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Local Offer

Eastleigh College

Offering services to:
  • Adults 19-25
  • Young people 16-18

Eastleigh College offers a wide variety of courses at a range of levels. Our focus is supporting young people into the world of work or working with young people who want to live independent lives in the future.

Who to contact

Contact Name
Laura McGuinness
Contact Position
SENCo
Telephone
02380 911000 02380 911000
E-mail
als@eastleigh.ac.uk
Website
Eastleigh College Website
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Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/eastleighcollege/
Twitter
https://twitter.com/Eastleigh_Col

Where to go

Name
Eastleigh College
Address
Chestnut Avenue
Eastleigh
Hampshire
Postcode

SO50 5FS

View SO50 5FS on a map

Local Offer

Description

Eastleigh College offers a wide variety of courses at a range of levels. Our focus is supporting young people into the world of work or working with young people who want to live independent lives in the future.

City College Southampton, Eastleigh College and Fareham College are proposing to merge this summer to create one financially strong, responsive and ambitious Further Education (FE) organisation.

 

Following an initial Department for Education (DfE) recommendation in May 2022, City College Southampton, Eastleigh College and Fareham College have actively explored the opportunities afforded by merger of the three colleges. The benefits of merger include becoming a financially stronger and more resilient college group, an enhanced curriculum offer for students and apprentices across all three colleges and a combined solution to addressing local skills gaps and employer training needs in Hampshire. 

To achieve the merger, the corporations of City College Southampton and Eastleigh College will dissolve with their assets and liabilities transferring to Fareham College. The corporation of Fareham College will be renamed to reflect the newly formed College. The names and brand identities of the three existing colleges and their campuses will remain unchanged. Existing students will continue to study at their current campus.

The newly merged corporation, to which the three colleges will belong, is called South Hampshire College Group. This name would come into effect on 1st August 2023, the proposed date of merger. For the academic year 2023/24 Eastleigh College’s local offer will remain unchanged.

Contact Name
Laura McGuinness
Contact Telephone
02380 911000
Contact Email
als@eastleigh.ac.uk
How does the setting/school/college know if children/young people need extra help and what should I do if I think my child/young person may have special educational needs?

The best place to tell us about any special educational needs is at application. Whether this is dyslexia, dyspraxia, or if you have an Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP). Those with additional needs are flagged to our Additional Learning Support team. You can of course identify yourself to the team at any point during the year, but the earlier this is done, the sooner we are able to support you.

Sometimes schools will send us information on their SEN students, however this is not always automatic so it is important that you identify yourself/your young person to us. This includes students who will need special exam arrangements.

How will early years setting/school/college staff support my child/young person?

All students, regardless of educational needs have access to:

  • Tutor
  • College counsellor
  • Careers Advisor
  • Progression Mentor
  • Student Finance
  • Financial support for low income households
  • Mental Health First Aiders

Those with an EHCP will be given support based on the requirements of their individual plan.

Those with additional needs (regardless of EHCP) can also access:

  • 1:1 academic support outside of class
  • Exam access arrangements (e.g. extra time)
  • Equipment such as coloured overlays or laptop
  • ELSA trained staff

Our Supported Learning courses are specially designed to provide additional support, such as an in-class LSA; specialist trained tutors who are used to working with mild to moderate learning difficulties and smaller classes.

 

How will the curriculum be matched to my child's/young person's needs?

In the first instance, we endeavour to ensure that students are placed on a course that matches their academic ability and aptitude.

We have a specially designed Supported Learning department that offers a variety of courses for those with moderate learning difficulties and an EHCP. These courses cover a variety of topics to support independent living and employment such as travel training, basic money skills, entry level English/maths qualifications and enterprise skills. These courses are designed to build towards our Supported Internship Programme where students will be supported out in the workplace and into the world of work or voluntary work. Depending on ability, students can begin their college journey anywhere along this progression.

Within our wider curriculum provision, tutors will differentiate their teaching based on the individual learner’s needs. Any such needs should be discussed with the tutor who can refer to Additional Learning Support for guidance, additional testing, and out of class 1:1 support. Students with EHCPs on these courses will be supported in accordance with their plan and in discussion with parents/carers, students, and local authority.

How will both you and I know how my child/young person is doing and how will you help me to support my child's/young person's learning?

Every student has a tutor who will be their primary contact during their time at college. Tutors, Learning Support and/or Progression Mentors work closely with parents to ensure everything is on track and that the correct support is in place. Students have regular reviews with their tutors and this information is posted on ProMonitor, which parents/carers can view online via ProPortal.

If your young person has an Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP) the college will contact you to organise an annual review to look at the progress your young person has made against their outcomes.

Any concerns can also be discussed with the SENCo and Additional Learning Support team. Please contact als@eastleigh.ac.uk

What support will there be for my child's/young person's overall well being?

Eastleigh College endeavours to ensure the wellbeing of all their students. Safeguarding is a top priority and all staff are trained in how to respond to potential safeguarding events. The safeguarding phone is open to all students to call or text should they want to speak to a member of the safeguarding team.

All students are supported by their tutor who can refer them on for more specialist support within the college or, if deemed necessary, to outside agencies. We have a College Counsellor, as well as the Progression Mentor team. A number of our staff are Mental Health First Aiders who can be called upon.

