PARENT&CARERBOOKLET2020-21

empowerment through learning

www.macclesfield.ac.uk

Welcome to Macclesfield College

We are delighted that your son/ daughter/ ward has chosen to study here.

We hope that they will enjoy their time with us, achieve their personal and academicgoals and find that 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.

Students at Macclesfield College are at the centre of everything we do. Curriculum Departments work closely with the Student Services Team to support each and everystudent throughout their time with us. Individual student success is largely a result ofthe close three-way relationship the College fosters with students and their parents,carers or guardians. Between us, we strive to ensure that all students achieve all thatthey are capable of.

The teaching and the pastoral staff work closely with every student, making sure that they are happy, healthy and making progress.

Alongside the teaching and pastoral staff, there is much that parents, carers orguardians can do to support students at Macclesfield College. Firstly, you can helpthem to think about and articulate the answers to these questions:

What are your career goals? What grades do you want or need?

How are you going to achieve them? What do you want your attendance to be?

What kind of work experience placement would you like?

There are clear correlations between the number of hours that a student put into theircollege work and the grade that they achieve. Effort is often rewarded with success!

As such, we also ask that parents, carers and guardians support us in monitoring theamount of time students spend on their studies outside of the classroom. We requestthat students complete homework and extra reading when away from college to makesure they achieve the best grades possible. For those courses with a summative exam,revision and practice papers helps to ensure that students are thoroughly prepared.

We know that students with a systematic approach to their studies tend to achieve the highest grades. We need your help to ensure that students understand the importance of keeping class notes and resources in an ordered way – a course file is often a good idea. A positive attitude is vital to success at College. This isn’t thesame as school, and we will be helping students to develop independent learning skills to enable them to take their next steps, whatever that might be.

We have very high expectations of all of our students and we make no apology for that. We hope that you son/ daughter/ ward will have high expectations of the College.Our expectations of all students in the College are simple and are outlined in our Professional Behaviours For All which states that:

Students to have their ID badges clearly visible at all times whilst in College

Students to attend and be punctual to all lessons – absence means missed

learning opportunities!

All to have respect for each other’s values and opinions

The use of offensive language or behaviour is unacceptable

All should use PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) that is appropriate to

the learning environment

No food or drink to be consumed in teaching and learning spaces

(except water)

If there is anything that you are unclear about, please do not hesitate to contact us on 01625 410 000!

We hope that your son/ daughter/ ward enjoys their time with us and we look forward to working with you this academic year.

The courses offered at Macclesfield College range from Entry Level to Level 3. Thegrading of these courses are as follows:

Entry Level and Level 1 Programmes Pass or Fail

Level 2 Programmes Units graded as a Pass, Merit and Distinction with final grades ranging from PP to D*D*

Level 3 Programmes Units graded as Pass, Merit and Distinction with final grades ranging from PPP to D*D*D*

All students aged 16-19 at Macclesfield College are enrolled onto a ‘Programme ofStudy’. This programme incorporates a number of different elements and includes:

The main curriculum area of study

Tutorial sessions and 1:1 review meetings with their Progress Coach

Personal Directed Study/ study periods

Course enhancements (e.g. course related trips) and enrichment (e.g.

volunteering, clubs, societies)

Work placements and work-related activities

In addition, if a student has not yet achieved a grade 9-4 in GCSE maths and/ or English, their study programme may also include GCSE English and/ or GCSE maths (or an appropriate level of Functional Skills).

We strongly believe that having good qualifications in English and maths will improve employment and further learning prospects for all. English and maths qualifications are an integral and compulsory part of a programme of study where students have not yet achieved a grade 4 or above in both subjects.

On each students timetable, there will be ‘free lessons’. We expect that students use this time to work in the library or other quiet spaces around the College to complete tasks set by their subject teachers. These tasks may be homework, preparation for lessons, revision, research, coursework or project work, or tasks to develop wider employability skills.

