General
Welcome to
Sunderland College'sStaff Channel
In response to current issues these links provide quick access to guides and training videos each of the below services.
Each of the sections below contain key information for College staff on both the services offered by our central Learning Support Team and advice, guidance and 'top ten tips' for a range of conditions. We hope you find the contents of this page useful to you in your teaching and support of students. If you have any questions that aren't answered by the information in this section, please don't hesitate to ask us. Please feel free to contact any member of the Learning Support Team. Click here to meet the team.
This document provides an overview of the College's ethos and values on equality and diversity and goes on to provide advice to teachers on effective ways to bring these values into teaching, learning and assessment.
Top ten tips for staff supporting learners who have mental health needs.
Exam Access Arrangements are granted by the Examining/Awarding Body (not the College) on the basis of a learning difficulty and/or disability or medical condition and after careful consideration and assessment. Sufficient time must be given to collect the evidence for submission to the Examining/Awarding Body and for them to inform the College of their decision to allow an arrangement.
This is the procedure for requesting special examination access arrangements (EAA) for all college courses at Level 1 or above for the forthcoming academic year (for students only taking Entry Level exams, please see relevant section below).
Lecturing staff - particularly English and Maths lecturers - must find out as early as possible what their students' 'normal way of working' is, both in the classroom and especially for mock test/exams. For example, do they require a reader, scribe, extra time etc.? If students have had EAA at school but don’t wish to have them at college, for whatever reason, it might be useful to record this in your records for future reference. If the student was at college in previous years, tutors should also check Pro-Monitor and/or Pro-Solutions to see if EAA are already in place – the student’s photo will have an ‘E’ icon displayed and the details of the arrangements will be in the Learning Support Plan section (you may have to check the 2016/17 or 2017/18 records from the drop-down menu for the details). The details on Pro-Monitor will also give the expiry date for any existing EAA. If students are doing any exams after this date then, in line with JCQ regulations, they will need to be referred for an updated assessment.
In order to comply with JCQ regulations, any arrangements being requested for exams must reflect the support given to the candidate whilst they are at college – this is referred to as “normal way of working”. It is therefore vitally important that lecturers complete a copy of the form EAA2 - “Request for Exam Access Arrangements” (attached) and provide as much background information as they can to help facilitate appropriate assessment and inform decision making. This may require liaison with colleagues to obtain a full picture of the student’s “normal way of working”. Please note, without this evidence it will not be possible to process any request for EAA for that student. For example, unless evidence can be provided that the student needs help with reading in class, then a reader cannot be awarded for their exams!
If the student is under 18, the student must sign to give their permission for Specialist Support Lecturers (SSLs) to inform their parent/guardian about the appointment. Once the EAA2 has been fully completed, lecturers should scan and send to: Bill Wildish (Washington); Deb Barker (Bede); Lesley Ramsey (City); Elaine Pilcher (Hartlepool). Please make sure you send all of the sheets. If any important information is omitted from the forms they will be returned to the lecturer to be completed and resubmitted.
An appointment for assessment will be made as soon as possible – please bear in mind that this may take some time during busy referral periods. The student will be notified by letter of the day and time of their appointment (this will normally be addressed to their parent/carer if they are under 18). The referring lecturer will also be informed of the appointment by email and asked to remind the student to attend their assessment. Once the assessment has been completed, lecturers will be informed of the agreed arrangement(s) for the student by use of an EAA3 form. Details will also be added to the comments section of their Pro-Monitor profile. The student will be informed by email. A copy of the assessment report will be sent directly to Exams and details of the EAA and their expiry date will be uploaded onto Pro-Monitor. If a student does not attend their appointment (and hasn’t contacted the assessor) they will be offered another appointment; failure to attend this second appointment will result in them not being offered another one of that academic year.
For students taking Entry Level exams who require EAA, an assessment is not required. In these cases, their lecturers can put in place whatever EAA they feel are appropriate but evidence of need must still be provided and the arrangements recorded on JCQ Form 11 (attached). The evidence can be provided by lecturers completing form EAA2 and/or using any other evidence of need such as information from a student’s Education and Health Care Plan, SEN plan etc. – this must be stored and made available if requested by the exam board, external verifiers etc.
