Basingstoke College of Technology

We work closely with learners, parents, partner secondary schools and the Local Authority to ensure we collect information about the learning needs of all of our applicants. We also work with partner secondary schools in terms of school transition. A representative attends annual reviews for Year 11 students and the team liaise with the Local Authority and post-16 specialist services. Students are invited to indicate a support need on their online application form. This leads to a referral to a specialist member of the ALS staff at interview, who confirms details of the support required and discusses how progress can be made. Support is put in place based upon the statement of educational need/EHC Plan and the transition meetings and events that take place prior to enrolment. Applicants are invited to transition events and activities so that they can make an informed choice about their chosen programme of study. All students take an initial BKSB assessment. Students with identified LDD are assessed further in ALS and a support plan for the year is put in place. This might mean working with a Specialist Support Assistant, RAP Tutor or Specialist Support Tutor. Please contact the ALS manager [mailto:Helen.Key@bcot.ac.uk Helen Key] or the Director of Student Experience, [mailto:alexis.smith@bcot.ac.uk Alexis Smith] for more information.

The team at BCoT are experienced in working with young people over a number of years. Staff are used to working with students with a wide range of disabilities. Regular update training takes place. Our focus is on putting an appropriate support plan in place that helps develop student independence over time and the achievement of appropriately challenging targets. This helps us help you to progress to a higher level course, university or into employment. Specialism's include dyslexia support, supporting students with visual and hearing impairments and Asperger’s Syndrome. There is a careful system of support for exam access which runs through the team. A team of Retention, Attendance and Progression [RAP] Tutors also provides wider support for young people and links with external agencies. A counselling team is available and we work closely with the Local Authority and its advisers. We work closely with a range of agencies, including Youth Services, CAMHS and Catch 22.

We hold advice and guidance interviews with all students who apply and invite potential applicants to taster events and school visits at all stages of our application process. We work closely with schools and the Local Authority (Specialist Teacher advisers) to provide additional support information and advice so that applicants can make an informed choice based upon their options and expected qualifications. Reasonable and appropriate adjustments are made where these support the learning process and accessibility. A team of Specialist Support Assistants and Specialist Support Tutors work with learners in and outside of class to help them to access the curriculum and to achieve their potential. Targets are set with learners to help support improvement and are reviewed regularly with curriculum staff involved. You can see the college prospectus [http://www.bcot.ac.uk/courses/prospectus/ here] Careers advice is available to all learners and the College liaises closely with a range of employers and with third sector organisations working to advice young people with a learning difficulty or disability on access to employment.

Curriculum tutors provide regular review meetings with learners. The College also holds regular timetabled RAD weeks [Review and Development Weeks] which offer opportunities to review progress and set action points for the work ahead. Targets are recorded online through the student’s e-ILP [electronic Individual Learning Plan]. These are available for parents to read and help track progress. Progress reviews are also held as well as parents evenings. We encourage parents to contact class tutors or student support staff outside of these times when they have any queries about learner progress. Reviews are held with learners who access additional support, with further ‘annual transfer review’ and transition meetings held to consider the objectives set in support plans and to make sure these are appropriate, timely and up to date. We aim to support all learners in the College to achieve.

Every student has access to the range of services provided in our Support Shop and more widely at BCoT. These include a College nurse, help with claims for financial support and transport issues, a cohort of Retention, Attendance and Progression Tutors [RAP] who provide additional help and advice on a range of issues. Staff liaise with external agencies, such as CAMHS, Catch 22 and Job Centre Plus when appropriate. We have a very successful in house careers advice centre. Free lunches are also available to learners who qualify. The Additional Learner Support team work closely with staff in partner secondary schools and Colleges on transition between the two so that a plan can be created and put in place. This process starts when learners are in Year 10 and provides help through enrolment and at break and lunchtimes where required. There is active student representation on the College’s Equality and Diversity Committee. There is also a prayer room available for use by students and staff. The Support Shop is also a “safe base” for learners.

We have a very well qualified team whose expertise ranges from support for exam access to specialist support for students with a visual impairment or a hearing impairment. Other staff are trained in British Sign Language. Our College nurse can advise on a range of medical matters and is often involved in transition activity. We work very closely with Hampshire and other Local Authority teams and access a range for their services, including those of Schools Teaching Advisors and SENCO support meetings. Our student experience team and Sports Maker provide a range of other services and opportunities that help enrich student life.

We regularly review the training needs of the staff in the Additional Learner Support team. There is also a regular set of teacher forums where best practice can be shared between the support team and curriculum staff. Recent training includes on Safeguarding, including Radicalisation, as well as mental health awareness run by the NHS trust.

>Our Sports Maker and Student experience team run a range of activities to allow learners to flourish outside of their academic and vocational studies. These include sports but also events run by the active Student Council. Where appropriate, the ALS team and other support staff attend curriculum visits alongside learners to ensure accessibility. Every trip is risk assessed before it takes place.

BCoT is accessible to wheelchair users with automatic doors, stairlifts and other support facilities in place. Many of our buildings are recent and have been built with accessibility in mind. We have a number of learners who are wheelchair users and care is taken in transition to ensure their needs are met. Supporting equipment and software includes a suite of laptop computers, TextTalk and other online packages, as well as tactile keyboards and supporting equipment. A number of staff are trained in the use of British Sign Language and others speak languages that represent the diversity of Basingstoke’s communities.

We recommend all applicants to take advantage of the range of transition activities we offer, including taster days and summer schools. These are available to all applicants. Further transition visits can be arranged with schools, parents/carers and learners. Staff make visits to local schools to meet learners and SENCOs and host similar visits in College. We also take part in transition meetings that form part of Education Health Care Plans. The ALS team liaise with students in supporting their applications to university, as well as with our careers team and third sector organisations in applications for employment. We work closely with a number of organisations in this respect

Support for students is available to all learners in multiple capacities. We provide support to a significant proportion of our learners- some of this is in class, for example by Specialist Support Assistants in Maths and English and in vocational subjects. It is also extends to support provided by our team of Specialist Support Tutors. The College uses the funding available from the Education Funding Agency and the Skills Funding Agency to provide such support. ‘High needs funding’ is also utilised to support those learners with more complex needs, with additional monies provided by the Local Authority where appropriate.

We take care to ensure that the school, parents/carer and the Local Authority are closely involved in the transition process. This helps us to identify what support has been provided and what may need to continue into post 16. Transition meetings are held and curriculum and support staff are involved in matching an appropriate course to the students who have applied. The Education Healthcare Plan places the young person at the centre of the decision making process and their input into the process will be key. The team work closely with the Local Authority and the Specialist Schools Advisers to meet the needs of the young person. All students who indicate a need on their application form receive an additional interview with a member of the Support Shop staff. This interview is then followed up with transition meetings and another interview and review at enrolment. All students have an induction assessment of the skills and an individual support plan is put in place. Further assessments are taken in Maths and English so that broader support can be identified and arranged.

Parents form an integral part of the support process, being involved in transition meetings and attending advice and guidance, as well as enrolment interviews where they choose to do so. Parents also have the opportunity to contact the support team over the course of the year to provide feedback. Contact takes place through Parents Evening, reviews and transition meetings as well as direct contact with staff. Parents also have access to the student’s online e-ilp, which is used to summarise progress to date and any issues arising. Students are encouraged to be proactive in the learning process to develop their independence in decision making.