As a parent, carer or guardian, you can trust us to provide a welcoming environment for your son or daughter; one that is safe, caring, and friendly, and that creates a setting in which learning is interesting and effective. As well as delivering courses designed to enable students to progress to further and higher education, or to embark on worthwhile careers or an Apprenticeship, we will also help students to develop essential skills, such as time management, self-discipline and responsibility.
The success of our students is hugely important to us; the time that your son or daughter spends with us is a time when they can lay the foundations for their future. We appreciate that you’ll want the best for them, and that’s why we encourage you to take an active, supportive interest in their education.
City of Wolverhampton College is committed to providing a safe environment for all employees, students, visitors and anyone else likely to be affected by college activities.
Your son/daughter’s safety is paramount to us which is why we expect all students to visibly wear their college ID badge with them at all time whilst they are on college premises.
Staff and visitors are required to wear ID badges at all times whilst on campus. If a student forgets their ID badge then they will be sent home to collect it. If an ID badge is lost then a replacement can be supplied by the Student Hub at a cost of £3.00. It is important that students keep their ID badge safe as lost cards are an identity theft and security risk.
It is the duty of everyone at college to behave in ways that ensure the health, safety or welfare of themselves and others. All students are, at induction, provided with information about the college’s Health and Safety policy and Procedures, and informed of their responsibility to act in a safe and appropriate manner at all times this information is reiterated in their Course Handbook.
Our progress evenings are a great opportunity to see how your son or daughter is doing at college.
These sessions may take the format of face-to-face meetings, virtual online sessions or telephone calls.
Your son or daughter will be assigned a personal tutor, who is responsible for monitoring their progress, setting targets and is also someone to turn to if help is required.
Personal Tutors will provide any reference for work or University, and will signpost to appropriate guidance and welfare services. Your son or daughter will have regular 1:1 meetings with their Personal Tutor which is their opportunity to discuss their progress and set challenging targets.
The college works closely with parents, carers and guardians to make sure that students make sustained progress in order to be successful on their course.
Progress reports will be available twice a year at Progress Evenings. If a Personal Tutor is concerned about your son or daughter’s progress or behaviour they will ring you if necessary, and we are happy to receive calls from you, if you have concerns. By the first week of term (known as ‘Induction Week’) your son or daughter will know who their Personal Tutor is.
We expect all our students to be punctual and attend all their classes.
Persistent lateness or unauthorised absence will be dealt with under our disciplinary procedure.
If students know that they cannot attend college, they need to let us know by calling the CALMS team at the campus they are studying at:
- Paget Road – 01902 837190 or 07435552016
- Wellington Road – 01902 821167
If we have not received a call from the student or you, it is college policy to make contact with either you or them directly. If we feel your son or daughter’s overall attendance level is unacceptable, we will contact you to alert you so any problems can be dealt with swiftly. Also, if your son or daughter’s lack of attendance becomes a matter for concern, we will ensure that their Personal Tutor works with them.
Students who disregard the college’s policies and procedures may find themselves subject to disciplinary action. Persistent offenders may be suspended or excluded from their course and the college.
Our courses are all about progression, whether into employment, securing an apprenticeship or in to university level course. Your son or daughter will be able to talk to his/her Personal Tutor about their options or arrange to see our Careers Guidance Team in the Student Hub.
The college’s Careers Leader is Rose Urkovskis, Student Entitlement Manager and the Lead Governor for Careers is Ioana Axinte.
Careers related learning programme is available to view here and is delivered in weekly tutorials.
The Student Entitlement for Careers, Education, Information, Advice & Guidance (CEIG) Policy is available to view here.
We can help with many learning support needs. Support may be in-class or with specialist support staff. We will assess your son or daughter’s needs and put in appropriate support. We will review this each term to make sure we are continuing to meet their needs.
We ask students at interview and enrolment about their support needs and whether they had extra time in exams whilst at school; they also undertake an English and maths assessment prior to the start of their course. This helps us to assess their needs and put appropriate support in place. Sometimes new support needs may arise, so we may need to review them. Our Learning Support team are happy to discuss with you any needs your son or daughter may have.
We are committed to equality of opportunity and promote an attitude of cooperation and respect for each other. We do not tolerate discriminatory language or behaviour. Students take part in induction activities to raise their awareness of this commitment to promoting equality and diversity.
City of Wolverhampton College actively encourages a culture of respect and will not tolerate bullying, harassment or discrimination in any form. We positively promote diversity and difference through all aspects of College life. If you have any concerns that your son or daughter is being bullied or treated unfavourably then please contact their Personal Tutor.
All educational institutions have a legal responsibility to safeguard children (under 18) and vulnerable adults in their care.
If any staff member has concerns that a student or apprentice, aged under 18, or a vulnerable adult is being abused, they must and will report it to a member of the college’s safeguarding team.
A named member of the college’s executive management team (EMT) is the lead designated safeguarding officer.
We welcome feedback from our students so that we can continually improve their experience at college.
All classes have a Class Rep who, on behalf of their peers, attends meetings. Class Reps will also attend course team meetings so that their views contribute to course planning. We also gain valuable feedback from students via regular college surveys, and actively encourage feedback to be given on our ‘Have Your Say’ forms.
We are committed to helping all our students achieve their full potential, which means that we are committed to helping them to develop both in their well-being and vital life skills.
There are opportunities to get involved in raising money for charity, volunteering or learning more about healthy lifestyles. Throughout the year, we run student trips and events like our Freshers’ Fairs, Student Conference, Careers and Progression week, and we also have inspirational visitors in to share their stories and inspire our students.
Every student at City of Wolverhampton College is a member of the Students’ Union and there are opportunities for students who are interested to stand for election to executive roles.
Moodle and Google Classroom are used as the college’s virtual learning environments (VLEs).
Both platforms are used to support classroom learning, allowing access to course learning materials such as presentations, handouts, videos and assignment briefs. It also offers additional on-line resources to enhance and supplement the classroom teaching.
Students can access Moodle and Google Classroom 24/7 from any computer with internet access.
In addition, since Covid-19, Microsoft Teams is also used to support online learning.