If the student has a particular medical condition/disability/mental health difficulty e.g. visual impairment, anxiety etc. they will need to provide relevant evidence. Please note, if the request is for a reader, scribe or extra time then GP evidence will not be acceptable; it must be from a consultant or suitably qualified person of a similar status. The college will accept GP evidence for arrangements such as separate/small group invigilation and rest breaks – it will also accept written evidence from the student’s previous school confirming these arrangements. This evidence must then be sent to Bill Wildish (Washington); Deb Barker (Bede); Lesley Ramsey (City); Elaine Pilcher (Hartlepool) along with the EAA2 form mentioned above. It is very important that this evidence clearly supports the arrangements being requested (e.g. if a scribe is being requested, the medical evidence from the consultant should clearly state that this is an appropriate arrangement). If the medical evidence does not fully support the request for arrangements then an appointment for assessment will have to be made for the student to see if the arrangement is appropriate.
The absolute deadline for all student referrals for GCE/GCSE exams is 31st January 2019. No referrals after this date will be accepted unless there are suitable mitigating circumstances or it is for a temporary condition e.g. student has injured their hand and needs to use a lap-top for their exams etc.
During the course of the year we find that staff have questions for us on very similar issues regarding examination access procedures. We hope that this page will be useful to you in getting a good understanding of the systems and procedures we have in place. If your question is not answered here, please don't hesitate to contact the Learning Support Coordinator at your campus.
“What paperwork do I need to complete to refer someone for exam arrangements?”
You will need to complete an EP1 form (which needs to be signed by the student’s parent/guardian if they are under 18) and an EAA2 form. The EAA2 form must be fully completed, providing details about the student’s normal way of working and the types of difficulties they have – make sure you use the updated form for 2017-18 please.
“Why do I have to fill all of this paperwork in?”
The EP1 form is required to make sure that the student (and their parent/guardian if they are under 18) is aware they are being referred for an assessment. The EAA2 form is required to meet JCQ regulations that any exam arrangements reflect the student’s “normal way of working” at the centre where they are studying – without this, exam arrangements cannot be put in place.
“My student’s been at college a couple of years – has s/he already got exam arrangements in place?”
You can check this by finding the student on ProMonitor and any the details of arrangements already in place will be in the Learning Support Plan section (you may have to check the 2015/16 or 2016/17 records from the drop-down menu for the details) This will also tell you the approximate date of expiry of any arrangements so you will know if they need to be re-referred for an updated assessment.
“I’ve sent in a referral – how will I know what’s happening?”
You will receive an email once an appointment has been arranged for the student tell you the day and time and asking you to remind them – the student will also receive a letter (addressed to their parent/guardian if under 18) informing them of the appointment.
“I haven’t heard anything back from the assessor about any appointments – what should I do?”
Please bear in mind that appointments may take some time to arrange during busy referral periods – it would be suggested that if you haven’t heard anything within 3 – 4 weeks that you contact the assessor and check on the progress of the referral. Once an assessment has taken place you will receive an email informing you of the arrangements put in place.
“Several of my students have asked for separate rooms for their exams because of anxiety – what should I do?”
To grant this arrangement, the students will need to provide some evidence of their anxiety – this can be a GP’s letter, a letter from their counsellor or written confirmation from their previous school that they received this arrangement.
“I don’t think this student’s going to pass their exams because their attendance is poor and they just mess about in the class on their phone etc. Can I apply for exam arrangements to help them pass?”
No! Exam arrangements are put in place because a student has an underlying learning difficulty, disability or medical/mental health condition – they cannot be put in place solely because the student isn’t trying or is perhaps on the wrong level of course!
“My student’s just brought in a letter from their doctor requesting a reader, a scribe and extra time – is that ok?”