We do not have a college nurse, however we do have trained First Aiders who are on-call for medical emergencies.

What specialist services and expertise are avaliable at or accessed by the setting/school/college?

On site we can provide access to:

  • Counselling
  • Progression Mentors
  • Careers advice
  • SENCo
  • Mental Health First Aiders

We regularly work with:

  • Exam Access Arrangements Assessor(s)
  • Specialist Teacher Advisors:
    • Communication and language
    • Hearing impairment
    • Visual impairment
  • CAMHS
  • Local Authority SEN department

We also have a bank of support networks to which we can refer students should they require more specialist support.

What training have the staff supporting children and young people with SEND had? Are any being trained currently?

All staff go through a continuous cycle of CPD designed to support the current needs of students. They have access to both formal qualifications and informal training to ensure we are responsive to the current educational climate. One example of this is that twenty of our staff have been trained as Mental Health First Aiders to respond to the increasing need for mental health support across all settings.

Additionally many of our support staff have completed qualifications in:

  • Principals of Working with Individuals with Learning Difficulties
  • Understanding Autism
  • Certificate in Understanding Behaviour that Challenges
  • Certificate in Mental Health Awareness
  • Understanding Children/Young People’s Mental Health

All staff complete mandatory training on:

  • Safeguarding
  • Equality and Diversity
  • Prevent
  • GDPR
How will my child/young person be included in activities outside this classroom including school trips?

For students on our Supported Learning programmes, travel training is included as part of their programme of learning. Support is carefully scaffolded to increase their independence. Risk assessments are completed for all off-site trips.

All students in the College complete work experience or placements as part of their course, for which they receive support from the careers team.

We have a range of enrichment activities available. All students have access to our enrichment programme and the on-site gym.

 

How accessible is the setting/school/college enviroment?

We are wheelchair accessible, including ramps and a lift and have disabled toilets on every floor.

How will the setting/school/college prepare and support my child/young person to join the setting/school/college or the next stage of education and life?

All students attend Enrolment and Induction Weeks at the start of the year. We have strong links with our main feeder schools who often arrange group visits with our Marketing team before the September start.

College House and Supported Learning applicants will be invited to a taster day prior to enrolment to ensure the suitability of the course and aid transition. Applicants for College House will additionally have an interview with the College House Manager and a preliminary overnight stay.

Towards the end of a student’s programme of study we offer meetings with the specialist careers advisor and hold career open days. For Supported Learning we run a Progression Event each year where students can speak with alternative providers and support agencies.

How are the setting's/school's/college's resources allocated and matched to children's/young people's special educational needs?

As per the SEN Code of Practice: ‘EHCP students will receive assistance under the guidance of the Learning Difficulties/Disabilities (LDD) co-ordinator and in accordance with the support outlined in the EHCP. This will be provided from college and local authority budgets in accordance with local authority policy. The use of additional support is liable to minor change following discussion at review meetings in order to ensure that the support is used in the most effective way and reflects any change in the level of need. Any such minor change will be recorded in the annual review report’. Our LDD co-ordinator is our SENCo who can be contacted at als@eastleigh.ac.uk.

The college draws on funding from a variety of funding streams in order to resource our provision. We aim to maximise the impact of this funding to benefit the greatest number of students. We continually review the use of resources to ensure the efficiency of their use.

Resources are distributed according to needs. Therefore, Entry Level & Level 1 programmes normally receive higher levels of support than a Level 2 – 3 programme. Individual students are allocated support on a case by case basis, which is reviewed regularly to ensure the support is meeting the need and developing employability or independence. Students will need to be able to complete their course in accordance with the awarding body requirements so there are occasionally some courses that are not suitable for everyone.

How is the decision made about what type and how much support my child/young person will receive?

All students can access some types of support by directly emailing the support service they need, or by asking their tutor who will make a referral for them. This includes counselling and 1:1 support outside of class.

Those with an Education, Health and Care Plan will receive support based on their plan. Applicants with an EHCP will initially have their application assessed by a panel within our Additional Learning Support department to ensure that through the college’s best endeavours, their needs can be met. Occasionally we will decline a student’s application if we cannot meet the requirements of the EHCP.

As a General Further Education College it is our expectation that our students will eventually be in a position to become more independent in their studies and our support strategies reflect this aim. A young person’s support in college may look different to what was provided in school and, through regular reviews, we adjust this as needed to increase students’ independence.

How are parents involved in the setting/school/college? How can I be involved?

Meetings, progress reviews, targets and other communications between staff and students are logged on ProMonitor. This is shared with parents/carers via ProPortal.

Additionally, those with an EHCP will have a review of their plan every year attended by the student’s tutor, parent/carer, the student, and any other involved professionals. Parents/carers will receive paperwork and an invitation to this with two weeks’ notice.

If parents have any queries, they are encouraged to speak with their young person’s tutor, Progression Mentor or a member of the Additional Learning Support team.

Parents are also welcome to attend Open Days, Careers Fair and/or the Progression evening.

Offering services to:
  • Adults 19-25
  • Young people 16-18

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Last Updated: 27 June 2023

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