Parent Guide 2023

PARENT 2023

YOUR GUIDE TO MACCLESFIELD COLLEGE

WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FOR?

Introduction from Dr Lucy Reed

How do we communicate with you?

How you can communicate with us

Reporting an Absence

Important Dates

4 6 8 10 12

INTRODUCTION FROM THE DEPUTY PRINCIPAL

A warm welcome to Macclesfield College. We are delighted that your child/young person has chosen to study here.

We hope that they will enjoy their time with us, achieve their personal and academic goals and find their experience here enables them to develop skills, increase their confidence, make friends and ultimately to progress to further successes in employment, work based training or higher education.

We have included guidance about the various aspects of college life, including information on college policies and support. We hope that this booklet will become a key document that you can refer to again and again.

We hope your son/daughter/young person enjoys their time with us developing good skills, knowledge and behaviour to support their futures and we look forward to working with you this academic year.

DR LUCY REED Deputy Principal

HOW DO WE COMMUNICATE WITH YOU?

College staff will do their utmost to ensure you are kept up to date with how a student is coping.

PROGRESS EVENINGS AND PROGRESS REPORTS

Effective partnerships with parents, carers and guardians are a very important means of supporting students’ success. There will be a welcome event on Tuesday 12th September when you will be invited to a short presentation.

Please register here:

At two set points in the year, you will receive subject grades via a Progress Report and you will be invited in to discuss your son/daughter/young person’s progress with their teachers. If we have concerns about their progress we will contact you.

PARENT PORTAL

The College encourages all parents to use the Parent Portal. This will allow us to both communicate with you and for you to track the progress of your son/daughter/young person at any time. You will also be able to access up-to-date attendance information and Progress Reports when they are available. Your unique link to parent portal will be sent on email during the first few weeks of term.

EMERGENCY INFORMATION

EMERGENCY INFORMATION

Please can you all ensure that the college holds up-to-date contact details for your son/daughter/ young person. The college can only make contact with the people names as emergency contacts at the point of enrolment. It is vitally important that we hold this information and should any contact details change these need to be communicated to the college as soon as possible. Please understand that we cannot discuss a student with anyone other than those named persons.

If there is ever an occasion where your son/ daughter/young person needs to go to hospital, we will endeavour to contact you. A member of staff will accompany the student to hospital and ensure they are registered within the hospital’s care.

We also have Social Media pages on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter with lots of exciting information around the college and its community.

If you have an appointment with a staff member please report to our main reception located at the front of the college where you will be signed in as a visitor and given a visitor’s badge.

REPORTING AN ABSENCE

Students are expected to attend college 100% of the time and holidays are not permitted during term time. The College expects students to attend all their lessons and to attend on time.

Regular attendance at college is the best way to ensure your son/daughter/young person reaches their full potential and achieves at the highest possible level. When a student is absent from college they miss valuable teaching and learning. Attendance will always be requested on references for apprenticeships, universities and employers.

If your child/young person cannot attend College for any reason, a message should be left before 09:00 by calling on the absence line: 01625 410018. Notification of absence is required on each day of the absence, unless a long term absence has already been reported.

The following information you must leave is as follows:

Name of Student

Student ID Number

Reason for Absence

We expect students to book appointments with Doctors/ Dentists outside of their timetabled sessions, unless for an emergency. Parents/ carers will receive a weekly attendance update via text message.

Your child/young person is responsible to catch up on any work missed whilst absent.

Students who feel unwell whilst at college should report to the main reception. Staff will then contact a parent or carer to make arrangements for the student to get home safely.

COLLEGE POLICIES

If you would like to learn more about the college policies, scan the QR code:

IMPORTANT DATES

Monday 4 September 2023 Induction

Tuesday 5 September 2023 Induction

Wednesday 6 September 2023 16 - 18 timetables commence

Monday 11 September 2023

Adult Courses Commence

Monday 18 September 2023

HE Courses Commence

Monday 23 October 2023 to Friday

27 October 2023

Half Term Week

Friday 22 December 2023

End of Student Term

Monday 8 January 2024

Student Term Commences

Monday 19 February 2024

Friday 23 February 2024

Half Term Week

Thursday 28 March 2024 (Good Friday 29 March and Easter

Monday 1 April)

End of Student Term

AUTUMN TERM 2023

SPRING TERM 2024

SUMMER

TERM 2024

Monday 15 April 2024

Student Term Commences

Monday 6 May 2024

May Day Bank Holiday

Monday 27 May 2024 (Bank

Holiday) to Friday 31 May 2024

Half Term Week

Friday 28 June 2024

TRANSPORT

WE OFFER A COLLEGE BUS SERVICE COVERING THE FOLLOWING AREAS:

• Poynton / Adlington / Bollington/ Tytherington

• Congleton / Gawsworth

• Holmes Chapel / Knutsford / Alderley Edge

• Stockport / Cheadle / Bramhall

• Buxton / Whaley Bridge / Chapel-en-le-Frith

• Disley / Marple / Hazel Grove

• Handforth / Wilmslow

Applications for the subsidised bus can be found via our website. If you have any questions regarding transport please email studentservices@macclesfield.ac.uk

TRAVEL CHANGES AND DISRUPTIONS

For the Stockport and Knutsford bus route, you can check any changes to times or specific pick-up locations via the QR code below:

All other bus service disruptions or changes will be detailed on our social media (Facebook & Instagram), this includes cancellations to services due to extreme circumstances, such as snow. Long term disruptions will also be detailed on our website under the ‘travelling to college’ section.

