Parents’ Newsletter
Winter 2022
Courses starting in January
Croydon College is offering a wide range of courses starting in January 2023, for people of all ages, whatever their prior academic attainment. From full-time courses for 16 to 18 year olds to part-time degree courses that fit around existing work and family commitments, there’s something for everyone.
Find out more at: croydon.ac.uk/january-starts
Coulsdon Sixth Form College and Croydon College will be closed from the 17th December 2022 and will reopen for students on the 4th January 2023.
Online Safety Information for Students and Parents
Now, more than ever, we need to support our students to stay safe and well online. Please see a range of helpful websites for parents and students to ensure safety online over the coming weeks.
The UK Safer Internet Centre offers excellent advice for parents on keeping their children safe online. This includes information on the common dangers as well as safety controls and tools, including those that can be used on social media.
There is a similar guide for young people. Here you can find 5 top tips for staying safe online as well as links to other resources, including the safe use of apps such as Instagram and Snapchat.
CEOP (Child Exploitation and Online Protection command) is an organisation designed to protect young people from online sexual abuse. Their website has a section where young people or parents/guardians can make a report if they or someone else may be suffering from grooming or online sexual abuse. This can range from people feeling pressured to talk about sex online, being asked to provide images to being asked to meet up in person. As well as being able to make reports of things that have happened, you can also contact CEOP for advice on what to do if you have concerns that something may happen.
Advice on these issues is also available on the Think U Know website. If you are not ready to talk to CEOP or want advice on online bullying and harassment that is not sexual in nature, the best contact is Childline on 0800 1111
There is a wide range of apps that students use socially. It is important that students and parents understand how they work, the safety features and the dangers of the technology. The guides linked in the panels on the right relate to some of the most common apps that young people are using currently.
How to set up the parental controls offered by your internet provider BT Internet Sky Broadband Talk Talk Homesafe Virgin Media Other Parental Control links YouTube - How to turn on Safety Mode Google - Activate Safe Search 4OD - Parental Control BBC iPlayer - Parental Guidance Lock ITV Player - PIN number protection Sky Go - Parental Controls Website / Software Guidance Ask.FM - Factsheet Facebook - Parents’ Guide Google+ - Parents’ Guide Instagram - Parents’ Guide Snapchat - Parents’ Guide
STAYING SAFE THIS WINTER We will be closed to students for the Christmas break from the 17th December. We will re-open on Wednesday 4th January. During this period, our services to students will be unavailable, and this includes our Safeguarding and Wellbeing team. If you find that you need help or support during this period, you may find one or more of the following services helpful: Mental Health NHS Crisis line 0800 731 2864 SHOUT Text Shout 85258 Samaritans Ring 116 123 Physical Health NHS Direct Ring 111 Physical Health LGBTQ+ Support Switchboard LBGTQ+ Helpline Ring 0300 330 0630 Sexual Health Croydon Sexual Health Centre Ring 020 8401 3766 Sexual Health Drugs / Alcohol FRANK: (drugs) Ring 0300 123 6600 We Are With You: (drugs or alcohol) Visit www.wearewithyou.org.uk Hunger Help Through Hardship: Ring 0808 208 2138 Homelessness Emergency Accommodation Ring 0207 939 1254 Shelter: (advice and support) Ring 0808 800 4444 Domestic Abuse and Violence Rape & Sexual Abuse Support Ring 0808 802 9999 Domestic Abuse Helpline Ring 0808 2000 247 Crime and Safety Police For emergencies ring or text 999 For non-emergencies ring 101 Victim Support Ring 0808 168 9111 Croydon Children’s Social Care Emergency Team Ring 0208 726 6400 www.croydon.ac.uk/stay-safe-this-winter
Work Experience and Placement Opportunities
All students are required to take part in at least 35 hours of work experience. For those students that have been identified to go on external placements, we encourage them to self-source their own external placement. This is to ensure that they are actively engaged with the process and willing to participate; as well as help develop skills in engaging with employers and job searches.
Work experience is an integral part of the student journey here on campus. Such experiences can be pivotal for young people in deciding which career path to take and can play a crucial part in securing that vital first position in the world of work. We have embedded the requirements for the integration of meaningful work experience, with the aim of supporting our young people to develop employability skills. The best placements –for both the student and the employer – occur when aspirations match the work experience opportunities available.
Students will be given resources such as a self-sourcing form and an Employer Engagement letter to help with the process. It also allows the Work Experience Team to carry out the relevant legal and safety checks.
