ADULT AND FAMILY LEARNING IN HACKNEY learningtrust.co.uk/adultlearning
learners’ handbook 2016 – 2017
Contents 03 Welcome 04 Information, Advice and Guidance (IAG) 05 What you can expect from us 06 What we expect from you 07 Your Voice Matters! 08 Ways to let us know your views 09 Additional Learning Support 10 Hackney Learning Trust policy statements 11 Complaints and compliments 13 Have your say 14 Making enquiries
USEFUL CONTACT NUMBERS Tutor’s telephone number: Centre/provider number: Information, advice and guidance number:
For more information contact:
Complaints/compliments:
Adult Learning Services Hackney Learning Trust 1 Reading Lane, E8 1GQ
Safeguarding:
T. 020 8820 7339 E. ACLinfo@learningtrust.co.uk www.learningtrust.co.uk/adultlearning
A very warm welcome to you from all of us in Adult Learning Services! We want your experience with us to be positive and life changing. You are joining thousands of learners who have enjoyed our courses over many years. Their feedback has helped us shape the service we are offering today. Please contribute your thoughts at every opportunity to help us develop our service. If it’s good we want to know and if it’s bad we want to know so we can put things right. Adult Learning Services at Hackney Learning Trust works in partnership with many organisations in the Borough to bring opportunities for learning to your doorstep. We aim to make it as easy as possible to find the right course or advice for you. Our learners are adults of all ages, races, creeds, backgrounds and lifestyles, some with qualifications, others with none at all. People new to the UK, those born here and those with families who have lived here for generations all contribute to the richness of adult learning in Hackney. We are funded by the Skills Funding Agency (SFA) and the European Social Fund (ESF), and our programme is made up of: • Information, Advice and Guidance (IAG) – You can call our team of advisers and they will help you plan a realistic pathway to your goal. Whether it is a shortterm or a long-term aim, even a secret lifelong ambition, you can get confidential one-to-one support to get you started. Turn to page 4 for more information. • Recreational and Informal courses – These are courses for interest, wellbeing, health, fun, creativity, curiosity and to support those who are curious about digital technology. • Formal courses – These are accredited and lead to qualifications which may help you find new or better employment. • Family Learning courses – Family members are our first and most important educators and these courses are all about opportunities for children, parents, carers and grandparents to be creative and learn together. While you brush up on your own skills, or learn something new, you gain insight into how children learn and find ways to support your children with their learning at home. It is important to us that our learners feel welcome and safe. We want all participants in our classes to feel a sense of belonging and absolute acceptance because we believe that creating such a learning environment enables real freedom for individuals to pursue and achieve their lifelong goals and ambitions. I hope that you will really enjoy and value the time you spend with us. Nene Mburu Head of Adult Learning Services Hackney Learning Trust nene.mburu@learningtrust.co.uk Adult and Family Learning in Hackney
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Information, Advice and Guidance (IAG) Your path to local opportunities
Other support services
• Do you want to improve your skills?
The Ex-offender Support Service offers advice about education, training and employment for adults with a criminal record and members of their families.
• Do you need help finding a job? • Do you want to change your career?
Please contact Alison Kakande on 020 8820 7086 for more information.
Our qualified and experienced advisors provide a free and confidential one to one service. They can give you information, advice and guidance on courses, training, volunteering opportunities and employment in Hackney.
Toe by Toe is a simple way of learning to read, and it works. Do you know someone who struggles with reading and needs help, or would you like to become one of our Toe by Toe mentors and help to support someone who finds reading difficult?
The advisors can also offer you support with:
Call Alison Kakande on 020 8820 7086 for more information.
• confidence and motivation building • CVs and job search
For guidance on further and higher education, redundancy or becoming a teacher, please contact Naina Kent on 020 8820 7172.
• completing application forms • interviews techniques You can call the IAG team Monday to Friday from 10am to 4pm for advice or to book a one-to-one session with an advisor. They are here to support you every step of the way to your goal.
Mental Health Adult Learning Services works with several organisations that support learners who have mental health needs. This support can include Information, Advice & Guidance.
The team can also refer you on to another agency if a service exists that better supports your needs.
In addition to the above, the Mental Health Advice Team at Hackney Community College run drop-in appointments and education surgeries for people with mental health needs.
For more information please contact Crystal Butler on 020 8820 7079 or Dawna Lee on 020 8820 7278
Contact John McClean on 020 7613 9468 or via email at jmcclean@hackney.ac.uk for more information.
