The Bolton College sports student, who plays for Wanderers Soccer School’s Elite Development Squad, signed with sports recruitment experts FiveZero - they will support Jack as he decides which USA college team to sign for. The College’s partnership with Bolton Wanderers Community Trust means that Jack was well-prepared for his trial; he trains for five days a week at the Eddie Davies Training Academy, plays in competitive leagues and competes in regional and national competitions. Mike Bruns, Bolton College’s Sports & Public Services Curriculum Leader, said: “I’m very pleased for Jack, he’s a fantastic player and brilliant in the classroom, so his scholarship is well deserved.”
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Issue #2
Part of the University of Bolton Group
CONTENTS 3...5.The Little Things
Performing Arts students raise Mental Health awareness
4... 5...
Learner Support & College Charter Learning Development Mentors
College Connect Issue 2 Feb 2020
8... Careers Programme The benefits of our structured careers programme
9... icould
Discover the website that inspires young people’s career choices through their own personal stories
10... English & Maths
Part of life’s essentials
11... A Taste of the Future
Prospective students get a ‘taste’ of Bolton College!
12... T Levels
Our new Gold Standard qualification
6-7... National
Apprenticeship Week Find out about our amazing Apprenticeships!
Welcome from the Principal Our learners are at the heart of everything we do – this year, many of our students have enjoyed great success, not just locally, but nationally and worldwide. Our ultimate priority is for your daughter to have a positive experience at Bolton College. What she does next is important for his continued development and we’re here to help her every step of the way. Your daughter will be joining a College, that is part of the University of Bolton Group, with extensive links to Greater Manchester. This means he’ll benefit from opportunities to progress to a specialist career, university degree or Higher Apprenticeship. We have a great of programmes specialising in a variety of professions and occupations. Our Pre-Professionals Programme is a complete package of development and support aimed at: • • • •
Developing values and attitudes for success Preparing your daughter’s route to employment and providing valuable work experience Helping your daughter step outside his comfort zone to build independence Giving your daughter a designated Learning & Development Mentor and a taste of degree level study
We’re ambitious and have high expectations of all our learners. We’ll support your daughter to achieve high grades and make good progress by setting challenging targets and increasing her critical thinking skills. We strive for excellence in attendance, punctuality, behaviour and meeting course deadlines so you can rely on us to help your daughter to aim high. You play a vital role in his future development and we look forward to working closely with you to ensure that she achieves his ambitions. Bill Webster, Principal of Bolton College.
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Bolton College students have taken time out of the classroom to watch ‘The Little Things,’ a play about mental health, written by Dramatically Healthy in conjunction with The Octagon Theatre. The College’s Performing Arts Level 3 students starred in the production, staged in the College’s 100-seat theatre. Over a run of 32 performances, hundreds of students followed Mark, who feels increasingly stressed by the pressures of life. DVD characters then educate him about the ‘Five Ways to Wellbeing,’ Connect, Be active, Take notice, Learn and Give. To view all the photos click here.
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We want your child to get the most out of their course and have the best chance of being successful and we aim to give them any support we can including: • • • • • • • • • •
Special and individual assessment of their needs Advice on the best way to get help or to help themselves Technical equipment support Communicator support Help with English if it is their second language Dyslexia support Help with English and Maths in class or from our Drop In Centre The Hub@1.35C Support with exams, such as extra time or a reader and advice on how to use them Support with individual or group work in the classroom Help with planning and organising their work and study skills from The Hub@1.35C
If your child has a learning difficulty or disability but they didn’t indicate this on their application form please contact our Admissions Teams on 01204 48 2155 immediately so that we can start to discuss their support needs. If you would like to contact our Learner Support Team directly please call them on 01204 48 2669 or 48 2670.
College Charter Our learners are at the heart of everything we do and our ultimate priority is for your child to have a positive experience at Bolton College. Our College Charter tells you what they can expect from us now that they have been offered a place. This includes honest, open and impartial advice to help them make the right decisions throughout their life at College. We also commit to: • • • • • • • •
Giving students an induction and explaining clearly their rights and responsibilities as a member of our College community Discussing with them (and you if appropriate) any additional support they may need after their initial assessment (sometimes called a BKSB assessment) Providing a high-quality learning programme delivered by well qualified and experienced staff Holding regular meetings with students to discuss their progress Giving learners opportunities to express their views about their course and the College Promptly returning assignments with written feedback that can help students in their studies Providing opportunities to take part in enrichment activities outside of the normal classroom Supporting learners to access confidential counselling and welfare services (e.g. housing, finance and health issues) if required
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www.boltoncollege.
Learning
Development
Mentors
Our Learning Development Mentors (LDMs) are responsible for ensuring that all our learners get the maximum benefit from their time with us. Your childs’ Learning LDM is there to be their critical friend and support and guide them along their journey through College. Each week your child will meet with their LDM, along with other learners in their group, to discuss a topic to do with their course or of interest in the media. These weekly meetings will be related to the tutorial Key Themes of: Personal & Social Development, Citizenship, Progression and Equality & Diversity. Each term your child will have one to one time with their LDM to discuss and record their progress on the course, celebrate their latest successes and talk about areas where they can improve and develop. Your childs’ LDM may contact you if they feel there are issues it would benefit your child to discuss with you. Please make sure that your contact details are kept up to date.
