Parents

How does Newcastle 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 (SEN)?

• Learner needs are usually highlighted by feeder schools
• A member of the appropriate support team will attend school reviews for SEN learners
• On the Newcastle College application form, learners are encouraged to disclose any disabilities or barriers to learning they may have
• At the interview/assessment stage, learners are encouraged to discuss their support needs
• Tutors can refer learners to our Learning Support Service if they feel additional support may be required for a learner to reach their full potential
• Parents and/or learners may self-refer at any time to the Learning Support Service.

If you would like your child/young person to attend Newcastle College, you should discuss this with their current school or alternatively you may contact your local authority SEN department or equivalent. They will then advise you on what steps should be taken.

Parents and carers are always welcome to visit Newcastle College before making a decision about a placement. Once a placement is agreed, we will work with you to support your child/young person in this transition period.

The transition into college for your child/young person can start in their last academic year at school. This could be either year 11 or year 13.

Once an application has been made, your child/young person would be invited to attend an admissions interview to discuss their chosen course of study, their current support needs and enable them to see the facilities on offer.

For those young people who require a more focused transition (for example young people with more complex medical needs) arrangements are made with their current school for Newcastle College staff to link with school staff to gather additional supporting information on both the academic and support needs of the young person.

There may be a number of agencies involved in this transition including key workers, Social Care and more. This may involve a multi-disciplinary meeting which enables all those who are/will be involved in the future placement to meet together and discuss how best to make the transition as smooth as possible.

• Parents/carers are encouraged to talk to the tutors or the Learning Support Service about any concerns they may have about the progress and potential barriers to learning that our learners may experience at any point in the interview or during the programme.
• Phone calls or meetings can be requested at any point in the year.

Your child/young person may have had transport provided by the local authority to attend school. This can depend on the distance from home and whether or not the young person can travel independently.

If there is a need for this transport arrangement to continue parents will need to liaise with the Local Authority Education Transport department to make a new application.

For learners who have the potential to travel independently, travel training may be provided by their current school or college staff during their transition. College staff can continue with this training once the learner has started attending Newcastle College if necessary.

Teaching staff review progress that the learners make on a regular basis and communicate information to parents/carers through a variety of means. Teaching staff set targets which are incorporated into the delivery of lessons. If teachers have any concerns about the progress a learner is making, they will identify the main barriers to learning and put appropriate strategies in place.

The Learning Support Service carries out termly reviews with learners who are supported. As a college, we recognise the contribution that parents and families can make to improve the progress of students; as a result, parents are asked to attend this review.

Parents/carers are welcome to come onto campus to discuss their young person’s progress at any point in the  academic year.