No! JCQ regulations state that this would not be sufficient evidence for these arrangements. The student would need to produce evidence from a consultant to have these arrangements considered – even then, evidence would need to be provided that these arrangements were in line with their “normal way of working” so the completed EAA2 form would still need to be submitted as well.
“My student hates writing with a pen and wants to do their exam using a keyboard – is that ok?”
Not necessarily- if the expectation is that an exam is handwritten, there needs to be a reason for allowing them to use a keyboard as an alternative; this could be because their handwriting is illegible, they are very slow at writing, they have a medical problem which makes it difficult to write etc. Unless the student can produce some medical evidence confirming this, they will need to be referred in the normal way. If they are doing Functional Skills exams, the tutor could consider the option of allowing them to do it on-line where they can use a keyboard.
“One of my students doesn’t speak English as their first language – can they have a reader and extra time for their exam?”
No – the expectation from JCQ is that students are entered for examinations that they are capable of doing and that their levels of English are suitable for this. If the student has some history of learning difficulties then they can be referred for an assessment to see if they might qualify for EAAs. If they are doing Functional Skills exams they can also use a bilingual dictionary, if this is their “normal way of working” – depending on how long they have lived in the UK they may be able to have an additional 10% extra time, but this is very rare.
“My student has missed two appointments with you – can you arrange another one for them please?”
The College’s procedures state that each student will be allowed two appointments – each appointment letter sent out states that, if they are unable to attend the appointment for some reason, they need to contact the assessor so that another can be arranged. If the student/parent/guardian/tutor has not done this for either of the two appointments offered then no further appointments will be arranged for that academic year.
“My student wanted a reader for their exams but you haven’t awarded one – why not?”
This could be for one of two reasons; firstly, their reading has been assessed and they don’t qualify for a reader as their reading skills are above the level required. Secondly, the EAA2 form does not suggest that having help with reading is their “normal way of working” in class – all exam arrangements must reflect support the student receives during their course.
“I’ve missed the college’s deadline for submitting a referral for a GCSE student – can I still put it in?”
JCQ regulations clearly stipulate that deadlines are non-negotiable and the College has to abide by this as putting in late applications could subject us to an inspection of our examination procedures. Tutors are given advanced warning of deadlines for submitting referrals and the expectation is that this will be adhered to. The only exception JCQ would consider would be for temporary arrangements due to an accident e.g. a hand injury requiring the student to have extra time, rest breaks or use a keyboard for their exam etc.
“One of my students had a reader and extra time at school but they’ve said they didn’t use them and they don’t want them at college – what should I do?”
If they didn’t use them at school then it could be considered that it is not their “normal way of working” in exams anyway! In this situation, it would be advised that some record is kept by the tutor, and signed by the student, that an opportunity for a referral for an assessment was offered but that the student didn’t wish to take up the offer. It has been known for students to change their minds a week before the exams so it is useful to have a record confirming that the referral process was properly carried out!
“I’ve got a student who is finding this level of maths very difficult – can I refer them for extra time to help them pass?”
No – exam arrangements can’t be awarded just to make it easier for students to pass their exams! In this case, it might be appropriate to consider transferring the student onto a course which they are better suited to.