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Getting fired up for National Apprenticeship Week! 3rd – 7th February
Apprentice Hair Stylist Caitlin Hesketh, who won ‘Apprentice of the Year’ at last year’s Bolton Business Awards, starred in one of the films. Caitlin, who works at Mirror & Mane in Wigan, said: “I love being an apprentice so I enjoyed speaking on camera about how the Apprenticeship is benefiting me, and why I’d recommend one.”
10 Qs with Caitlin
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In preparation for National Apprenticeship Week, we visited different apprentices in their workplace and produced a series of short films, showcasing the diversity and value that our Apprenticeships bring to apprentices and employers in the North West.
10 Qs with Naeem
IT Apprentice Naeem Khondoker works in the IT Department at Bolton School. He has big ambitions, and rightly so. Thanks to the support he’s receiving from Bolton School and Bolton College, he’d like to progress to a Degree Apprenticeship. Naeem said: “Being an apprentice works for me. I was never too fond of the school environment, so working whilst I’m learning suits me. I’m now starting to work on bigger jobs, fixing Apple TVs and projectors – it’s been a great learning experience.”
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www.boltoncollege.ac.uk
Careers Programme
Part of the University of Bolton Group
Preparing your child for a successful future Ensuring that your child is well prepared for a successful career will be a key priority for us. We deliver a structured Careers Programme to provide students with the skills, knowledge and understanding to manage their own lifelong learning and career development. You can take a look at the Programme by visiting www.boltoncollege.ac.uk/iag Through careers education, information, advice and guidance, we hope that your child will feel positive about themseves and develop the knowledge and skills they need to make successful choices. We will also support them to manage the transition from learning in to work, alongside helping to improve their motivation, raising their aspirations and taking responsibility for their own career plans. Did you know that….. 1. Career choice is one of life’s most important decisions. 2. Choosing a career that matches your child’s interest, skills and values significantly increases their chances for success and happiness. 3. As a parent/carer you play a crucial role in supporting your child’s career choices. 4. On joining Bolton College, your child will have access to impartial careers information, advice and guidance. 5. Free resources are readily available to help your child make informed choices with web based support from sites such as: - National Careers Service - www.nationalcareersservice.direct.gov.uk - Apprenticeship Information www.apprenticeships.gov.uk/apprentice/what-is-an-apprenticeship - Applying to University - www.ucas.com - Alternatives to University - www.notgoingtouni.co.uk 6. Our careers programme incorporates work related learning activities, work experience, visits to universities along with employer talks. We welcome feedback and suggestions from parents/carers on our Careers Programme as it is important that it meets the needs of our learners. Please do take our very short survey if you would like to share your views at: http://bit.ly/cpeng
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www.boltoncollege.ac.uk College Connect page 8
Inspiring Young People’s Career Choices
icould.com uses the power of personal stories to inform and inspire young people’s career choices. They encourage young people to discover opportunities they may not have known about before and show them what is possible in the world of work. Free and simple to use, the site features over 1,000 videos of real people talking about their careers – explaining their job role, career path and how different factors have shaped their choices. Videos can be filtered by job type or subject and cover a range of sectors and levels. This means your child can tap into views outside of their own network or equally, find inspiration from stories relating to their own experience. Each video is matched with information such as salary, qualifications and future employment. A range of written guides and articles explore issues including GCSE options or university choices; exams and revision; and finding and applying for jobs. The Buzz Quiz on icould.com is an interesting and fun way to look at self-awareness and how personality can affect career choice. We encourage you and your child to visit www.icould.com/buzz-quiz and have a go!
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Taste
of the future
Our Catering & Hospitality Department welcomed school pupils for ‘A Taste of the Future’. Would-be Chefs, who have applied for catering courses, enjoyed a tour of the College, then created a delicious three-course meal in the College’s professional kitchens. Catering tutors and Level 3 helped in the kitchens before the kitchen whizzes served up the meals to their parents and carers in the College’s Signature restaurant.
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Part of the University of Bolton Group
T Levels are a brand new Gold Standard two year, nationally recognised Level 3 qualification. Successfully completing a T Level is the exact same as finishing three A Levels. T Levels are career focused rather than subject based, combining classroom learning with meaningful on-the-job experience. The programme has been designed with employers and businesses, with the inclusion of English, maths and digital skills. A major part of a T Level is an industry-based placement, where your child will benefit from applying classroom theory to the workplace, helping to develop the exact skills employers look for. T Levels have been developed by the government as part of a long-term solution to ensure that employers get the skilled workers they need to prosper.
T Levels coming in 2021 From September 2020 your child will be able to apply for a range of T Level programmes, including: Construction – Design, Surveying & Planning Onsite Construction Digital Production, Design & Development Education & Childcare Health Pathway Science Pathway To find out more visit:
www.boltoncollege.ac.uk/t-levels
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