Local offer for SEND Students

Crawley College has an excellent transition procedure, designed to ensure that learners are placed on the appropriate course and receive the accompanying support as soon as possible. Members of college staff attend annual reviews at schools  allowing the team to fully prepare for your child to move into Further Education. Young people, parents/carers or their tutors can directly request support at interview or during the year whilst on their course.  A further interview with the support team will be organised to discuss the personalised learning and support package needed to meet the needs of the individual.

At the beginning of their course all learners take an initial assessment this may include literacy and numeracy as well as other areas identified for development. This provides the college with accurate information to allocate appropriate support to enable learners to develop the necessary skills needed to be successful on their chosen course.

If you feel your son/daughter has a specific learning need, you can contact the college on 01293 442329/442334 and ask for Additional Support. We will then meet with you to discuss the support needed for your child/young person to be successful whilst at college.

Crawley College is an inclusive provider, offering courses to meet all learners’ needs. Courses are available ranging from entry level, which include Personal Progress programmes designed for students with learning difficulties and disabilities through to Higher Education degree level provision. Whichever course you/your young person applies for, the teachers will be prepared to meet their needs through communication with the Additional Support team and through following a multi-sensory approach to learning. All tutors in college have access to a team of specialists who can offer strategies and support in relation to:

• Dyslexia
• Dyspraxia
• Asperger Syndrome
• ASC
• D/deaf and Hearing Impairment
• ADHD
• Assistive Technology
• EAL
• Mental Health

The college offers support in three main forms: In Class Support, Out of Class Support and Exam Concessions Assessments. 

In class support is provided to ensure that learners have the opportunity to perform to their full ability in taught sessions. This may come in the form of academic support, with a note taker or reader; social support to allow those with social communication difficulties to participate in class and practical support, providing those with mobility/physical difficulties to engage in their learning.

Out of Class Support is designed to provide learners with the necessary skills to become independent in college, their personal lives and beyond. Individualised programmes are devised for learners by highly qualified and experienced tutors to meet their academic, social and emotional needs.

Every learner in receipt of support has their development reviewed every term. For learners with Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs), these reviews are conducted with their support network which can include family members, support and teaching staff as well as other external support services.

These reviews take place in October, February and May. The focus of these reviews is to ensure that the support is correct. This information is shared with the whole team supporting and teaching the learner to ensure that the support offered is holistic and followed.

Parents/carers or young people can request for Additional Support staff to be present at parents’ evenings to discuss progress and intervention. Students on Foundation Programme courses receive a full professionals’ review once a term to which parents/carers and significant others are invited.

At any point in the year, you can request a meeting to review your child’s progress or share information with the college. You can contact the Additional Support team on 01293 442329.

The College has a Wellbeing Service, which includes a Counselling team, to ensure that the wellbeing of our young people are met. Throughout the term, referrals can be made to the following organisations which are available for all learners:

• Substance Misuse
• Prevention and Assessment Team
• Young Mind
• Early Intervention Team

Every 16-18 full time learner is assigned a Student Tutor who will assist in ensuring students stay on track to achieve their goals. Within Foundation Programmes, this responsibility sits with the group tutors who lead on providing a wrap-around service for the more vulnerable young people.

The College also has a Safeguarding team, who have extensive experience in communicating with and supporting young people with additional needs.

The College has a team of Exam Concessions Assessors, who are qualified to teach and support Dyslexic learners. The assessors also carry out assessments of learners who have requested or been referred to support to see whether they require additional exam support, such as extra time, access to a reader, scribe or laptop.

The team also consists of three British Sign Language signers who are qualified to assist any learners who require support to access the curriculum.

Throughout the Support department, there is a wealth of experience in supporting learners with learning needs, such as:

• Dyslexia
• Dyspraxia
• Autism Spectrum Condition
• Deaf/ Hearing Impairment
• ADHD
• Visual Impairment/Blind
• Complex Learning Difficulties
• Moderate Learning Difficulties
• Emotional/Social Difficulties
• EAL
• Mental Health

Staff have access to the highly trained and personalised support offered by the Additional Support team and tutors within Foundation Programmes.

This support is accessible at any time of the year and will involve the whole team, as well as the learner, to ensure that support is accurate and effective.

All staff receive an induction in Equality and Diversity, which includes an introduction to strategies to support young people with additional needs. Sessions are also run throughout the year which focus on strategies to support and teach learners with SEND. These sessions form part of the college’s thorough Professional Development programme.

Crawley College believe that education takes place beyond the classroom, especially for our learners with SEND, and as such we facilitate a variety of activities which can be fully supported by the Additional Support team. College activities, such as course or enrichment trips abroad, are all inclusive, however, additional activities are offered to learners with SEND to help develop social skills, including:

• Travel Training
• Lunch clubs
• Project based learning and social enterprise

At Crawley campus, learners who find large, noisy and unstructured environments challenging have access to a quieter, supported environment where they can feel comfortable, develop friendships and their social skills.

All material necessary for learning is accessible through the college's Virtual Learning Environment, allowing learners to revisit their course material from home.

Learners can also access a variety of assistive technology on most computers in college, allowing material to be read back to them through the computer or change the colour of their screen, making the material accessible to them.

 A variety of technology is also available through an assessment carried out by the Additional Learning Support team.

Crawley College has an excellent transition procedure, designed to ensure that the learner's transfer to college is a very positive experience.

This will include visits between both organisations by the staff and students, taster sessions, summer programmes, transition days. This could also include attending a links course at the college.

A member of the staff will also meet with the SENCO to discuss learning needs support strategies to ensure a consistent approach and if required we will arrange to ‘shadow’ in class to make sure the transition into college is seamless.

All young people with an EHCP will have their outcomes met and all reasonable adjustments put in place.

An in-depth assessment will be carried out by tutors and the Additional Support team to ensure that the support provided is appropriate to meet the needs of the learner.

For learners who require a high level of support to meet their needs, once it has been assessed that the college can meet them, additional funding through the County’s High Needs Funding system can be applied for to directly fund the additional support.

A report is compiled, following a series of assessments made by many professionals working with the young person. The recommendations from that report are then actioned by the Head of Learning Support who will ensure the correct and appropriate levels of support are put in place.

Crawley College believe that the best support puts the young person at its centre. This is a product of everyone involved with the young person sharing their insight, resulting in a holistic package of support.

Parents/carers are encouraged to attend interviews and meetings to share the knowledge and experience and can contact the College at any time to discuss support and any other issues relating to the needs of the young person.

Crawley College hold Open Days throughout the year, including two Saturdays, and members of Additional Support are always present to discuss support needs and begin the process of transition into Crawley College which is part of an Outstanding College Group.

For more information on courses, please contact our Admissions team on 01293 442200 (option 2) or by email: admissions@crawley.ac.uk.

If your enquiry is in connection with support then please contact the Additional Learning Support and Welfare Manager, Jeanne Allen by phone 01293 442329 or email jallen@crawley.ac.uk.