Name of College Strode College Address Church Road, Street, Somerset. BA16 0AB Contact Names Mandie Holloway. Head of Equality and Diversity, Student Services Manager Telephone Number 01458 844433 Email Address mholloway@strode-college.ac.uk Website Address www.strode-college.ac.uk Strode College The central ethos of the college is that all students are unique and special individuals and that within an inclusive and supportive environment our students will be able to achieve and exceed their potential. The college opened in 1899 as the Strode Technical Institute. Strode opened as a Tertiary College in September 1973 at Street in central Somerset. In September 2013 the College enrolled 1,600 16-18 year olds. In addition, the college works with over 2,000 adult student each year and 50 14-16 year olds. Strode College employs 300 staff and is one of the largest employers in the area. The college has a turnover of c. 11 million. The College was graded as Good with Outstanding Features in October 2008 by Ofsted. In May 2012 Ofsted carried out a Focused Monitoring Visit and concluded that in all areas the college had made Significant Progress, the highest possible rating, since the previous inspection in 2008. The college was awarded Beacon Status in 2004. Strode College serves the educational and training needs of Street, Glastonbury, Shepton Mallet, Langport, Wells and Castle Cary and, through outreach work, the surrounding rural areas of central, south and north east Somerset. It works closely with its partner 11-16 schools. Close liaison is maintained with the staff, students and parents at these schools and others within the area. The College makes provision for adult education in both Street and outreach centres. Students can choose from a very wide range of enrichment activities including a broad range of competitive and recreational sports. The College also runs other activities including Duke of Edinburgh s Award, College Ensemble, College Choir, Theatre Company, Digital Photography, Film Making Workshop, Commonwealth Youth Exchange and the Gambia Project. In addition to their main qualification, full-time students without GCSE English or Maths at grade C have to retake Maths or English or work towards these qualifications in line with the new Programmes of Study requirements. All students also receive subject support through additional 1-1 and small group workshops, and a broad supporting programme as appropriate which may include additional learning support and study skills. The College campus is fully accessible.
1. How do you identify students who need some extra support? The college is invited to a 14+ or 15+ transition reviews Parents, careers workers, keyworkers contact us directly Local authority or other agencies refer young people Young people indicate their needs on the application form and meet with the SENCO at interview or enrolment Student needs are constantly reviewed and are referred to SENCO by teaching staff 2. Services on offer The programme of study will be designed by the individual academic teams so that each student will be able to achieve their qualification. The qualifications are set by the awarding bodies and validated by Government Office. There two Directors, A level and Vocational Studies who are supported by a team of Curriculum Managers. The curriculum is overseen by these people, the Director with an overall responsibility and the Curriculum Manager with a suite of academic programmes. They are supported by Course Manager s and Personal Tutors. Support of the student s individual needs will be discussed with the student at interview or enrolment and will be designed to meet the individual s needs. This is overseen by the SENCO. The College prospectus gives you general information about the services and courses available to all students. Additionally we are able to provide the following equipment and facilities: Dictaphones/tape recorders/cd players Mincom s for the telephone Specialist software: Hands Off, Luna, Supernova, pen friend XP, Drag n Dictate, Widget (Writing with Symbols) ipads and Tablets Laptop computers Hardware, switches, big keyboards, lower case keyboards Hoist Shower facilities and bed Personal Care Room Accessible toilets Therapy roll and floor mats for physiotherapy Specialist chairs Recording facilities Sensory Equipment Braille embosser Infra-Red Loop, radio aid for use by individual learner Access to equipment to enhance sensory skills Height adjustable workstations Specific specialist staff such as speech and language teachers, educational psychologists, hearing or visual specialists is commissioned on a needs and individual basis. Specific Learning difficulties staff are qualified from level 5 to level 7 qualifications in this field.
3. Who will be working with the young person? The course team will be working with the students on a daily basis, according to the timetable. If required a support worker, study skills tutor may also see the student on a daily or weekly basis. Course Manager: over sees the implementation of the individual programme of study and quality of the provision. Personal Tutor: Oversees progress in both academic terms and college life and first point of call. SENCO: Oversees the learning needs of the individual students who has been identified with learning needs and disabilities. If you have any concerns you will be able to talk with the young person s Personal Tutor as the first point of call or the Curriculum Manager of the area or contact the SENCO. If you have any questions you can raise them at interview, enrolment, parents briefings and/or evenings. We encourage contact with the relevant people if you have any queries. 4. How will College staff support the young person? Support of the student s individual needs will be discussed with the student at interview or enrolment and will be designed to meet the individual s needs. The College is an inclusive environment and all teachers are trained in techniques to support all of our students. Tutors are briefed in individual student needs which help support students success. In addition the students may be assigned a support worker to work in either a group setting or on a 1:1 basis. Students may also be offered Study Skills sessions to compliment the support that they receive by the course teams. All learning support staff are trained to support students with learning disabilities and difficulties. All new staff have an induction in Equality and Diversity, and disability. Staff are given training throughout the year on specific topics.