Top Ten Tips for people supporting learners who have dyslexia and other related specific learning difficulties
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Ask the learner what they have found useful in the past and don’t make assumptions about their difficulties. Also, be aware of past negative learning experiences and avoid repeating the same approaches. |
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Use strategies which suit their learning style and allow for success. Many learners |
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Use the results of any diagnostic assessment, when available, to inform the support plan. This may highlight weaknesses and areas that need to be worked on. |
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Use a range of multi-sensory approaches - such as pattern, colour, images, mind maps, mnemonics, rhyming words, stories and role play - to aid learning and memory. |
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Manipulate written materials with highlighters and be aware of accessible font styles. For some learners, coloured paper, a coloured overlay or changing the background colour of their computer screen may help with their reading if they experience visual problems such as words appearing to move around or becoming blurred. |
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Provide strategies to help with poor time management, organisation of notes and folders etc. |
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Be aware of the problems of the specialist language of maths and the difficulty of sequential calculations and symbols. Encourage neatness in setting out their calculations to avoid confusion over place value etc. |
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Use a Dictaphone for recording important information verbally to help learners formulate what they are going to say in their answers. It might also be helpful to provide the learner with an outline plan of what they need to do (including key words they need to use) to help structure their work. |
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Use technology to help - especially in cases of poor handwriting, spelling, word prediction etc. Read and Write Gold software is networked to all college computers and may be useful for some learners. |
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Avoid the temptation to do the learner’s work for them! Always be careful about making them do something you know they “can’t do” but never be afraid to make reasonable requests when they “won’t do” something. |
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Attract the student’s attention before you start talking, so that they catch everything that is said, not just the ending. |
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Ask the student what help they would like (addressing the student and not the communication worker) and be clear about roles and responsibilities. |
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Face the student when communicating, with your head fairly still. Keep your face, and particularly your mouth, visible at all times. |
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Make sure the room is well lit and avoid sitting or standing in front of a light or a bright window. Keep background noise to a minimum.
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Check regularly for understanding. If the student still does not understand something after repetition try rephrasing the information, as some words are harder to lipread. Build in regular breaks – for both student and communication worker, where applicable. |
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Speak normally but not too quickly. Avoid shouting, over-mouthing words or speaking too slowly, as these can all be harder to lipread. Use full sentences rather than phrases. |
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Use clear visual cues, body language, eye contact and hand gestures to get a point across but avoid exaggerated gestures as these can be distracting. Write down important points. |
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Aim to have prior knowledge/copies of the session plan, notes, hand-outs etc (note the need for subtitled resources where relevant e.g. film). Prepare notes well in advance if possible. |
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In group work, indicate learners who are speaking and repeat the question when giving an answer. Avoid having too many speaking at the same time. |
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For sign language users, language functions, colloquialisms and grammar may need to be taught explicitly (ESOL techniques may be appropriate). |
Useful links:
http://www.actiononhearingloss.org.uk/
http://www.hearinglink.org/home
Autism is a lifelong condition which affects how a person communicates and relates to other people. People with an Autistic Spectrum Disorder will experience difficulties in three main areas:
Social and emotional understanding
Communication
Flexibility of thought and behaviour
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Treat each person as a unique individual; recognise the wide range of intellectual and cognitive skills encompassed by this disorder. |
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Individual’s behaviours can range from obsessive to the eccentric with learners becoming agitated with sudden changes. |
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Encourage a supportive environment; learners who have ASD can fail to recognize social cues, facial expression, body language or tone of voice. They may have no idea they might be talking too much, use of a firm, fair, respectful and consistent approach. |
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Aim to support with social interaction, behaviours are often taken as a sign of rudeness, avoiding eye contact, unaware of personal space, showing no interest in other people’s opinions or interest. |
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Be sensitive to the fact that group work may be very stressful; learners who have ASD find it difficult to see from someone else’s perspective and to understand that other people may have different thoughts and feelings from their own. |
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Aim for consistency and routine whenever possible. In order to make the world less confusing people with ASD rely on routine, changes can cause anxiety. |
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When changes to routine are inevitable, discuss these with the learner and help them to accept/adjust to the change. Wherever possible use visual aids to reinforce changes, copies of timetables or written instruction/information of changes. |
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Keep sentences and or instruction concise, outwardly learners with ASD may have very good verbal skills however may only be able to follow one instruction at a time. |
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Use literal language and be as precise as possible – avoid metaphors, irony etc. (e.g. “pull your socks up!”). |
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Use simple and concise worded question to elicit and check learning – remembering that eye contact may be a problem. |
Why focus on equality and diversity in the curriculum?
