Buckinghamshire College Group - Parent Guide 2023-2024

Parent’s Guide to a Student’s time at College

Welcome to Bucks College Group

I am delighted to welcome you to Buckinghamshire College Group...

We know it can be a little daunting coming to College from school and I want to reassure you that we have our students’ best interests at heart and will work tirelessly to support them through their journey with us.

We strongly believe that working together in partnership with our students and parents supports the achievement of their goals and ambitions. Your support and encouragement in students’ studies alongside their tutors is really important to their success and your feedback is always welcome.

We are a technical, professional and vocational skills education and training College and place a high importance on preparing our students for work, whether this is through progression to further study, university, an apprenticeship or into employment.

Our standards are similar to those young people will find when they enter work and we expect high standards of work, punctuality, 100% attendance, positive attitudes to learning and professional, respectful behaviour in and out of classrooms and workshops.

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During their time at College students will undertake lots of work experience and work-related activities, alongside continuously developing English, Maths and digital skills which helps to build their CV and experience making them stand out from others when they apply for the next stage in their career journey. We ask for your help in working with us to reinforce these standards and behaviours to help all of our students get the most out of their time at College.

Welcome to Bucks College Group

We have a wide range of support and pastoral services available to students so please encourage them to contact their course leader in the first instance if they are struggling in any way.

Please watch out for emails from the College or notifications on the parent portal for key communication messages. Please also let us know what you love about College and where you think we have not yet got it right so that we can take steps to improve.

I wish you and our students a happy, safe and successful year at College.

Best wishes,

Jenny Craig Principal and CEO

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Contents

CONTENTS

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Welcome

1

What you can expect from us

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What we ask of you

7

How we will communicate with you

8

Attendance

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Learning Support

12

Safeguarding & Welfare

15

Ready Respectful Safe

16

WISPA Sessions

18

Industry Placements & Work Experience

19

Learning Resource Centres

20

Student Engagement Team

22

College Calendar

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Contents

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Expectations

EXPECTATIONS What you can expect from us

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Ensure that each student obtains the skills and qualifications they need in order to reach their chosen destination.

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The opportunity to meet and work with local employers so that they can develop their technical, vocational and employability skills to get them ahead of the competition.

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Parent Information Evenings to discuss students’ progress with tutors and managers.

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A timely response to any query or concern.

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Advice and support to help them succeed academically and grow as a person.

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Contact from The College should we become concerned about their attendance, progress or welfare.

Expectations

What we ask of you •

Encourage your young person to have 100% attendance and to be punctual. There is a direct link between attendance and achievement and good attendance is crucial to success. College differs from school as the start and finishing times vary so it might be helpful to have a copy of their timetable to ensure they are on time for their lessons.

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Help them with their time management. You could ask if they are keeping their notes up to date and getting their assignments in on time, taking an interest in their course and encouraging them to achieve especially if they are finding work a challenge.

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Encourage them to ask for help if the need arises or inform us if you become concerned about any aspect of their progress and wellbeing.

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Ensure they are attending all parts of the Study Programme, including Maths & English, ‘WISPA’, Tutorial programmes, employer lead projects and work placements.

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How we will communicate with you

HOW WE WILL COMMUNICATE WITH YOU - PARENT PORTAL Buckinghamshire College Group’s Parent Portal has been designed to enable parents and carers to monitor a young person’s progress at College.

The Parent Portal is updated every day and allows for a current view of progress to be seen on demand. The portal displays a student’s attendance, academic progress, timetable, targets and meeting records.

The portal can be used to view a copy of a student’s timetable and examination results. Attendance and punctuality is updated daily following the marking of registers. Academic Progress (Markbook) is updated in line with the Assessment Schedule as course work is received and marked by tutors. We provide a ‘Parent Portal User Guide’ on the home page of the portal with more detail on how to make use of the system.

Automatic Registration We send out login details to the parent/carers email address provided during the enrolment process. Details are sent out normally within two weeks of a course starting. Most parent and carers access the system using this method.

Manual Registration Further parents/carers can register to the system by following a process which is designed to ensure each request is approved and checked for security. Parents/carers wishing to register need to obtain a student’s Parent Pin (a six character code). The PIN is shown only to the student on their EILP which is part of ‘Cloud’ (the student portal). Once the Parent Pin has been provided, parents/carers can click Register on the Parent Portal page of our website and complete the registration form.

Requests usually take 5 working days to review, with login details provided by email.

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Parent events are planned throughout the College year along with progress reports available on Parent Portal.