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Learners’ Handbook 2015–2016
What you can expect from us Induction
Equality & Diversity
At the beginning of your course you will have an induction session. The tutor and students will discuss and agree class rules.
Everyone who attends a course through Hackney Learning Trust is able to access high quality learning regardless of:
Your tutor will also:
• gender (including gender reassignment)
• tell you about safety in the classroom
• ethnic origin
• give you information about what you will be doing each week and how you will be assessed
• age
• tell you about our IAG team and how they can help you.
• disability
Individual learning plan The Individual Learning Plan (ILP) helps you to plan your own ‘learning journey’.
• sexual orientation
Think about these questions:
Virtual Learning Environment (VLE)
• What skills do you already have in the subject? • What do you want to work on improving? • How are you going to achieve this and what help will you need?
• marital status
• religion or belief
• ex-offender status.
Our VLE includes online learning resources, details of upcoming courses and a calendar of events. Please contact your tutor to sign up for an account. http://alsvle.learningtrust.co.uk
Your tutor will use various assessment activities so you can check how well you are progressing
Reminder
Reminder
Black History Month October 2016
Hackney Family Learning Festival 24 – 29 October 2016
Adult and Family Learning in Hackney
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What we expect from you If you feel unsafe at any time please let your tutor know and they can contact someone to help you.
Attendance and punctuality It is important that you come to every class and arrive on time. If you know that you cannot come to a session, or will be late, please phone your tutor or the centre to let them know.
You can ask your tutor about: • First aid and fire safety procedures • Staying safe on the Internet
If you miss three sessions in a row, your place on the course may be offered to someone else.
• Getting support if you feel threatened by violence • Getting support to challenge bullying or hate crime
Completing enrolment forms and other course paperwork
• Getting support to counteract the risk of extremism
Most of our courses are free because we receive money to run courses from the Skills Funding Agency and European Social Fund. It is important that you fill in any forms that your tutor gives you. The forms prove how many students we have and that we are making a difference to people in Hackney. This information will help to keep our courses free in the future.
Respecting others We aim to create a safe, healthy and supportive learning environment and will not tolerate any abusive behaviour towards other learners or members of staff. • No one should be made to feel uneasy or excluded.
Staying safe We want you to enjoy your learning and be safe in the learning environment.
• Please treat the tutor and all other learners as you would wish to be treated yourself
Staying safe means keeping aware of potential dangers which may be physical or psychological. They may come from people you meet in person or online.
• Please switch off your mobile phone in class. • Do not smoke during your class or inside the building. Please use designated smoking areas.
Awareness may simply mean ensuring your bag is closed to prevent theft or it may be more complicated and mean questioning potentially harmful opinions including those which are sexist, racist or extremist.
Please report any accidents to your tutor. Please do not offer gifts to tutors as they are unable to accept them.
Please talk to your tutor if you feel worried as a result of something which has been said to you, or someone you know, whether in person, by phone or via the internet.
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Reminder
Anti Bullying Week 14 –18 November 2016
Learners’ Handbook 2015–2016
What is Learner Voice? Your views are very important to us. If you tell us what you think it will help us to improve our services for you. Here are some examples of services that have changed during the last year. YOU SAID
WE DID
ESOL learners requested courses that would help them improve their Maths skills whilst learning English.
An ESOL with Maths course was piloted successfully, and two more courses have been commissioned to run this academic year.
Many IAG clients enquired about business start-up and self-employment opportunities.
We entered into discussions with community providers about delivering a business startup course, which resulted in an 8-week pilot course being run with a new provider. This pilot was successful and a further course has been commissioned this academic year.
ICT learners expressed an interest in learning how to launch an online business.
Courses were piloted successfully and are now part of mainstream provision. Learners involved have succeeded in setting up online businesses in catering, ceramics and music production.
Learners taking part in informal Digital Storytelling workshops requested to spend more time focusing on oral history/family history skills in order to record other people’s memories, especially family members. In particular, this was raised by learners who were carers.
We are currently researching funding options to run this type of provision, with a view to being able to run pilot courses this academic year.
Hair braiding workshops proved very popular during the annual Family Learning Festival, and learners wanted to take part in a longer course.
A course has been developed with the learning provider and will be on offer this academic year.
Your Voice Matters! Adult and Family Learning in Hackney
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Your Voice Matters!