How?: Choose the right resources:
How?: Challenge racist, sexist and homophobic assumptions and attitudes:
How?: Promote respect for diversity:
How?: In your lessons:
EMBEDDING EQUALITY AND DIVERSITY INTO THE CURRICULUM: MAKING THE IMPLICIT EXPLICIT
Promoting equality and diversity should be, and can be a feature of every lesson. This means equality and diversity in its broadest sense: treating people fairly and with respect, enabling them to achieve their full potential. Promoting equality and diversity doesn’t mean having to do anything differently – it simply means being conscious of these issues in lesson planning and lesson delivery. Consideration of broad equality and diversity issues is a feature of good teaching because it is about meeting the needs of the individual student.
GOOD PRACTICE
The following are features of good practice drawn from lesson observations.
STARTING POINT FOR MANAGING EQUALITY AND DIVERSITY IN THE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT
A personal audit of your skills, experiences and qualities will help you to recognise where you are doing well and where there might be room for development. The audit below provides a useful starting point.
SKILLS USED WITH COLLEAGUES | Doing well | Recognise that I am competent and can support colleagues | Recognise that there is more I might be able to do |
I encourage open discussion about equality and diversity |
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I express my own views openly |
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I seek more information when I need it |
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I handle sensitive discussions within team meetings to avoid conflict |
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I express feelings |
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I directly challenge jokes and derogatory comments about disability, sexuality, race, gender, religion or belief, age and other areas of discrimination |
SKILLS USED WITH STUDENTS | Doing well | Recognise that I am competent and can support colleagues | Recognise that there is more I might be able to do |
I listen when students make complaints about discrimination and their experience of it |
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I openly discuss issues of inequality when they arise in my subject/tutor group |
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I ensure that all students have opportunities to contribute and to be listened to respectfully |
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I set ground rules to prevent racist, sexist or other discriminatory attitudes and behaviour in the classroom |
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I manage the group and group discussions when prejudiced views and stereotypes are introduced |
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I manage the group and group discussions when prejudiced views and stereotypes are introduced |
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I utilise students’ experiences, cultures, background and knowledge where possible |
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I am aware of my own prejudices and use of stereotypes |
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I challenge discrimination, harassment and victimisation with competence |
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I induct students into equality and diversity issues and explain the consequences of unacceptable behaviour |
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I am aware of my own assumptions about difference, cultures, customs and abilities |
Things I would like to develop in relation to equality and diversity: |
SUGGESTIONS FOR PROMOTING EQUALITY AND DIVERSITY IN CLASSROOM PRACTICE
PLANNING
Consider:
Examples of good practice:
DELIVERY
Consider:
Examples of good practice:
RESOURCES
Consider:
Examples of good practice include:
LEARNING SUPPORT
Consider:
Examples of good practice include:
PRACTICAL SUGGESTIONS FOR HELPING YOU TO FURTHER EMBED EQUALITY AND DIVERSITY INTO LESSONS OR TUTORIALS
The following are practical suggestions that may help you to develop your confidence and competence in how you further embed equality and diversity into what is most important in our college – teaching and learning.
CREATING A SAFE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT
However clear our messages about equality and diversity are, they will be competing with:
Tips for creating a safe and encouraging environment:
SELECTING LEARNING ACTIVITIES
Issues relating to equality and diversity crop up in some subjects more than other. However in class discussions, interactions or activities, equality and diversity issues will crop up in every subject at some stage.
Equality and diversity are dynamic issues meaning that the cultural, political, social context and language we use to discuss them is constantly changing. The activities you select will be influenced by:
Make use of local incidents, TV dramas and soaps, human interest stories, news events and whatever is happening in the world to raise and encourage on-going discussion, debate and personal reflection.
SETTING GROUND RULES
We all use ground rules in our teaching. They provide a framework to ensure open, respectful dialogue, and maximum participation. Using ground rules to build a safe and learning environment is especially important in the fields of equality where many themes are strongly linked to personal values and experiences. A completely safe learning environment provides support for the shifts in thinking and practice that new knowledge and skills often require:
Therefore, ground rules should be developed in order to:
Ground rules should be drawn to the attention of students before and during the course by:
Learning always involves some risk. Creating a safe learning climate for exploring sensitive issues is essential.
