Although young people attending college are now 16+ we still recognize the enormous contribution parents / carers can make in supporting them to achieve their highest potential.
While at college we stress the 3 way partnership between the young person, the college and the parents/ carers.
On entry to the college we ask that parents / carers, students and Personal Tutor sign up to the King Edward’s Expects document. This sets out clearly what you can expect from us and what we expect from the young person.
We like to keep parents / carers informed about students progress at all times. You will be invited to meet the relevant Personal Tutor in the first month of their course. The Personal Tutor is the first port of call should difficulties arise. We also have a Head of Year for both years who will contact you if we feel it necessary.
There will be two consultation events when you are invited to discuss academic progress with subject teachers.
We also invite you to log in to our Parent Portal where you can receive up to date progress/ effort grades and attendance information regarding your son /daughter and the latest information regarding events at the college.
We hope you feel these arrangements enable you to help us to support your son/daughter through these sometimes difficult and stressful two years of intense academic study.
Safeguarding Students
Safeguarding our students is our priority
Safeguarding means;
· Promotion of your health and development
· Ensuring your safety and care
· Ensuring you are offered the best life chances
· Protection from abuse and neglect
· Prevention of bullying and harassment.
The term ‘Safeguarding’ embraces both the protection of children ( under 18) and vulnerable adults and highlights preventative approaches to keep our student, staff and visitor population safe. Safeguarding encompasses students’ health and safety, welfare and well-being.
The College is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expects all staff, students and volunteers to share this commitment. We have developed a Safeguarding Policy and other related policies that aims to meet this commitment.
Our policies cover:
o Abuse and neglect
o Prevention of discrimination
o Anti-bullying and harassment
o Promoting good attendance and behaviour
o Safety and security.
o Confidentiality
o Policies related to drugs and smoking.
If you, as a student at the College have any concern about yourself or any other student’s well being, safety or rights, then you should talk to one or more of the following:
o Your Personal Tutor
o A subject Teacher
o Your Head of Year
o One of our four designated Safeguarding Officers
o Make an appointment with our Counsellor at Student Services
E-safety - 3 C’s of e-safety
Contact
Contact via the Internet can mean that people have access to people and groups anywhere in the world. This can often have very positive advantages however, be aware that if you are making contact with people you do not know, you should limit the amount of personal information that can be viewed. Unprotected personal profiles could make you subject to online grooming, racial hatred, online bullying and potential assault.
If you feel unsure about contact that you have made via the Internet please report the person either to the police, your parents (if applicable), your Tutor or a member of the Safeguarding team at the College. If the contact has been made via a social networking site such as Facebook, MySpace or Bebo, you can also report the user via the website.
Content
It should be remembered that once any information/photographs are posted on social networking sites they become the property of the site. This means that although the image/information may be deleted by you, a copy of it is still owned by the respective site and you no longer have control of this information/image. If you publish inappropriate material online you are at risk of prosecution. For example, inappropriate images of a child, criminally obscene content or content containing or inciting racial hatred.
Conduct
Sometimes people carry out activities which are deliberately meant to upset, offend or intimidate someone. These could be via a social networking site, a website or mobile phones. Cyber bullying is a real issue; if you believe you are being bullied please talk to your Tutor, parent (if applicable) or someone from Student Services.
Our policy and annual report on safeguarding can be accessed in ‘Policies.’
Supporting Young Carers
The college is committed to supporting learners who may have responsibilities as Young Carers.
To find out more our "Supporting Young Carers" policy can also be found in our "Policies" download area.
Covering Classes
A parental survey last year revealed some confusion about the arrangements for the covering of classes in a teacher’s absence. Students are informed that they should attend all classes even if they know a teacher is away. We try where possible to cover all lessons with a specialist teacher, but if this is not possible, work will be set accordingly.
