News

A Letter to Parents, Guardians & Carers from the Principal

I would like to formally welcome you to John Ruskin College. We are aware that moving to college or progressing onto another course at college is a significant step for a young person and involves a lot of changes, which for many new students can take time to get used to. However, we also hope that this is a time of fresh beginnings and that you as parents/carers and all of our students - new or returning - are excited by the challenges and opportunities ahead. We hope that the next year / two years will be a time that positively shapes the future of all our students, developing their confidence, skills and knowledge.

At John Ruskin College we recognise the importance that parents/carers play in supporting our students in their education and we very much welcome your involvement and enthusiasm in fostering the behaviours and skills required for our students to become the ‘best version of themselves’ they can be, to become more independent and succeed in their studies.

Student Progress
All students have an Individual Learning Plan (eILP) where their progress is tracked and discussed during our parents’/carers’ evenings in November and February. If your young person attended the College last year, they will notice some changes to our systems. The majority of our students will be using a system called the Learner Hub and we will be sharing it with students over the first few weeks. Links will be sent out to parents later this term.

Attendance
Excellent attendance and punctuality are an expectation of the College. Each student has their own individual timetable and is expected to attend all their lessons. This is tracked through the student’s ILP. If a student is unwell, they are required to report their absence through OSC Connect App or by contacting their administrator. All medical appointments should be planned around a student’s timetable to ensure absence is limited as much as possible.

I would also like to remind all students and parents/carers that holidays should only be taken outside of term time. A copy of our term dates can be found on our website.

Study Programme
The 16-19 Study Programme is aimed at preparing all young people for further study, training or employment. All students at John Ruskin College have their own programme of study depending on their individual needs.

The Study Programme includes:

• a main qualification from Entry Level to Level 3 within a vocational curriculum
• work experience/work placement, or work-related learning intended to develop specific skills to progress into their chosen career / further study

• English – compulsory for all students who have not yet achieved a GCSE grade 4 or above
• mathematics - compulsory for all students who have not yet achieved a GCSE grade 4 or above
• a tutorial programme, including careers advice and guidance and enrichment opportunities.

Homework and studying outside of the classroom
Courses at college require students to work independently outside of the classroom to deepen their learning and further their knowledge and understanding.

Some students will have ALP (Additional Learning Programme) on their timetable.  This offers a structured approach to independent learning and students will have specific weekly tasks to undertake during this time which support progress on their qualifications.

All students are expected to study outside of lesson time for a similar amount of time as they study within the classroom, dependent on the level and requirements of their qualification. As part of our preparation for work and/or further study we try to develop students’ independent time-management skills. Some students prefer to complete their additional study on campus, where there are dedicated areas in the Learning Resource Centre to help them, whereas others may prefer to study at home. Moodle, our Virtual Learning Environment (eZone) and Teams are always available for students who wish to continue to study independently. 

Plagiarism
I would like to remind students that plagiarism within their own work is prohibited. Plagiarism occurs when a person uses someone else’s thoughts, writing or creative work and presents them as his or her own, without clearly acknowledging the source of the information. It can take several forms, most commonly:

• directly copying another person’s work, for example from the internet, a book, or another student’s assessment

• receiving material help from other people while producing an assignment, without express permission or instruction from a lecturer

All students are expected to make themselves aware of the policies and procedures related to plagiarism and the consequences. The College uses plagiarism software for some assessments to ensure students’ work is their own.

Parent Information
Additional information can also be found on our website page and we will communicate news updates or any site closures on here.

Further Study
If you have been inspired by your young person and are interested in finding out what the College has to offer you, please take a look at our website. Our College courses cover a wide range of subjects which enable you to upskill, retrain or learn something new.

If you are sponsoring a Ukrainian family, we have a wide range of courses to support the development of English, along with additional part-time courses linked to employment.

Get Involved
We are always enthusiastic to engage with new companies to work with and to provide opportunities, work placements and experiences to our young people. If any of our parents/carers run their own companies or work with companies who may be interested in supporting the College on T Levels in Digital, Construction, Engineering and Healthcare or would just like to know more about what is involved please contact us through Belinda Tucker on Belinda.Tucker@johnruskin.ac.uk.

Open Event
The next College Open Event is on Tuesday 27 September 16:00-19:30 and staff will be on hand to talk about 16-18, Apprenticeships and Adult courses which can still be started now as well as academic year 2023/24.

Finally, I would like to wish your young person every success with their studies this year

Yours sincerely

Dr Lindsay Pamphilon 
Group Principal
John Ruskin College