Supporting learners to succeed

E.5 Encouraging and motivating learners to take responsibility for identifying their support needs to improve retention, achievement and progression

E.5.1 The organisation implements strategies to help learners reflect and identify existing and emerging support needs and to monitor their progress, through, for instance, the management of their own SMART targets.

E.5.2 The organisation helps learners understand how negative behaviour can lead to disciplinary action and impact on retention and achievement of themselves and others

E.5.3 The organisation celebrates its learners' successes to provide positive reinforcement and to encourage take-up of support

E.6 Supporting staff to support learners

E.6.1 The organisation provides regular training around structures, strategies and resources for learner support so staff feel able to provide support to learners

E.6.2 The organisation allocates sufficient time for staff to provide appropriate learner support

E.6.3 The organisation seeks feedback on existing provision from its staff to inform improvement of support for all learners

E.7 Maintaining strong communication networks with other staff, parents/carers and external organisations to improve pastoral provision

E.7.1 The organisation fosters strong knowledge management networks between staff teams to ensure that appropriate information about learners' needs is promptly and effectively shared

E.7.2 The organisation uses external speakers and previous learners as role models to provide information on pastoral issues and to encourage take-up of support

E.7.3 The organisation extends the range of its pastoral provision by developing sustainable links with appropriate external agencies, and has known protocols about the sharing of learner information, including the need for learner consent

E.7.4 Where appropriate the organisation involves parents/carers when tailoring support to meet learners' needs

E.8 Encouraging learners to assess the effectiveness of their pastoral provision

E.8.1 The organisation involves learners in the review and development of learner support at an organisational and individual level to encourage take up of support when needed

F: Exit, Progression & Transition

F.1 Preparing learners for progression

F.1.1 The organisation facilitates progression by raising the aspirations of its learners through a range of activities, including information about higher education, internal and other provider progression and work-related opportunities

F.1.2 The organisation prepares learners for transition/ progression by focusing on aspirations and starting the planning process during the on-programme stage

F.1.3 The organisation prepares learners for transition/ progression by involving specialist staff and appropriate external agencies

F.1.4 The organisation provides easy access to good quality impartial information and guidance about possible progression routes for its learners

F.1.5 The organisation provides extensive and tailored support to its vulnerable learners to prepare them for transition

F.1.6 The organisation conducts exit reviews to aid transition and progression

F.2 Supporting transition / progression

F.2.1 The organisation supports learners' transition by building links with external agencies of relevance to the next stage of each learner's journey

F.2.2 The organisation supports the transition process by providing support to vulnerable learners for a limited time, dependent on available resources, after they have left the organisation

Examples of provider provision for learners

General Further Education Colleges

Bury College

City of Westminster College

Ealing, Hammersmith and West London College

Lewisham College

Newham College

North Hertfordshire College

Somerset College of Arts and Technology

West Nottinghamshire College

Worcester College of Technology

Land-based Colleges

Otley College

Sixth Form Colleges

Richard Huish College

Oldham Sixth Form College

Specialist Education Colleges

National Star College

Royal National College for the Blind

Work-based learning Providers

Camden Jobtrain

Dorset County Council

Fareport Training

Rathbone

Springboard Hackney

Young Offender Learning Providers

Feltham Young Offenders Institute

Reference library

Policy

Provider Resources

Research and Support Materials

Links

Project Background

QIA Excellence Gateway

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