4A:How to achieve success in guidance and support

In the best practice, effective guidance and support systems are tied to the curriculum, and course teams are fully aware of what is available. This means:

• there are clear and well-used communication channels between the support services and teaching teams
• support services are well briefed and regularly updated about teaching and curriculum developments
• support services are clear about particular learner needs and they meet these sensitively
• tutors and course teams know exactly what kinds of support their learners can use and how they can access it
• the process for tutors and course teams to refer learners for support is clear and well known to all
• course tutors receive regular reports about learner progress
• support services work well together and learners are not passed between different providers
• support services measure their success against learner outcomes
• support services collect and analyse learner and tutor feedback in order to evaluate their service.

Cross-college support teams (based, for example, in information, counselling or learning centres) should consider the following principles when guiding and supporting literacy, numeracy and ESOL learners:

• there are clear responsibilities within the team for liaising with literacy, numeracy and ESOL teaching teams
• there is good awareness of the level of literacy, numeracy and ESOL need in the college and in the local community
• there is good awareness of the Skills for Life strategy and the national standards for literacy, numeracy and ESOL
• team members have received appropriate accredited training through the specialist Skills for Life qualifications
• staff are clear about the way the service can help learners to meet the standards, for example, by providing information about relevant learning opportunities, loaning laptops to dyslexic learners or offering software mapped to the numeracy curriculum
• publicity about the service is accessible to literacy, numeracy and ESOL learners
• service systems, for example, library catalogues or guidance booking systems, can be accessed by literacy, numeracy and ESOL learners or they are given appropriate support to help them use these facilities
• there are staffed learning centres dedicated to language and number development and they include different modes of provision, including workshops, key skill centres, support zones etc
• relevant staff training is in place that is tailored to the particular needs of dyslexic learners, bilingual learners and those with learning difficulties and/or disabilities
• link staff are offered the opportunity to study specialist literacy, numeracy and ESOL qualifications at Levels 2 or 3
• accommodation is appropriate and includes, for example, confidential interview rooms
• resources are available to meet the needs of literacy, numeracy and ESOL learners and includes, for example, Entry Level book stock
• links are made to a wide range of external services that are relevant to literacy, numeracy and ESOL learners, including, for example, refugee support groups or publishers of literacy, numeracy and ESOL materials
• the take-up of support by literacy, numeracy and ESOL learners is systematically and regularly evaluated
• learning outcomes for learners receiving literacy, numeracy and ESOL support are measured
• the views of literacy, numeracy and ESOL learners and their teachers are collected and analysed in order to deliver continuous improvements to the support service.

Ann Pilcher provides one-to-one support for learners.

Attracting new learners

All enquirers are offered a confidential educational guidance interview.

Outreach information, advice and guidance (IAG) services for literacy, numeracy and ESOL opportunities need to be targeted at under-represented groups and provided in a variety of locations.

These will differ according to the nature and needs of the local community.

Increasingly, colleges are finding that they can best reach new learners by working through intermediaries and partners.

This might mean employing specialist outreach workers or developing a close working relationship with partners who are already well linked into particular local communities.

Another useful link are the Trade Union Learning Representatives who support a huge range of workers, many with literacy, numeracy and language needs. Trade Union Learning Representatives are often well-informed about the national Skills for Life strategy and its implications for the workplace. This means they able to advise on learning opportunities and career progression for members who want to improve their literacy, numeracy or ESOL skills.

Identifying particular needs

All colleges need clear processes for supporting learners with disabilities. Applicants should be invited to tell the college about any disability or particular learning need and be offered ongoing opportunities to disclose support needs. Applicants need clear and easy opportunities to identify the kind of support they need at interview or during assessment. There needs to be good communication and liaison between the admissions tutor or equivalent and course teams. Learners must also be confident that information about their support needs will be used only to ensure that these needs are met. Training for teaching and support staff should enable them to anticipate particular needs so that the applicant can be sure that appropriate support will be in place when their programme begins.

A support plan should be negotiated with the learner. Preferably, a named co-ordinator will provide specialist support and will help the course team to adapt the provision to meet the needs of the learner. The learner’s support should be tracked throughout their time at college. There will also need to be ongoing opportunities to trigger support for those who did not disclose a need at application or entry.

The right start

Successful providers know that every literacy, numeracy and ESOL learner needs to get off to a good start in their learning. They provide a clear framework for induction, which includes:

• an agreed statement about the purpose and nature of induction
• a toolkit of college-wide resources and support that teachers can use to support learners
• activities that teachers can tailor to individual learners according to their level of ability
• a procedure and resources to use with late enrolees
• a checklist which learners complete and sign to show that the induction objectives have been met
• a survey to check learners’ views of induction.

All induction resources need to be adapted for learners at the earlier levels of the literacy, numeracy and ESOL curriculum. Successful providers also see induction as an opportunity to get learners writing and thinking about their personal learning goals.

Tackling poor timekeeping

Work-ready skills overlap with personal skills and it is important to monitor punctuality and attendance, and to tackle any problems as soon as they arise. Effective support for learners includes the use of attendance and punctuality procedures that log lateness or non-attendance. These should fit the needs of particular groups of learners.

Peer support

Wherever possible, learners should be trained and resourced to provide support to each other. Peer support is mutually beneficial, both for learners who take responsibility for helping their classmates, and for the learners who are assisted in this way. Peer support can take a number of different forms, including mentoring, ‘study buddying’, help at college open days from existing learners and personal one-to-one support.

Planning for the future

Career and progression planning itself can help learners develop their literacy, numeracy and ESOL skills through activities such as:

• researching jobs and training opportunities
• looking at labour market trends
• describing the National Qualifications Framework
• interviewing employers and employees
• presenting their findings
• making applications
• preparing for mock interviews
• assessing themselves against the entry criteria
• assembling evidence to show that they meet the entry criteria.

Support through partnership

Every college will have formal partnerships with support agencies such as careers services. Successful providers ensure that the partnership agreements with such agencies specify the nature and level of support that will be provided to literacy, numeracy and ESOL learners with particular needs. They develop additional productive partnerships with targeted agencies such as refugee groups, health teams or specialist projects to enable the college to reach vulnerable and excluded groups and to offer support which recognises and meets the particular needs of such groups.