Parent and Carer Information

Welcome to South Devon College.

We are here to help support you and your young person throughout their time at South Devon College, as well as answer any questions you may have as a parent or carer of a prospective student. We want to work with you to support your young person with their transition to a young adult. 

The 16-18 study programme explained

A full-time study programme can be between 2.5 days to 5 days in College (or in placement) depending on the programme.

All study programmes contain the following:

Core – this is the main formal qualification your young person will be working towards and will form the largest part of their timetable. If studying on an A Level programme this will consist of up to 4 separate subjects.

Personal Development – Our diverse programme covers 4 main themes:

• Careers – Getting students ready for the world of work and support them to plan their next steps, be that an apprenticeship, Higher Education or employment. This is supported by our Level 6 qualified Careers Guidance professionals, who can provide impartial and personal advice and guidance, which is something all young people are entitled to for free. 
• Cultural Capital – Encouraging students to develop interests and knowledge beyond their core qualification. Helping them to be more curious about the world and supporting greater social mobility. There is a termly enrichment offer available to all young people to support this.
• Health and Wellbeing – Supporting our students to look after themselves, stay safe and develop healthy and fulfilling lifestyles conducive of a happy and rewarding future, which also enables them to deal with whatever life may throw at them. 
• Citizenship – Helping students to identify and model what it is to be an active and successful member of any community, prepared to make a difference that has a positive impact on others around them. 

We focus on developing 6 key positive behaviours:

We also focus on developing what we call power skills such as communication, time management, leadership, etc. These are skills informed by employers, so we know it is going to make a difference to our students’ career readiness. Students keep an individual record of their progress using an online platform called Navigate. 

Work Experience – Every young personal will be supported to undertake work experience. The amount of work experience will depend on their core qualification. For some qualifications work experience or placement is a fundamental element of the course. For others work experience will be encouraged as part of enrichment time or a dedicated week set aside.   Students will record their work experience outcomes on their Navigate account.   

Maths and English – recognising the importance of a good level of literacy and numeracy skills for future employment opportunities and lifelong application, your young person will continue to work towards achieving at least a grade 4 or level 2 in both. Those who have already achieved this will still have elements of maths and English embedded throughout their core curriculum to ensure these skills continue to be applied and maintained. We also have a dedicated English and maths HUB for students to drop into, either virtually or in person for additional support from our coaches. 

Accessing the Progress Portal

Support for your young person

As a College we are particularly proud of our outstanding support services, which fully compliment the academic support provided by tutors to provide a wraparound to meet the individual needs of everyone. We call this approach ‘team student’. 

The role of the Personal Tutor – Your young person will have a named personal tutor who will meet with them individually at least once a term to monitor their progress and set targets.  Their personal tutor will be their first point of contact for any concerns and will play a key role building a trusting relationship with your young person, they will take time to get to know them and understand their needs, supporting the rest of ‘team student’ to provide what is needed to move your young person forward positively on their journey with us and beyond.  

SEND – If your young person has any learning difficulties or disabilities our SEND Leads will work with their personal tutor to agree a support strategy, which will be reviewed termly. If you would like to contact a member of the team at the College to discuss learning support, please email [email protected]

Safeguarding & Wellbeing Team – Our Safeguarding & Wellbeing Team are available to support students with their pastoral needs. They are highly trained and experienced at supporting young people to cope with issues that may affect their emotional and mental health and wellbeing. Students can refer themselves by visiting the Safeguarding & Wellbeing office opposite the Helpzone on level 3.

Careers and Employability Centre – The team offer practical guidance on CV writing, self-promotion, making applications, interview techniques and self-employment. This service operates both through a physical space, in the Street and an online platform. If you are a local employer who has work experience opportunities, please contact us directly at [email protected] and we are happy to signpost students to your recruitment online platform. 

Funding and Transport – This service is available through the Helpzone.

Financial support

Keeping in touch

We also consider you an important part of ‘team student’ so want to ensure you are involved at key stages to support informed decision making.   

If you are named as your young person’s parent or carer in our student records system, and your young person is under 19, we will happily discuss their progress and support need with you. 

We will automatically notify you if your young person is absent, whether they have notified us or not. Attendance is important as evidence shows us the impact that positive attendance has on the achievement of grades and the future opportunities this opens up for your young person. We will work relationally and restoratively with you and your young person to overcome any barriers to attendance that may arise.  For more information on attendance, please click here.  

You will be given opportunities during the year to meet with your young person’s tutor, however please feel free to contact us directly at any time if you have any concerns.   

For important College updates please monitor our social media channels:

• Facebook
• Twitter

We welcome feedback at any time if you want to make us aware of an issue or recognise something we are doing well. Please click here to view our Complaints, Compliments and Suggestions Policy to find out the best way for you to give feedback.

Safeguarding and PREVENT

Safeguarding

The Home Office has published advice and online resources for parents, children and teachers explaining what schools and colleges can do to support people affected by terrorism. Click here to read more.

(There are also many resources available in respect of the radicalisation and extremist agenda on the website Educate Against Hate)

Keeping your child safe on TikTok:

Parents’ Ultimate Guide to TikTok (Commonsense Media)

TikTok app safety – What parents need to know (Internet Matters)

Careers Advice

Supporting your young person as they plan their future is incredibly important and you don’t have to do it on your own. Our Careers Team offers clear, impartial guidance to help them make confident, informed decisions about their next steps.

Careers Advice

Post 18 Advice

South Devon College’s main aim is to prepare our students for whatever their next step is, this includes: 

• A robust careers programme that raises aspirations and exposes students to a range of possible destinations after college. 
• Supporting student’s personal development to build their knowledge, skills and behaviours making them more independent, resilient, confident and ready for whatever life brings in the future.    
• Personal guidance with Level 6 qualified careers professionals and access to employability skills development through our Careers and Employability Centre.
• Engagement with Next Steps Southwest to help students overcome any barriers to accessing Higher Education.   

We know that being a parent or guardian to a young person in our current educational climate and job market can be daunting, particularly in light of recent economic challenges. Therefore, we want to help by sign posting you to the most up to date information, support and resources related to your young person’s next steps. 

Parents Advice for Career Conversations – Talking Futures 

Higher Education

Parents & Carers (nextstepssw.ac.uk)

Stepping Up to Higher Education

Advice For Parents And Guardians | UCAS | Parent Guide To University

Apprenticeships

Resources for parents and guardians (apprenticeships.gov.uk)

Amazing Apprenticeships

Employment

Careers advice – job profiles, information and resources | National Careers Service

Not Going To Uni: Apprenticeships & Work Experience in the UK

If you want further support or information please do not hesitate to contact our Careers Guidance team.

Email: [email protected]

Telephone: 08000 380 123