5. How will I know how the young person is progressing? All students receive a report twice annually. The two academic teams run parents evenings twice a year and Foundation Learning meet with parents for ILP meetings twice a year. In addition to the above arrangements there is the opportunity for parents to contact staff by phone or email. In other circumstances a case conference styled meeting may be more appropriate. Monitoring student progress is central to everything that the college does. a 1:1 personal tutorial session allows a member of staff and the student to discuss progress and to make arrangements for appropriate interventions, if needed. The college uses a central management information system. Targets are set at the beginning of term and the students progress is monitored against this benchmark. The management team meets formally five times a year to discuss progress against these targets. These are reported on in the end of term reports. Where appropriate a home college book can be implemented. However as young adults students are encouraged to develop these skills. Students will also have access to the student portal and Moodle site which will allow for 24hour access to college systems. All students receive a report twice annually. The two academic teams run parents evenings twice a year and Foundation Learning meet with parents for ILP meetings twice a year. Students with a Full Statement of Need (SEN), Learning Disability Assessment (LDA), or an Education, Health Care Plan (EHC) will be subject to an annual review. In addition to the above arrangements there is the opportunity for parents to contact staff by phone or email and in other circumstances a case conference styled meeting.
6. Who will oversee the young person s well-being? The College operates a tutorial system where every full time student is allocated a personal tutor. This member of staff oversees the academic progress and well-being of their tutees. Should services be required beyond this students are signposted to student support, or study skills or Additional Learning Support. Medical needs are collated at the beginning of the academic year and record on the college s MIS system. Special arrangements for other medical needs are done so through the support plan and SENCO. This will need to be carried out before the summer vacations. Students are required to administer their own medication. Strode does not employ a nurse and nor does it keep medicines for students. Should some personal care be needed this is dealt with on an individual basis in liaison with the parent/guardian and other medical professionals. Students are always encouraged to talk through their concerns. Should they need more support the college offers a professional counselling service available to all students. 7. What are the arrangements for safeguarding? Careful monitoring of all behaviours is central to a safe campus and supports safeguarding. There is a disciplinary process which is made clear through the induction weeks. There is a cross college team of safeguarding officers headed by the Assistant Principal for Student Services. These individuals are fully trained in working with vulnerable young people and adults.
8. How can the young person communicate their views? Students are able to voice their feedback with tutors, staff, personal tutors, student and college forums. There are also 3 surveys throughout the year. Support staff and teaching staff help the students where needed with completing surveys. 9. Trips and Visits; how will the young person be included? Every effort is made to ensure that trips and visits are inclusive. There may be some restrictions that are beyond our control. Where students have particular needs organising staff will consult the young person s parent or carer. 10. How will the young person be prepared for the next stage of their lives? There are UCAS meetings are held throughout the academic year for students who want to progress to Higher Education either here at Strode College or further afield. Students who would like to further the skills development will have the opportunity to apply for an apprenticeship or Traineeship, whichever is the more appropriate. All students are expected to undertake some form of work activity or development of employability skills within their programme of study. Where appropriate, students will have a meeting which involves Transition Workers and other relevant professionals, to support the transition to Independent Living. This journey is embarked on during the final year of college. 11. How are decisions made about the support that the young person is given? All students needs are assessed on an individual basis. Student s needs, aspirations and interests are put at the centre of this process. Consideration to previous support is taken into account as well as information from other sources including the SEN, LDA, EHC. College is a different environment from schools which may attract a different set of support mechanisms. Where a young person s needs are complex the Local Authority and the College will agreed a budget to support the individual. Discussions about the support needs of an individual can start as early as the 14+ review in schools. This allows for appropriate support to be put in place and that the young person and parents or guardians are fully involved in the process. Young People are encouraged to visit the college, take part in taster days. Local Offer version 2 25/7/2014