TIPS FOR INCLUSIVE LESSON/TUTORIAL DELIVERY
Inclusive practices include:
Practical approaches to fostering inclusion include:
Tips for the successful delivery of inclusive learning include:
CHALLENGING WITH CONFIDENCE: HANDLING STRONG VIEWS AND EMOTIONS
Equality and diversity issues arise in some subjects more than others but in every subject or tutor group there will be times when they crop up. People’s feelings and views about equality and diversity can be difficult to explore, particularly in a classroom situation. You will face students dealing with issues such as:
The teacher/tutor’s role in any of these sorts of scenarios is to remain calm, encourage students not to make personal comments or to take comments personally, and focus on the task in hand. Many such challenges can be turned to good use in a lesson. The power of the group should never be underestimated and learning points can be extracted from the most difficult situations.
IDENTIFYING PREJUDICED ATTITUDES AND DISCRIMINATION
Racism, homophobia and similar behaviour against other groups may take the form of:
HOW TO DEAL WITH PREJUDICE AND DISCRIMINATION
Your option for dealing with such behaviour can include any combination of the following:
FINAL TIPS
When challenging language or behaviour, aim to:
Top Ten Tips for people supporting learners who have dyslexia and other related specific learning difficulties
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Live in the here and now. Deal with the current situation or issue. Rehashing prior problems aggravates everyone and accomplishes nothing. Skip the lectures and "I told you so." |
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Show compassionate about your learner’s condition. Teenagers (like everyone) dislike being blamed or criticized for their behaviour. Disorganization and forgetfulness are not purposeful behaviour’s for Learners with ADHD Better to collaborate with your Student to lessen such experiences. Impulsivity is a basic feature of ADHD; shoplifting or purposefully damaging an item is not. |
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Keep calm. Shouting matches rarely accomplish the desired goal. Better to adhere to a rational reminder of expected behaviour and enforcement of a reasonable (and already agreed upon) penalty. When in doubt, make your point and move on. |
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Anticipate pitfalls. A good Teacher / Mentor never enter’s a battle they know they are going to lose. Teachers / Mentor’s should be one step ahead of their ADHD Learners anticipate problems and either proactively attempt to resolve the issue or realize that mistakes will happen and work out as a team how you will handle such events in a constructive and calm manner. Focus on the positive! Don't just focus on the negative aspects of your Learners behaviour; remember to praise him or her when they do well. |
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Set appropriate boundaries and stick to them. Much to your Learners frustration, a meeting with parents to discuss acceptable options and the consequences for failure to meet these expectations is reasonable. Enforcement of such consequences should be non-negotiable whatever you do don't enforce an unenforceable penalty. |
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Ditch power struggles. Students do better with concrete information that has a limited option for misinterpretation. Write down basic rules and the consequences for failure to follow through. |
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Help your Learner develop social skills. Teenagers that have ADHD may have difficulty interacting with others. Help your Learner develop social skills such as listening, not interrupting when others are speaking, and maintaining a conversation. |
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Listen to your Learner. Teach your ADHD student how to explain their feelings. Instead of hurling insults back and forth, let your student rant and rave without any interruptions. The only rule: no profanity, name-calling, or insults. When your learner is done, announce that you are glad you had this conversation and listened to their ideas but need to think about them for a couple of days and would like to talk to them again about the issue. The only "must" -- you have to have the follow-up conversation you promised. |
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Stand your ground on important topics. Your learner will understand the concept that big offenses should warrant big consequences. Fairness and justice require this trade-off. Since students with ADHD are more likely to engage in high-risk behaviours (especially if they are not taking ADHD-directed medication), there should be a zero tolerance for illegal or dangerous behaviour’s. These high-risk behaviours (for example, driving, use of alcohol/drugs, truancy, etc.) should be addressed in a contract between parent and teen. Demonstrated infraction = non-negotiable penalty. Case closed. |
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Give your Learner choices. Allowing your student to choose between options promotes confidence and autonomy while helping your student to feel more like an adult. |
