Parents' Guide
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A handbook for parents/guardians of students studying at Itchen Sixth Form College. Parents’ Guide 2017/2018 For up-to-date information on college matters, please download our free Itchen College app, available on iOS and Android devices. Contents 2 Contact Details 11 Extra Time in Exams 3 Key Dates 11 High Performance Academy 4 Key Staff 14 Higher Education 6 Absence and Attendance 15 Parent Information Portal (PIPS) 7 Financial Support 15 Parental Contact 11 College Fund 18 Support4Learning 11 Exam & Registration Fees 18 Work Experience Scan the QR code to download our free Itchen College app! 1 2 Contact Details Itchen Sixth Form College Every member of staff at Middle Road Itchen Sixth Form College has an Bitterne email address which follows a Southampton simple format – the initial letter SO19 7TB of their first name, followed immediately by their surname and ending with @itchen.ac.uk. Tel: 023 8043 5636 Web: www.itchen.ac.uk For example, John Smith’s email Email: [email protected] address would be [email protected]. Itchen Sixth Form College The following pages include useful Itchen College information relevant to your son/daughter’s time at Itchen. ItchenCollege Additional information is available on our website (www.itchen.ac.uk) ItchenSixthFormCollege and on our free Itchen College app. 1 2 Key Dates Autumn Term: 7 September - 21 December 2017 INSET: Friday 29 September INSET: Thursday 12 October Open Evening: Thursday 12 October, 5pm-8pm Parents’ Evening (2nd years): Thursday 19 October INSET: Friday 20 October Half Term: Monday 23 - Friday 27 October INSET: Tuesday 21 November Open Evening: Tuesday 21 November, 5pm-8pm Parents’ Evening (1st years): Tuesday 5 December Spring Term: 8 January - 29 March 2018 INSET: Thursday 4 January INSET: Friday 5 January Half Term: Monday 12 - Friday 16 February Parents’ Evening (all years): Monday 19 March Summer Term: 16 April - 6 July 2018 Information Evening: Wednesday 2 May, 5pm-8pm Half Term: Monday 28 May - Friday 1 June UCAS Evening: Tuesday 19 June Welcome Event (Year 11): Thursday 28 - Friday 29 June GATEway Event (Year 9): Monday 2 - Wednesday 4 July Taster Days (Year 10): Thursday 5 - Tuesday 10 July End of Term (Students): Friday 6 July Information Evening: Wednesday 11 July, 7.30pm-8.30pm A Level Results: Thursday 16 August GCSE Results: Thursday 23 August 3 Key Staff Alex Scott Vanessa Cass Principal Deputy Principal Steve Perkins Anne Cook Assistant Support4Learning Principal Manager Bridget Jones Debbie Finch Guidance & Safeguarding Support Manager Lead & Careers Advisor Heads of Faculty (HOFs): • Glenn Colmer: Sport & PE; • Steph Cooke: Maths, Science & IT; • Mark Hughes: Uniformed Services • Maria Sparks: Business; • Academy, Law & Criminology; • Kate Matthews: Visual & • Mel Lockheart: Geography, • Performing Arts; • Travel & Tourism, Humanities & MFL; 3 • Shaun O’Toole: English & Media; • James Bailey: Social Sciences & Care. 6 Absence & Attendance (023 8043 5636) to explain their absence. If you are unable to Attending every lesson is speak to a member of staff when extremely important and you call, please make sure to leave Itchen Sixth Form College expects a message so that the absence 100% attendance from every can be recorded. You or your son/ student. However, the college daughter must phone the college understands that occasionally on every day of their absence. students may be absent. If your son/daughter is going to Regardless of why your son/ be absent for an extended period daughter is absent, they will of time due to illness, they will always be asked to provide a valid need to supply the college with a reason as to why they are not in medical certificate. lessons. Planned Absences All absences are considered unauthorised until a valid reason If you know in advance that is provided. It is also your son/ your son/daughter is going to be daughter’s responsibility to catch absent from college, they must up on any work they miss due to inform their subject teacher(s) absence. beforehand and complete an Advanced Absence Notice form Attendance should not fall below from Student Services (W29) at 90%. If it does, your son/daughter least two working days prior to the will be expected to pay for their absence taking place. exam or assessment fees. You can check your son/daughter’s Medical, dental and other attendance at any time on our appointments should always Parent Information Pages (see be scheduled outside of college page 15). hours where possible. If this is not possible, your son/daughter must Attendance in tutor sessions also complete an Advanced Absence affects your son/daughter’s overall Notice form. percentage so they must attend all tutor sessions. Holidays Informing College Holidays will always be classed as an unauthorised absence as these If your son/daughter is ill or should