Ways to let us know your views We really value your feedback as it helps us improve our services. There are several ways you can tell us what you think: 1. You can speak to your tutor at any time and give feedback about your course through your Individual Learning Plan (ILP).
Lesson Checklist 1. Was the aim of your lesson explained?
2. You can contact us on 020 8820 7075 or via email at aclinfo@learningtrust.co.uk
2. Was it connected to your previous lesson?
3. You can complete the Learner Satisfaction Survey that will be given to you by your tutor at the end of your course.
3. Were the teaching activities interesting? 4. Did your tutor check that you understood?
4. You can speak to our staff when they visit your class.
5. Do you know more now than when you came into the lesson?
5. You can use our compliments and complaints procedure (see page 11).
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Learners’ Handbook 2015–2016
Additional Learning Support We try our best to support all learners with issues that affect their ability to learn. • Our providers have access for wheelchair users. • We have provided specialist software for learners with visual impairment. • We have installed hearing loops for learners with hearing impairment. Dyslexia If you have dyslexia and would like support, the British Dyslexia Association can provide useful advice and information.
Childcare For information on childcare, and services for families with children aged 0–19, please contact the Family Information Service on 020 8820 7590 or visit www. learningtrust.co.uk/childcare Creche Some of our courses have a crèche but we cannot provide this service for all courses. If you need a crèche, please check with the venue before enrolling on the course.
Telephone helpline: 0333 405 4567 Opening hours: Tuesday to Thursday 10am – 1pm Before calling, please check to see if your question has already been answered here: http://www.bdadyslexia.org.uk/services/ professional-accreditation/faqs-frequentlyasked-questions General enquiries: 0333 405 4555 For online enquiries, please visit: www.bdadyslexia.org.uk/contact
Reminder
Reminder
Gypsy Roma Traveller History Month June 2017
Hackney Adult Learning Festival June 2017
Adult and Family Learning in Hackney
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Hackney LEARNING TRUST Policy statements Equality & Diversity
No smoking policy
Hackney Learning Trust has an Equality & Diversity Policy that tries to ensure that everyone that uses our organisation, either as an employee or as a learner on one of our courses, is treated fairly. Adult Learning Services is committed to preventing discrimination at all levels both as an employer and contractor. It recognises the wealth of cultural diversity of the communities living and working in Hackney. Courses will seek to eliminate barriers. You will be treated fairly irrespective of gender (including gender reassignment), sex, age, marital status, disability, religion or belief, sexual orientation, ethnic origin or ex-offender status.
You cannot smoke during any Hackney Learning Trust class or inside any building where a Hackney Learning Trust funded class is taking place. Smokers are requested to smoke outside and ensure that all cigarette butts are placed in the bins. Fire and first aid It is important for you to become familiar with the fire and first aid procedures of your learning provider. These will be explained during your induction. If this does not happen you must ask your tutor to provide the information. Safeguarding Adults You have the right to a learning experience free from harm, abuse or neglect from others, including electronically (i.e. e-mail, Twitter, Facebook).
Our courses endeavour to respond to the needs of all people taking part. This policy applies to providers that deliver courses on behalf of Hackney Learning Trust as well as the Adult Learning Services team. We will ensure staff are trained and kept up to date with legal requirements.
If you are concerned about yourself or another learner please talk to your tutor or contact one of the designated safeguarding officers: Barri Disu 020 8820 7119 barri.disu@learningtrust.co.uk Elena Brooks 020 8820 7339 elena.brooks@learningtrust.co.uk Andy Mills 020 8820 7073 andy.mills@learningtrust.co.uk
All learners, as well as staff, have the responsibility to make sure that equal opportunities are provided and promoted for all. This involves treating everybody with respect and dignity, avoiding any form of unfair or unlawful discrimination and being sensitive to each other’s needs.
Log on to the VLE http://alsvle. learningtrust.co.uk and look at our e-safety and safeguarding section for more information.
