Disappointed at Local college.

A place to talk about full time schools and post 16 training.

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lotsolaffs
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Re: Disappointed at Local college.

Post by lotsolaffs »

Lyndahill yes it has a good reputation but maybe not good enough. Another we have looked at is BRICCT in Brighton if you are in the same part if the world. We will be trying all the top colleges too,this next year is going to come around fast for us all!
lawn
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Re: Disappointed at Local college.

Post by lawn »

lotsolaffs wrote:I couldn't and wouldn't sit in on an audition! What I meant about being there was asking about hours she would attend and where students went afterwards. She didn't ask any questions nor did they tell them.
I'm with you on this. My 17yo recently finished his 1st year BTEC.(in Computing) This time last year he had 2 colleges to chose from. One let me sit in on the interview and at the end I could ask any practical questions like how many hours/days is the course? Can you tell me more about the course content and structure?. What can the qualification lead to and so on?. However DS chose a nearer college that had no parent involvement and so with 8 days to go until the end DS announced that he would be failing the year because he hadn't got all his assignments in. Thankfully we were able to pull out all stops for him and got him through to the 2nd year, but we'd have known more about what was involved and what to keep an eye on if there'd been some interaction with parents at the beginning. I understand they have to be more self managing, but leaving them to it seems a big step from the 'hand holding' of them Secondary schools seem to do, especially when you get a child that doesn't ask questions.

Performing arts can be such an alien world to people who aren't in it and you just don't know if you're giving the right advice to your DC.
paulears
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Re: Disappointed at Local college.

Post by paulears »

The colleges would love to inform parents on progress - but the system doesn't allow it - IF the student elects to prevent it. If they tell the college it's ok to contact parents, most will, but if they refuse, they cannot. All the BTEC centres I've had experience of make the assignment thing number one on page one. The trouble of course is they are students, and always leave things till the last minute. I've never found a college that didn't chase them, cajole them and even threaten them into doing the work. At some point hand holding must stop - and 16 seems a good time - at 18, the shock of standing on their own can be too much, and often they're further away too = so 16 works for me. If they can manage at 16 thats great - if they can't it only gets worse at 18. I have two ex-BTEC people working for me over the summer. I suspect one will make it and the other won't. Nothing to do with their technical or performance abilities - what concerns me is the lack of ability to work on their own, lack of common sense and slow speed of uptake. I got them both by asking on Facebook for recommendations. From parents.
lawn
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Re: Disappointed at Local college.

Post by lawn »

Oh I get that from being 16 they need to learn to be more independant in time for 18. It's just the jump that's so big between how schools are with them in May/June and how colleges are in Sept/Oct of the same year.

I doubt my son would have 'banned' me from finding out anything. We got around a weeks notice they'd be an open eveing in May (almost the end of the course). By that time I was already committed to working extra hours to cover a colleague, my DH was working abroad. I ended up sending in my Mum with a list of questions (because I'd got "dunno" out of son) but had forgotten that she'd last been involved in someone's education in the 80s when me and sis were at school. She barely understood the questions, let alone the answers. Thankfully my husband works in the same industry as what DS studies, so could help out when it was needed. I'd be completely out of my depth with performing arts when it comes to DD's turn.
paulears
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Re: Disappointed at Local college.

Post by paulears »

That I sympathise with - and it happens with me a lot when I visit a school and everyone has swallowed the acronym dictionary. Lesson plan - log into TIS, go to the ATI page, enter your TI number and then download to the Z drive. Not having even been given a password - because as a supply teacher I don't need one, I was stumped. Then I found a scrap of paper in the bin - the real teacher had thrown it away on producing my formalised bit of paper - on it it simply said carry on with work on The Tempest, and produce a detailed breakdown of Caliban's good and bad points. Phew!


Sadly - the things kids say now is quite worrying - my first example of somebody feelings so worthless, suicide is on the cards - and finding that I'm not, for safeguarding reasons, able to bring it to the attention of the right person - because I won't be there when they are available. Once I knew - I wasn't allowed to mention it to any of the people I came in contact with - who all knew it turned out, but safeguarding prevents discussion - especially with strangers like me.

At college - my colleagues and I frequently knew things we really should have told parents about - but couldn't. I even had to take a safeguarding exam - multiple choice and I had to pass to carry on teaching. I had to give the prescribed bad procedure, to do this - when anyone with a conscience would have broken the rules. Madness!

Now I am old - I choose which rules to follow and which to break, and take the consequences if I get it wrong quite happily. Younger people dare not do this. I quite happily find ways to inform parents of things they should know - I'm quite good at it, but the newly qualified ones dare not break the rules for career advancement reasons.