The employers we engage with are aware of, and learn from the best practice around. This ensures their offer is of the highest quality for our students. We are committed to working with local employers so that the education and training we offer can contribute to the skills needs within our community. If you or your organisation are willing to offer work experience/work placement opportunities to our students, please get in touch with the Work Experience Team on: workexperience@croydon.ac.uk
College Bursaries
Some students will be receiving an additional payment on Friday 16th December to help overcome the specific financial barriers they may encounter when the college is closed over the Christmas period – this will help to support their continued studies. All those eligible have been contacted by the Student Services team but if you are struggling with the essential costs of participating at college, please do apply for the bursary by clicking here for Croydon students or here for Coulsdon students.
Alternatively contact the team on: bursary@croydon.ac.uk or bursary@coulsdon.ac.uk to discuss what options are available to you.
Creating Great FuturesJob Vacancies
At Croydon College Group, our staff are passionate and committed to achieving the very best outcomes for our students. We believe it is through our people that an excellent student experience will be delivered, and this, in turn, will have a positive impact in our local community. Our visions and values ensure that we put our students first and value our staff as our greatest asset.
We have a number of exciting job vacancies at the moment on both our Croydon and Coulsdon campuses, which you can view at: croydon.ac.uk/student-life/job-vacancies
Apart from our great locations, our wonderful staff and positive culture, we also offer a range of staff benefits, including generous annual leave and defined benefit pension schemes. We also value staff development, and we are working towards enhancing our FREDIE values values (Fairness, Respect, Equality, Diversity, Inclusion, and Engagement) which makes our fantastic colleges great places to work.
Croydon College | College Road, Croydon, CR9 1DX | www.croydon.ac.uk | 020 8686 5700 Coulsdon Sixth Form College | Placehouse Lane, Old Coulsdon,
CR5 1YA | www.coulsdon.ac.uk | 01737 551 176
Surrey,
Courses Starting in January
Access Courses
Want to study for a degree but don’t have the qualifications? Looking to expand your horizons with Higher Education? An Access course is just the thing for you. We have a range of Access courses starting in January including:
Level 3 Access to Working in the Community Level 3 Access to Children’s Nursing Level 1 Access to Higher Education Entry 3 - Level 1 IT Digital Skills
Online Distance Learning*
Do you want to learn flexibly, from home, at hours that suit you? Then our wide range of Online Distance Learning courses could be just what you’re looking for. Our range of courses includes:
Level 2 Principles of Team Leading Level 2 Improving Personal Exercise, Nutrition and Health Level 2 Mental Health Awareness Level 2 Digital Marketing
*FREE* Courses for Jobs Are you over 19 and don’t have a Level 3 qualification? Are you unemployed or a job-seeker? Are you living in the Greater London Area and earning less than £23,302.50p.a or living outside the Greater London Area and earning less than £18,525p.a.?
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Courses Starting in January
Croydon University Centre - Higher Education
Looking to take your career to the next level? Ready to embark upon a journey of Higher Education? Then our degree level courses could be right for you. We have a range of Higher Education courses starting in January, including:
HNC Construction and the Built Environment Level 4 Teacher Training HN Business Flex*
* The HN Flex scheme allows you to gain skills in a more efficient and bite-size way, without having to enrol in a full qualification course. This means you can study individual, stackable Higher National (HN) units with the progression opportunity of a full, long-term Higher National qualification in the future.
Multiply*
Do you have trouble helping your children with their maths homework? Would you like to get more confident with numbers? Multiply is a new FREE fully-funded programme of three courses to help adults improve their numeracy skills.
Whether you’re looking to boost your number skills to progress at work or to help with daily tasks, Multiply could be the next step in unlocking your number confidence. The suite of three courses includes:
Multiply - Building Confidence with Maths Multiply - Explore Ways Of Supporting Your Child With Maths Multiply - Manage Your Money
* Please note that our Multiply courses start throughout the year.
REFER A FRIEND! Earn a £20 Amazon voucher for every referral! Do you know someone aged 16-18 who isn’t in education, employment or training? Maybe a friend new to the area? Do you want to earn a £20 Amazon voucher for helping them out? Visit www.croydon.ac.uk/refer-a-friend for information on how to submit your referral. *Terms and conditions apply. Please refer to the college website for more details. Visit: www.croydon.ac.uk/refer-a-friend for information on how to submit your referrall.