Health and safety policy Your learning provider has the responsibility to ensure that the learning environment or classroom is safe and free from any potential harm. Please report any accidents or incidents to your tutor so they can make appropriate improvements to the learning environment. 10
Reminder
Safer Internet Day 7 February 2017
Learners’ Handbook 2015–2016
Complaints and Compliments How to make a complaint or compliment If you are happy or unhappy with the service that you receive or the course that you attend, please let us know in writing, by fax, by e-mail or in person (by appointment please). Your complaint/compliment should be sent to: Head of Adult Learning Services Hackney Learning Trust 1 Reading Lane, London E8 1GQ T. 020 8820 7339 F. 020 8820 7174 E. ACLinfo@learningtrust.co.uk
What happens next? • We will reply within 15 working days of receiving a complaint. • If your complaint requires more detailed investigation, this may take longer. We will keep you updated on the process and let you know when you can expect the full reply. • The full reply will include details of who to contact next if you believe that your complaint has not been dealt with properly. This will normally be one of the directors of Hackney Learning Trust. • If you are still not satisfied following the second response, you can ask for your complaint to be referred to the Head of Hackney Learning Trust, Anne Canning. • For general advice on this procedure please contact the Hackney Learning Trust Complaints Officer on 020 8820 7036.
Summary of complaints procedure Write or email
You the learner
Address:
Head of Adult Learning Service
Hackney Learning Trust, 1 Reading Lane, London E8 1GQ ACLinfo@learningtrust.co.uk
You the learner
Investigation Response within 15 working days
Your Voice Matters! Adult and Family Learning in Hackney
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WOULD YOU LIKE TO LEARN NEW COMPUTER SKILLS? Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Are you new to computers? Are you looking to upgrade your knowledge and skills? We offer a number of accredited ICT courses from Entry Level to Level 2 to help you gain the skills and qualifications that you need. We also offer a range of nonaccredited courses covering subjects such as internet safety, creating CVs, launching online businesses and learning about other useful and creative software packages. For further information please call 020 8820 7075 12
Welcome to Adult and Family Learning in Hackney
have your say Your views are important to us. If you have any comments or suggestions for Adult Learning Services at Hackney Learning Trust, please fill in the box below, then remove the page and send it back to us at the address overleaf, or hand in to your tutor. Comments will be reviewed at regular intervals and will inform our future course planning and policies. You can also give us your feedback online by visiting https://learningtrust.formstack.com/forms/ alsfeedback
Your Voice Matters! Adult and Family Learning in Hackney
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Making Enquiries If you would like to find out what this document says, please put a tick in the appropriate box n and fill in your name, address, phone number and email at the bottom of this page and return it to address below.
Return to: Adult Learning Services, Hackney Learning Trust, 1 Reading Lane, London E8 1GQ Your Name Address
Tel: Email: 14
Learners’ Handbook 2015–2016
DO YOU WANT TO learn to speak English? English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) There are free ESOL classes in Hackney to help you. To join a class, you need to come to one of the ESOL advice sessions below. An adviser will check your level of English and help you to find a class. Weekly Hackney Learning Trust Tuesdays, 1pm Woodberry Down Children’s Centre Wednesdays, 10am Linden Children’s Centre Thursdays, 1pm Monthly Shoreditch Library
You need to come in time for a ticket and will be seen on a first-come, first-served basis. Advice sessions run from the last week of September to the last week of June each academic year. There are no advice sessions during school holidays and we are also closed for 4 weeks from the second week of December. For specific dates, please visit www.learningtrust.co.uk/esol For further information, please contact the ESOL Advice Line on 020 8820 7043 or email esol@learningtrust.co.uk
First Wednesday of every month, 1pm Homerton Library First Thursday of every month, 10am Evening Advice Shoreditch Library Last Wednesday of every month, 6pm
DO YOU NEED TO IMPROVE YOUR READING, WRITING OR MATHS SKILLS? Functional English and Maths
ARE YOU INTERESTED IN LEARNING WITH YOUR CHILD? Family Learning Do you want to find out more about the school curriculum and how to support your child with their homework? Do you want to brush up on your own basic skills? Family Learning classes take place in schools, children’s centres and community venues across Hackney. For further information please call Barri Disu on 020 8820 7119 or Tabita Thompson on 020 8820 7269
Adult Learning Services run Functional English and Functional Maths courses for everyone at all levels. Our learners say that they enjoy their classes because they use what they learn every day and that improves their skills and confidence. Classes also help them to understand how to plan their learning. If you want to gain a recognised Functional English or Maths qualification that may help you find a job, or improve your vocational skills, please call 020 8820 7606 to find out more.
Hackney Learning Trust 1 Reading Lane London E8 1GQ T. 020 8820 7000 learningtrust.co.uk hackneyservicesforschools.co.uk