Worst was discovering a 17yr old was pregnant, and having to keep it to myself until she wasn't pregnant any longer - and then listen to her mum telling me she'd been a bit under the weather recently, but seemed to be OK now. That really stinks! I look back at my kids and wonder what awful things they may have had to deal with alone? I even got a verbal warning for doing some first aid - the day after the course - on a student who had slashed her wrists while we waited for the ambulance. The course said 'apply pressure to the site of the wound and elevate it' - my mistake was putting the college at risk by not donning protective gloves. Sure - there was a risk, but I chose to do what I thought best. They did not agree.
mariapanayi
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Re: Disappointed at Local college.

Post by mariapanayi »

I couldn't help but reply to this.

You absolutely should expect the best from your sixth form college. Some of what you describe is unacceptable. I'm fed up of hearing about the bad training out there.

My DD has spent two years training at Bodens College of Performing Arts, it's fully funded, and offers a Level Three Extended Diploma in Performing Arts. The standard is incredibly high, and the passion, professionalism and dedication of the staff is inspiring. My DD is expected to graduate with distinction grades, and is ready to start her third year with them - again, it's completely free. Honestly couldn't recommend this establishment any higher. They offer an enormous amount of performance opportunities too. Just thought it was worth a mention...
Katymac
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Re: Disappointed at Local college.

Post by Katymac »

How awful Paul - I hope you were OK and the youngster too of course
theMTAonline
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Re: Disappointed at Local college.

Post by theMTAonline »

paulears wrote:That I sympathise with - and it happens with me a lot when I visit a school and everyone has swallowed the acronym dictionary. Lesson plan - log into TIS, go to the ATI page, enter your TI number and then download to the Z drive. Not having even been given a password - because as a supply teacher I don't need one, I was stumped. Then I found a scrap of paper in the bin - the real teacher had thrown it away on producing my formalised bit of paper - on it it simply said carry on with work on The Tempest, and produce a detailed breakdown of Caliban's good and bad points. Phew!


Sadly - the things kids say now is quite worrying - my first example of somebody feelings so worthless, suicide is on the cards - and finding that I'm not, for safeguarding reasons, able to bring it to the attention of the right person - because I won't be there when they are available. Once I knew - I wasn't allowed to mention it to any of the people I came in contact with - who all knew it turned out, but safeguarding prevents discussion - especially with strangers like me.

At college - my colleagues and I frequently knew things we really should have told parents about - but couldn't. I even had to take a safeguarding exam - multiple choice and I had to pass to carry on teaching. I had to give the prescribed bad procedure, to do this - when anyone with a conscience would have broken the rules. Madness!

Now I am old - I choose which rules to follow and which to break, and take the consequences if I get it wrong quite happily. Younger people dare not do this. I quite happily find ways to inform parents of things they should know - I'm quite good at it, but the newly qualified ones dare not break the rules for career advancement reasons.

Worst was discovering a 17yr old was pregnant, and having to keep it to myself until she wasn't pregnant any longer - and then listen to her mum telling me she'd been a bit under the weather recently, but seemed to be OK now. That really stinks! I look back at my kids and wonder what awful things they may have had to deal with alone? I even got a verbal warning for doing some first aid - the day after the course - on a student who had slashed her wrists while we waited for the ambulance. The course said 'apply pressure to the site of the wound and elevate it' - my mistake was putting the college at risk by not donning protective gloves. Sure - there was a risk, but I chose to do what I thought best. They did not agree.
So much of this post angers me. Paulears I hear you. I got so despondent with how colleges handled things I started my own!! You're right though, more and more young people/young adults are coming forward desperate to be heard, and the systems in place don't currently help them. When I started #time4change I did a twitter shout out to ask for examples of good and bad mental health practice in colleges, and some of the stories are appalling. Of course there are two sides, but when you hear the number of examples I was sent, you've got to stop and start asking the big question. I hope that you've been given support (or have it elsewhere), as staff need to debrief from these things too.
paulears
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Re: Disappointed at Local college.

Post by paulears »

We started the course in 1996, from nothing - 4 of us in Performing Arts, a new department. My colleague who was Mrs Drama - she left first, then me, then Mrs Dance went too, and just one of my ex-colleagues, who came in in year two is still there - now the ONLY full time members of staff. We used to take them to Disneyland Paris every year - but the bosses put a stop to that, as they moved their attention to engineering and hair and beauty - the current golden subjects. Perf Arts never even had a member of management go to their end of year shows for the past two years - and as for support on the story I told above - the only support I got was an official verbal warning for putting the college at risk. We didn't expect good treatment - quite horrible to be considered a money pit.
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