Top Ten Tips for people supporting learners who are Blind or Partially Sighted
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Ask the student what support, if any, they require. |
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Address the student by name so that they understand you are speaking to them. This is particularly important if you are inviting them to answer a question in class. |
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Remember that the student may not be able to see non-verbal cues such as gestures, nods or facial expression, so give clear verbal instructions. Tell the student if you are walking away from them after a conversation. |
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Don’t be afraid to use everyday expressions such as “nice to see you” or “see you later” – visually impaired people use these expressions too. |
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Avoid background noise, which may be distracting for learners concentrating on auditory cues. |
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Read out what is written on whiteboards, flipcharts, Powerpoint etc. |
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Explore the use of appropriate technology, for example: speech or magnification software (SuperNova; Jaws). Students may also want to use their phones to capture information from boards or screens or to receive documents via email. |
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Prepare materials in advance. For print readers use the preferred font, size and/or text colour on appropriately coloured paper. For students using screenreaders, supply in advance, electronic files of classroom materials. |
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Be aware that blind and partially-sighted people may need exam access arrangements which need to be applied for in good time. |
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Useful links: |
The Learning Support Team bring a wide range of expertise and experience to support our students through the course of their studies. On this page you'll find where each team member is based, their contact details and specific areas of expertise.
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Name : Michael Hall Campus Base : Bede Campus: Headways Building: Room ? email : michael.hall@sunderlandcollege.ac.uk Extension : 02443 |
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Name : Alyson Simpson Campus Base : Bede Campus: Headways Building: Room ? email : alyson.simpson@sunderlandcollege.ac.uk Extension : 03404 |
Name : Kevin Lynch Campus Base : Bede Campus: Headways Building: Room ? email : kevin.lynch@sunderlandcollege.ac.uk Extension : 02718 Specialist Area : Mental Health / Qualified MHFA Instructor |
Name : Kay Bowes Campus Base : City Campus: Room 3.09 email : kay.bowes@sunderlandcollege.ac.uk Extension : 05788 Specialist Area : Specific Learning Difficulties: Autism, Dyslexia. |
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Name : Bill Wildish Campus Base : Washington Campus: Room 23 email : bill.wildish@sunderlandcollege.ac.uk Extension : 00717 Specialist Area : Dyslexia (AMBDA, SpLD APC) |
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Name : Elaine Pilcher Campus Base : Hartlepool Sixth Form email : elaine.pilcher@sunderlandcollege.ac.uk Extension : tbc Specialist Area : tbc |
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Name : Deborah Barker Campus Base : Bede Campus: Headways: Building Room? email : deborah.barker@sunderlandcollege.ac.uk Extension : 03590 Specialist Area : Autistic Spectrum Conditions (ASC) |
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Name : Lesley Ramsey Campus Base : City Campus: 30? email : lesley.ramsey@sunderlandcollege.ac.uk Extension : 03569 Specialist Area : Social, Emotional Behaviour Difficulties (SEBD) |
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Name : Angela Adamson Campus Base : Bede Campus: Headways: Building Room ? email : angela.adamson@sunderlandcollege.ac.uk Extension : 02938 Specialist Area : Foundation Learning |
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Name : Judith Taylor Campus Base : Bede Campus: Headways: Building Room ? email : judith.taylor@sunderlandcollege.ac.uk Extension : 03573 Specialist Area : Education Health Care Plans |
Individual consultation meetings are currently being arranged.
Thank you in advance for your patience during this time.
This new section of the Staff Channel will be a focal point for thanking staff for their contribution to the College and recognising how much their efforts are valued. Every day, members of staff are making a huge difference, both to the experience of our students and in working with colleagues to make us a supportive institution of academic excellence. We hope to capture and share some of this tremendous work here so that it doesn't go unnoticed. We thank everyone for their positive contribution!
bksb® is the UK’s most popular eLearning solution for Functional Skills and GCSE. Learners will take the initial assessment to determine their level and then diagnostic assessment to determine their strengths and areas to improve.