The courses offered at Macclesfield College range from Entry Level toLevel 3.

Programmes of Study

WORK EXPERIENCE

All students have the opportunity to take part in work experience. This is a compulsorypart of their study programme. Work experience can help students to find out moreabout possible career options. It helps to provide valuable experience which can be discussed in job applications and university applications, and is also good for developing key skills such as communication, team-working and organisation. Students are encouraged to get their own placements but should check with our Student Enhancement Lead before taking them up.

Work placements enable students to experience real work situations whilst helpingthem to discover more about employability and personal skills in preparation for their future career. Courses often include a work experience element which will take place throughout the year as determined by the Curriculum Business Leader. Employability is embedded into both the core and pastoral curriculum.

All students are also encouraged to participate in volunteering as a means to support their community and develop their employability skills. Student Services are able to support students to find suitable opportunities.

TARGET SETTING

At Macclesfield College, all students will be set a Minimum Target Grade (MTG) and an Aspirational Target Grade (ATG). The MTG is calculated based on the qualifications that a student comes to the College with. MTGs provide the starting point and are the minimum grades which your son/ daughter/ ward should be aiming to achieve.

However, as we have high expectations of students, we also work with them to generate an ATG to help them fulfil their potential. We monitor each students progress toward these targets regularly.

Regular attendance at college is the best way to ensure that your son/daughter/ ward 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.

We have an automated system which notifies parents/ guardians/ carers if a student has been marked as absent on a register. You will be notified of an absence every lesson. Attendance for all components of the programme of study is compulsory and is monitored very closely. Students can view and monitor their attendance on the Student Portal.

Any absence from College will be recorded on a student’s attendance record. We recognise that some absences are unavoidable and we can record these as authorised only where evidence is provided. Routine medical and dentalappointments should be made on non-timetabled days. If a student has genuine absence then we ask that the College is advised of this on the morning of the first absence by contacting the absence line on: xxxxxx. Notification of absenceis required on each day of an absence.

Examples of authorised absence include:

Illnesses and/ or any unique circumstances students may have

Hospital or orthodontic appointments which cannot be arrange outside of college hours

A family bereavement/ funeral

Religious festivals must be notified in advance by letter from a parent/ guardian/ carer

Visits to a university to attend an open day or interview; a career related interview or audition

Driving or theory test

The College expects students to attend all of their lessons and to attendon time.

Attendance

COLLEGE TIMETABLE

Examples of unauthorised absences include:

Holidays during term time Part or full-time work

Leisure activities Baby-sitting younger siblings

Accompanying family members Driving lessons

to appointments

Exclusion from College

We have very high expectations regarding student attendance and we will contact you if we have any concerns. The Progress Coaches will speak to you regularly about any difficulties relating to attendance and/or punctuality, but attendance will be available to you through the Parent Portal.

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

Students may have one or two days on their timetable when they have no timetabled lessons. Please note, that from time to time, the College may timetable trips and visits on these days. We would encourage students to use these days for work experience, enrichment and course enhancement.

Experienced Library staff play a key role in supporting students to develop the skillsneeded for independent learning. The Library provides access to a wide range of information, learning resources and study facilities as well as a number of computerwork stations available for online researching, accessing ITS learning or typing up assignments and coursework.

Students have access to a selection of course textbooks and other Library resourcesuseful for their studies and can borrow from a comprehensive range of wider texts to increase background and underpinning knowledge. Students are helped to find resources and information they need in order to complete their assignment work. The Library staff also help students with their photocopying needs, printing requirements and password re-setting. 

The College Virtual Library is accessed through ITS Learning and has a wealth of academic resources. It also contains a wide range of journals and can signpost students to a large collection of E-books. There is the ability to loan 4 items at any time.

Through Library Publishers and Suppliers, the College subscribes to academic, reliable, peer reviewed and quality resources. These include:

EBSCO Academic Search Elite provides multi-disciplinary, peer reviewed and full text academic journals supporting scholarly research.