EXPECTATIONS AT COLLEGE

During the first week the college’s expectations will be delivered to your son/ daughter/young person, these are the 3 A’s:

APPEARANCE

Although we do not have a uniform we do expect our students to dress in an appropriate and business-like manner. Students must wear clothes which are suitable for a learning community and mirrors that of the intended career destination. No hoods or hats can be worn when inside college. Student ID badges must be worn and visible at all times when at College. Failure to bring badge to college incurs a £5.00 replacement fee.

ATTENDANCE

The college expects students to attend all of their lessons and be on time.

ATTITUDE

We expect all students to behave in a respectful manner. Students must respect themselves, other students, staff member and the local community.

BEHAVIOUR AT MACCLESFIELD COLLEGE

At Macclesfield College our climate is positive and optimistic. We have a learning and success culture where achievement and effort are rewarded; where all are challenged to do their best and where all are valued and respected.

Our Behaviour Policy is designed to support this aim. The basis of our policy is positive: we wish to “catch students doing the right things” and reward them for it. However, on occasions, students may behave inappropriately.

Students are responsible for their own behaviour. Consequences will result from their choices – be this rewards or sanctions. Students, parents/carers and college staff share the responsibility to ensure that learning is not disrupted due to bad behaviour.

We do not tolerate anti-social behaviour in any form. However, we realise that such behaviour could be attributed to a combination of inter-related factors. Therefore, we will work closely with the student and parents/carers to develop strategies which can be adopted by both home and college to help the student overcome any problems within a consistent and secure environment.

We take a zero-tolerance stance to any instances of Harmful Sexual Behaviours including sexual harassment, sexual abuse, sexual violence peer on peer abuse. We will apply appropriate sanctions.

REWARD PROGRAMME

At Macclesfield College we believe that effort and achievement should be recognised. Through our Rewards Programme we aim to motivate and praise students for their effort, participation and achievement both individually and within their classes.

CELEBRATION CARDS

Celebration Cards will be sent home for exceptional work, behaviour and attitude mapped to our college values:

• Accountability

• Ambition

• Integrity

• Passion

• Respect

ATTENDANCE

• 100% attendance per half term

– Celebration Card sent home

• 100% attendance per term

– Certificate sent home

ADDITIONAL REWARDS

• Annual Celebration Event – invitation only for being a model student, high attendance and upholding the 3A’s.

RESPECT FOR LEARNING A B C

VERBAL WARNING

Reason for the sanction

Lateness, Defiance, Disrespectful Behaviour, Noncompliance, Failure to meet deadlines, Inappropriate classroom behaviour*

STAGE 1 - DETENTION

Reason for the sanction

If a student who displays repeated verbal warning behaviour or attendance falls to below 91.5% they will be issued with a detention.

STAGE 2 - REPORT CARD

Reason for the sanction

Continuing decline in attendance and/or continued poor behaviour.

STAGE 3 – FIXED TERM EXCLUSION

Reason for sanction

For 48 hour maximum and only 1 fixed term exclusion in any one academic year.

STAGE 4 - EXCLUSION

Reason for sanction

Any serious incident.

Parents/carers will be informed of any sanctions that are given.

COMPLAINTS

If you are not happy because of the standard of service you get from Macclesfield College; or our failure to do something we agreed to do; or the way you were treated then please complete the complaint form on our website.

SUPPORTING STUDENTS

The college has a wide range of support services available to students. We offer advice about health matters, financial issues and careers and higher education choices. Students can also access confidential support through the College Counsellor.

Macclesfield College is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults and expects all staff to share this commitment, The College has a team of Welfare officers and a Designated Safeguarding Lead.

SAFEGUARDING POLICY

We have a Safeguarding Policy which explains how the college deals with any safeguarding concerns. You can view this policy on the college website.

To ensure the safety of every student in College, we reserve the right to search students if we suspect they may have items such as drugs, weapons or alcohol. A search would be done with student’s consent and two staff members would be present, including a senior manager.

CAREER ADVICE & GUIDANCE

All students benefit from excellent careers advice and guidance. We base our Careers Programme on the Gatsby Benchmarks, which is a framework of best practice in careers. We also hold the Matrix Quality Standard for Information, Advice and Guidance. All students will have access to high quality information about future study option and job opportunities.

Support from professional trained advisers will be available to ensure this information is used effectively Students benefit from a range of opportunities to learn from employers.

Through work placements, guest speakers, industry events, information stands, mock job interviews apprenticeship fairs, careers fair and much more. We also hold a careers and skills focus week evet academic year to support students’ career readiness.