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In response to current issues these links provide quick access to guides and training videos each of the below services. Moodle - Office365 - Google Classroom - Teams |
The College welcomes learners with disabilities including those with mental health difficulties and aims to provide the appropriate support, resources, facilities, and services to enable all students to be successful in their chosen programme of study. We recognise that everyone is unique and we will work with learners to identify any barriers that exist and what can be done to overcome them. In this section you'll find links to resources selected for you by our Specialist Support Lecturer, Kevin Lynch, who advises on support for mental health issues.
This is the award-winning and internationally renowned video on the subject of depression.
Millions of people around the world live with depression. “Living with a black dog” is a guide for partners, carers and sufferers of depression. It advises those living with and caring for people with depression on what to do, what not to do, and where to go for help.
Counselling, support and financial assistance from the Education Support Partnership.
An excellent set of self help leaflets from the NHS. Click on any of the covers on the shelves, choose PDF Leaflet then click on PDF A4.
The Shoutouts powerapp allows you to send a note of appreciation to your coworkers whether it is for a job well done or for saying thanks. This fun app encourages coworkers to share job-related compliments, personalize them with custom pictures, and includes automated email notifications sent to recipients’ managers. By leveraging the power of Microsoft Graph APIs and a single excel table, the Shoutouts experience includes a rich social feed – a first for a PowerApps template!
On Wednesday 16th April 2018, Sunderland College held its first Long Service Celebration Dinner at the City Bistro. It was the first of what will be an annual event and was thoroughly enjoyed by all who attended.
(To view the gallery full screen, hover your cursor over the panel above and click the Full Screen (square) icon at the top . The down-arrow icons allow you to download high resolution versions of the photos.)
The celebratory event was hosted by our Principal, Ellen Thinnesen and Rob Lawson, our Chair of Governors. It was held in recognition of and to celebrate all those staff who had achieved their 20, 30 and 40 years' service with the college.
Managers across the College gave thoughtful, entertaining and interesting speeches about their staff and their time here at the College.
You can see from the selection of photographs above that the evening was a great success!
As the situation with the virus changes over time, we want to keep you up to date at all times with the latest information and advice. Staff Bulletins will alert you to changes and this page will reflect all the latest developments.
For completeness, the information that we shared earlier by email is reproduced below:
Coronavirus is a type of virus that can cause mild respiratory or flu like symptoms. As with flu, older people, and those with pre-existing medical conditions (such as asthma, diabetes, and heart disease), are more vulnerable to becoming severely ill with the virus. As you will be aware, there is now a new coronavirus called Covid-19, which has been the cause of the current outbreak centred on China.
We are taking active precautions to ensure our staff and students practice good respiratory and hand hygiene. We will be:
From today we are also implementing the following mandatory clearance protocol.
This applies to any member of staff (including a staff member with a close family member or friend) who has returned to the UK in the past 14 days after travelling within, or transiting through an affected area categorised as:
Following receipt of Public Health information, please read the attached information so that you clearly understand the College’s position and what steps you will be required to take in the case of potential exposure to the virus.
If the information in the file linked above applies to you, please immediately inform People and Development by calling 0191 5116371.
You must also notify NHS 111, but only if you have symptoms of illness including fever and cough within 14 days of your return.
It is important that you do not attend any college delivery sites or any healthcare setting if there is a risk that you could spread the virus. Unless an emergency requires you to dial 999, the NHS advice is do not go to a GP surgery, pharmacy or hospital. Call 111, stay indoors and avoid close contact with other people.
We strongly advise against travel to High Risk or Specified Affected Areas. However, if you are planning to travel to any of these countries in the coming weeks or months, please notify your line manager, and do not return to work afterwards until you have made a telephone call to the People and Development team and been given occupational health clearance.
Please do ensure that you look at the most up to date advice from the foreign office https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice.
In addition to this information being available here on Moodle for Sunderland College staff, it is also available on the SharePoint staff homepage for Hartlepool staff and on Canvas for Northumberland College staff. Further information relating to the management of students will follow.