Credo - 100 Reference titles covering all course areas. It includes over 1,000 short reference videos, nearly 300,000 high-resolution art images and thousands of additional images across all subject areas. 

ISSUES Online: An interactive resource containing articles, infographics and information on hundreds of important topics to help students gain a better understanding of the world around them and the issues which affect their lives.

Childlink is a source of information on children, young people and familiesand focuses on legislation, policies and practices, research, statistics, parliamentary proceedings and current affairs of those who live in the UK and Ireland.

Gale FE News - Business Insights and Reference resource providing search platforms for current newspapers and journals, newspaper archives, and business databases.

The College Library is core to all teaching and learning activity within college and provides areas for quiet study.

The College Library

In addition, the Library offers 1:1 support for any student needing help with research or referencing. It also offers an Information Skills Programme which includes an induction to the library for all students. Where required, we provide support to the students to help develop Harvard Referencing skills.

In order for students to be successful on their study programme it is critical that they develop relevant study skills. Their teachers will help them develop these oncourses and the team in the Library are there to provide additional 1:1 support.

All students need to be proactive in developing these skills to support them with managing their workload, meet deadlines and work independently.

There are also a number of computing spaces across the College where students can work independently on assignments or coursework.

Students will benefit from excellent pastoral support and guidance during their time at Macclesfield College.

Support for Students

All students will be allocated a Progress Coach who will offer support and guidancethroughout the academic year. They are responsible for ensuring that all students settle into college, look after their wellbeing and work with the curriculum areas tomonitor each students’ progress to their targets.

The Progress Coaches are the first line of support for students. They provide a combination of group tutorials and one-to-one sessions with each student and have a range of informal and formal conversations throughout the year. This allows us to carefully monitor the progress of each and every student. The Progress

Coaches are located in the Student Hub and can be contacted directly.

Alongside Progress Coaches, the College has a wide range of support services available to students. Weoffer 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 safeguarding officers and a Designated Safeguarding Lead.

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 the student’s consent and

two staff members would be present.

If you have any more general comments or queries about safeguarding in College, then email: wellbeing@macclesfield.ac.uk.

All students benefit from excellent careers advice and guidance. We base our CareersProgramme 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 options and job opportunities. Support from professionally 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 and much more.

CAREERS ADVICE AND GUIDANCE

We have a team of specialist staff to support students with additional needs to overcome barriers, promote their independence in learning and achieve their personalbest. The specialist Learning Facilitators work both in the classroom and outside, tosupport the individual needs of students.

Additional learning needs are assessed on an individual basis and support can be provided for learning differences or disabilities including dyslexia, ADHD, Autistic spectrum, and some physical and mental health conditions. If support is required, it can be disclosed on the enrolment form, through the Progress Coach or by making an appointment with Study Support (next to the library).

Once referred, they will meet with a specialist for an initial appointment to assess need. Appropriate support will be recommended as required.

STUDY SUPPORT

An information pack which outlines the application process and lists eligibility is available from Student Services on request. Your son/ daughter/ward can call in and pick up an application form.

If students are in financial difficulties, they can apply to the bursary fund and may receive some financial support. The student services team can provide additionalinformation.

FINANCIAL SUPPORT/ BURSARY FUND

We can provide free college meals to eligible students. Students eligible for free college meals have credit applied to a card that they need to present at the College’scatering facilities.

FREE COLLEGE MEALS

All students are issued with an ID card once they are enrolled. They are expected towear it visibly whilst on the college site and in lessons. We take the safety of every student seriously. Repeated failure to wear an ID badge will result in disciplinary action. Students who forget their ID badge will be charged for a replacement. A replacement badge will cost £XX.

ID CARDS

Some vocational students may be required to wear a uniform or Personal ProtectionEquipment (PPE) such as overalls and safety shoes on a daily basis. They will receivemore information on what they need from their course teachers and any uniform/equipment can be purchased through College.