not be taken in term time. unable to attend college for any Holidays should only be taken reason, either you or your son/ during half terms and other college daughter should phone Reception holidays and these dates can be 6 found on the ‘Key Dates’ page of team. This could potentially lead this handbook (page 3). to a withdrawal from college. If it is absolutely necessary that a holiday is taken during term time, Students taking GCSE Maths and/ permission must be obtained or GCSE English must attend all of from the Assistant Principal by those lessons as this is a condition completing a Holiday Request of funding. form, available from Reception. Our full Attendance Policy is Signing In and Out available on our website. If your son/daughter has to leave Financial Support college during the day and will be missing lessons, eg. due to illness Whilst your son/daughter is at or an unforeseen circumstance Itchen Sixth Form College, there is such as a family emergency, a range of financial help available. they must inform their subject teacher(s) and then go to Student Bursaries Services (W29) to sign out. Special bursaries are available for If they return to college on the students doing particular courses same day, ie. after an unavoidable or activities. Details will be given medical appointment, they through subject staff or tutors but must not forget to sign back in at the bursaries currently available to Reception or Student Services. students are: Monitoring Attendance • The Eve Sheppard Award for Law; • The Old Issonians Awards for The college will inform you of • Music and Drama; any unauthorised absences via • The Wood-Waller Award for text message and this includes • Student Travel; absences due to illness. You should • and Academy of Sport bursaries ignore the text if you or your son/ • for high achievers. daughter have already notified the college of the reason for the Free College Meals absence. Subject teachers and tutors will also contact you about Free college meals (for students your son/daughter’s attendance who qualify) are available to those should any problems arise. in further education aged 16-18 and to students aged 19-25 subject If attendance does become a to a Learning Difficulty Assessment problem, the situation will be (LDA) or those on an Education, escalated to the management Health and Care Plan (EHCP). 7 7 10 If you are in receipt of one or more college for qualifying students of the following benefits, you will aged 16-19. Payments are only be able to apply directly through granted if your son/daughter the free college meals checking attends all of their lessons and service at: follows Itchen’s Attendance Policy. www.cloudforedu.org.uk/ofsm/ Your son/daughter may be eligible fe-apply if you are in receipt of any of the following benefits: Eligible benefits: • Income Support; • Income Support; • Income-based Jobseekers • Income-based Jobseekers • Allowance (JSA); • Allowance (JSA); • Income-related Employment and • Income-related Employment and • Support Allowance (ESA); • Support Allowance (ESA); • Support under part VI of the • Support under part VI of the • Immigration & Asylum Act 1999; • Immigration & Asylum Act 1999; • The guarantee element of State • The guarantee element of State • Pension Credit; • Pension Credit; • Child Tax Credit or Working Tax • Child Tax Credit (provided you • Credit and an annual gross • are not entitled to Working Tax • income of no more than £16,190, • Credit) and have an annual gross • as assessed by Her Majesty’s • income of no more than £16,190, • Revenue and Customs (HMRC); • as assessed by Her Majesty’s • and Universal Credit. • Revenue and Customs (HMRC); • Working Tax Credit run-on – paid Your son/daughter may also be • for 4 weeks after someone stops eligible for the IMA if they are: • qualifying for Working Tax Credit; • and Universal Credit. • a young person in care; • a care leaver; If you require any further • claiming Income Support in their information about free college • own name; meals, please contact Michelle • claiming Universal Credit in their Payne in Student Services on • own name; 023 8043 5636 ext. 269 or email • or a disabled young person [email protected]. • receiving both Employment • Support Allowance and Living Itchen Maintenance Award (IMA) • Allowance in their own name. The Itchen Maintenance Award Please see the IMA leaflet for more (IMA) is intended to cover costs information about the award and resulting from attendance at about how to apply, or speak to 10 Michelle Payne on 023 8043 5636 • through no fault of the college; ext. 269 or [email protected]. • the college has not taught them • in preparation for the exam; College Fund • or if your son/daughter is absent • from an exam without good All students are asked to make a • reason. contribution of £30 towards the College Fund at the start of every Extra Time In Exams academic year.