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Study Programme Progress Review Week w/c 11th December 2023

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Reports available on Parent Portal – w/c 5th January 2024

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Study Programme Parents Evenings – 8th, 15th & 22nd January 2024

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Study Programme Progress Review Week – w/c 25th March 2024

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Reports available on Parent Portal – w/c 12th April 2024

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Study Programme Parents Evenings – 16th, 23rd & 30th April 2024

How we will communicate with you

Dates for the diary

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Expectations Attendance

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Attendance

ATTENDANCE Attendance is a key component of your young person’s ability to succeed and reach their full potential whilst studying at the College.

All study programmes have been designed so that students acquire knowledge, information and experience, in classroom, workshop and industry environments, so attending all lessons in their study programme is vital.

There is significant academic research that shows attendance directly affects the grades students achieve and their future education or employment prospects.

The College expectation is 100% attendance and we would not expect an individual student’s attendance to fall below this. Please encourage your young person to attend all lessons, unless there are extenuating circumstances.

If we have concerns about your young person’s attendance, the course leader or careers coach will be in touch to work with you and your young person to create and agree attendance targets.

Successful completion of the study programme may be at risk if attendance remains below the agreed target.

By working together, we aim to ensure your young person has the very best chance of success.

Absences should be reported by completing our Student Absence form available from Cloud. Once submitted, this form is sent to their subject area to notify them of the absence.

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Learning Support

LEARNING SUPPORT Learning Support is a service for students who might need some extra help while studying with us. We can provide additional support for you if you have a learning difficulty, disability, medical condition, literacy, numeracy or language need. It is available to all students subject to assessment and agreement of need and resources.

A Learning support questionnaire should be completed at enrolment for in class support and/or access arrangements. If in doubt, please complete a questionnaire.

Learning Support Assistants provide support across Foundation, Level 1 and Level 2 courses depending on a students special educational needs (SEND).

Most support is delivered in theory lessons including English and Maths. A reduced level of support can be arranged for some identified students on level 3 courses.

If you have an Education and Health Care Plan known as an EHCP, your support will be tailored to meet the provision outlined in your plan and we will meet with you throughout the year to check how you are getting on and discuss any problems or changes that need to be made to your support.

To further support students, we have an Inclusion Hub at each campus.

Our Inclusion Hub can help and support with coursework and upcoming assignments.

Useful Contacts learningsupport@buckscollegegroup.ac.uk Amersham: 01494 585 341 Aylesbury: 01296 588 522 Wycombe: 01494 585 341 12

Ready Respectful Safe

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Safeguarding & Welfare

SAFEGUARDING & WELFARE We are committed to the safeguarding and welfare of our students. We provide and maintain a friendly and safe learning environment for all our students.

We act immediately on any concerns that you or a student may have. The College is committed to safeguarding the welfare of your young person. To meet those responsibilities, the College will ensure that relevant and effective safeguarding practices exist and are actively promoted within the College.

All students have a right to be safe and protected both within the College, online and whilst engaging in College-related activities. Their safety, welfare and well-being are of paramount importance.

We encourage students to raise a concern regarding themselves or others via their student portal or by visiting student services. (Available on each campus.) Our Student Services can also help by signposting to external agencies such as counselling.

Get in touch If you or your young person have any concerns, these can be raised by speaking to a Progress Coach, Course Leader, a member of Student Services or raising a concern via Cloud (VLE) studentservices@buckscollegegroup.ac.uk Amersham 07772 839482 Aylesbury 07920 072463 Wycombe 07772 893257

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Ready Respectful Safe

READY RESPECTFUL SAFE We are committed to the safeguarding and welfare of our students. We provide and maintain a friendly and safe learning environment for all our students.

The College is committed to treating all students fairly and equitably and to helping students across all learning programmes to perform effectively. As a College we support, facilitate and promote positive behaviour through our Ready Respectful Safe approach. This is framed around five pillars: consistent calm adult behaviour; positive reinforcement; relentless routines; scripts for difficult interventions; restorative conversations.

Ready Respectful Safe supports our college values:

Ambition - we are highly ambitious and support everyone to achieve more than they ever thought possible.

Innovation – we are continuously improving and embrace the power to think differently about how we learn and work.

Integrity – we operate with honesty and fairness and deliver on our promises.

Respect – we value diversity and the opinions and contributions of others, acting with kindness and respect for all.

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Ready Respectful Safe

Lockdowns As a College, we must also plan for those unexpected and extremely rare situations where the College must ‘lockdown’.

What is a lockdown?

A lockdown involves the College preventing threats and intruders from gaining access into College buildings and preventing them from moving through the building.

Usually a lockdown situation will be declared on the recommendation of police or emergency personnel. If this occurs, parents will be notified as soon as it is practical to do so.

What should parents do?

Parents/carers are requested not to come to the College, as students will not be released to parents/carers during a lockdown. Parents/carers are also asked not to call the College as this may tie up emergency lines which must remain open.