UNIFORMS

Students must wear clothes which are appropriate for a learning community. When incollege we ask that students do not:

wear clothing which causes offence to others (e.g. clothes that are too revealing or display offensive slogans or images)

dress in ways which are inappropriate or disrespectful

wear clothes or garments which the College deems to interfere with teaching andlearning, or to pose a risk to health and safety (e.g. a garment, hood or head gear,which covers up the face).

DRESS CODE

We have extensive ICT facilities which students are able to access including studentemail and the Internet. The College has a very clear ICT policy which is present on the computer screen each time a student logs onto a college computer. When a student continues to log on, it means that they have read and agreed to responsibleand respectable computer use. As this is very important topic, failure to comply with the policy could result in serious disciplinary action being taken.

Students may bring their own devices to College but they remain responsible for these devices at all times.

It is important that all our students know how to be safe on their computer, phone and websites. Information advice and guidance regarding online safety is included in the curriculum.

RESPONSIBLE ICT USE

Support for Students (continued)

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

When in College, we expect all students to attend their lessons (on time) and to trytheir best. If we feel that this is not the case, we will intervene. The College has a Behaviour Policy which aims to support students to think about their behaviour. Where behaviour is of serious concern, parents/guardians/carers will be informed. Persistent, unsatisfactory performance may result in them being issued with a formalwarning or other disciplinary action, including suspension or exclusion from College.

BEHAVIOUR

Macclesfield College does not tolerate the bullying, or harassment of any of our students. We will undertake all possible steps to avoid it and resolve any problems that do arise. Students are advised to report any incidents of bullying or harassment to their Progress Coach Mentor so that all reports of this nature can be fully investigated and resolved.

BULLYING AND HARASSMENT

Macclesfield College recognises that there are many benefits to our students having part-time jobs. However, we request that any part-time work does notimpact upon college work. Students must not jeopardise their course and their career aims by working excessively long hours.

PART-TIME EMPLOYMENT

Effective working partnerships with parents, carers and guardians are a very important means of supporting students’ success. There will be a welcome event in early September when parents, carers and guardians will be invited to attend a short presentation. At two set points in the year, you will receive subject grades via a Progress Report and you will be invited in to discuss you son/ daughter/ ward’s progress with their teachers. If we have concerns aboutprogress, we will contact you at any point during the year.

If you have any concerns, please contact your son/ daughter/ ward’s ProgressCoach in the first instance.

PROGRESS EVENINGS AND PROGRESS REPORTS

The College encourages all parents to use the Parent Portal. This will allow us to bothcommunicate with you, and for you to track the progress of your son/ daughter/ ward at any time. You will also be able to access up-to-date attendance informationand Progress Reports when they are available.

PARENT PORTAL

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 pass.

PARENTS/ CARERS VISITING THE COLLEGE

Please can you all ensure that the College holds up-to-date contact details for yourson/ daughter/ ward. The College can only make contact with the people named asemergency 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 with 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/ ward needs to go to hospital, we will endeavour to contact you. A member of staff will accompany the student tohospital and ensure that they are registered within the hospital’s care.

EMERGENCY INFORMATION

Following the successful completion of their study programme, students from Macclesfield College either enter employment, progress to University or gain an apprenticeship. Progress Coaches will guide all students through the online university application procedure (UCAS) and information about this process in shared early in the autumn term to ensure that students meet the set deadlines.

For those who want to start work after they leave, the College can help with careers appointments, CV preparation, interview skills and advice on where to find suitable vacancies.

Macclesfield College is a provider of apprenticeships through Maxim Business Training so we may well be able to find a suitable opportunity for students.

NEXT STEPS

Support for Students (continued)

Park Lane, Macclesfield, Cheshire SK11 8LF.

01625 410 000

info@macclesfield.ac.uk

www.macclesfield.ac.uk

Empowerment through learning

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