Parents/carers should not expect their young person to call them, nor should they call student mobiles, as the lockdown situation requires silence in order not to alert an intruder to the presence of students and staff in classrooms.

If your young person’s stay at college is extended beyond the regular time, you will receive information about the time and place that you can pick up your young person. Please be assured in the event of lockdown, that the only consideration for the College is the safety and wellbeing of your young person.

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WISPA

WISPA WISPA Sessions (Wellbeing, Inclusion, Sustainability, Professionalism and Ambition) All students will be timetabled as a group to attend the WISPA tutorial programme and one-to-one progress sessions. Both these sessions are mandatory. Within these sessions they will:

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Set ProMonitor skills development targets for attendance, punctuality, academic assessments and homework tasks.

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Develop a ProMonitor Individual Learning Plan (ILP) including their careers and progression action plan.

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Undertake topics to enhance and enrich their personal development.

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Undertake one-to-one progress discussions relating holistically to personal development and behaviour and attitudes throughout their learning journey.

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Work readiness

Together with their Progress Coach, students will make informed judgements on whether they are meeting their targets. We also have a qualified careers advisor who can provide free, confidential, impartial advice to all students.

The WorkZone Team work with the curriculum to support their students to find work experience (WEX) and Industry Placement. All students will be introduced to the team during induction and the process of finding an appropriate work experience will be discussed.

The expectation for the completion of work experience hours for the Study Programme students are as follows: •

Entry 3 and Level 1 students - 35 hours of work experience undertaken on a day they are not attending college.

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Level 2 students - 35 to 70 hours, depending on how many GCSE retakes need to be taken. Again, this will be undertaken on a day they are not in college.

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Level 3 students - 35 to 70 hours, depending on GCSE retakes. This Work Experience could be a block two weeks or on a day(s) they are not in college.

Industry Placements & Work Experience

INDUSTRY PLACEMENTS & WORK EXPERIENCE

T Level qualifications •

T Level Transition - 70hr placement. Block or days not attending college. The student will be expected to complete a 315hr mandatory placement across their two-year course.

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T Levels - 315hr placement. Undertaken in blocks or on days they are not in college. The Industry Placement will be relevant and meaningful to the students career aspirations and could lead to a fulltime job or apprenticeship.

The WorkZone Team will be there to guide you every step of the way.

Get in touch placements@buckscollegegroup.ac.uk

01494 585 582 19

Learning Centres

LEARNING CENTRES Accessible to all college students and staff, the Learning Centres at each of the three campuses cater to your learning, research, and teaching needs.

Our welcoming and informative service, paired with modern facilities, create an ideal environment for studying.

With a vast compilation exceeding 15,000 books, encompassing both audio and e-books, along with an array of over 80 journals, magazines, and newspapers, our collection is truly comprehensive. Furthermore, we offer access to a diverse range of electronic databases, empowering you with an abundance of knowledge at your disposal.

The Learning Centres continuously expand their range of electronic resources, including subject-specific databases, full-text electronic journals, e-book collections, e-maps, and image databases. Access to these resources is conveniently available via the Cloud, allowing students and staff to utilize them anytime and anywhere.

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Student Engagement Team (SET)

STUDENT ENGAGEMENT TEAM (SET) Buckinghamshire College Group values its student voice and this is reflected through the work of the Student Engagement Team. Our Student Engagement Team are a team led by students for students. These dedicated students meet regularly throughout the year to discuss everything that affects our students, from local fundraising, food prices as well as the everyday running of the College.

Students can get involved with key decisions and the direction of the College by taking part in a number of student roles. We are always keen to listen to our student views and ideas, their voice really does matter.

Areas where students can get involved:

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Student Lead for Integrity (Culture and Inclusivity)

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Student Lead for Ambition (Careers)

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Student Lead for Innovation (Sustainability)

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Student Lead for Respect (Wellbeing)

College Calendar

COLLEGE CALENDAR Start of Term 1

6th September 2023

Half Term Break - Term 1

23rd October 2023 – 27th October 2023

End of Term 1

14th December 2023

Start of Term 2

3rd January 2023

Half Term Break - Term 2

12th February 2023 – 16th February 2023

End of Term 2

28th March 2023

Start of Term 3

16th April 2023

Bank Holiday (College closed)

6th May 2023

Half Term Break - Term 3

27th May 2023 – 31st May 2023

End of Term /Year

3rd July 2023

GCSE Results Day

22nd August 2023

Aylesbury

Wycombe

Amersham

Oxford Road Aylesbury Buckinghamshire HP21 8PD 01296 588 588

Spring Lane Flackwell Heath High Wycombe Buckinghamshire HP10 9HE 01494 585 555

Stanley Hill Amersham Buckinghamshire HP7 9HN 01494 585 273 23

buckscollegegroup.ac.uk