Additional Learning Support

Supporting students to independence

If you require additional learning support, our dedicated Learning Support team will work closely with you, your family, your school, relevant external agencies and College staff to ensure you receive the support that is exactly right for you, empowering you to be confident in your abilities.

Our vision and mission is simple: we aim to empower self-advocacy within our learners, and instil confidence in our students’ learning differences, enabling ownership of personal and academic development and inspiring students to work toward their future goals.

The Learning Support team is based in the Learning Support Centre, a hub of activity providing a wide range of additional learning support. You can access further information by clicking on the links below.

If you wish to access further information about the realities of life at HNC, you can access this here.

Useful Links
Supporting students to independence
We follow a graduated approach to learning support at HNC; providing the right support, in the right place, and at the right time to most effectively meet an individual’s learning needs. You can view further details on our approach here.

We work with students to ensure they are supported to be independent, preparing them for their next steps after College.

  • Promotion of self-advocacy – Students are in the best position to ensure relevant staff are aware of the adjustments they can make, and the additional support that may be required. We seek to empower students in developing self-advocacy as effective development of these skills will enable success beyond their time at HNC.
  • Quality First Teaching in the classroom – This is enabled through the Cedar Learning Support Summary. Examples of this adaptive teaching include regular assessment and feedback, direct checking of understanding, modified materials, specific seating arrangements etc. Students are encouraged to self-advocate for any beneficial adjustments by showing staff their learning support summary via the cedar app. Further examples of specific ‘Quality First Teaching’ adjustments can be found within our Quality First Teaching Toolkit.
  • Allocation of Learning Support Assistants – Some students will be allocated a Learning Support Assistant to act in an advisory capacity. The role of the support advisory meetings is to help students navigate and access the support available to them, reflect on their progress and areas for development, and schedule any further support required for the periods between their periodic advisory meetings. These meetings are integrated with college-wide progress monitoring intervals. Where support is provided to students within their classes, we aim to empower student ownership of this support, by enabling their control over when and where support is provided to best suit their requirements.
  • Referrals – These are made to the Learning Support Centre for developing ‘systems’ for study, access arrangements or exam support. These can be:
    • Self-referrals
    • Parental referrals
    • Teacher referrals
    • Progress tutor referrals

Through the delivery of a short programme of support, we aim to develop students’ sustained independence.

  • Exam access arrangements assessments – Assessments for exam access arrangements take place to discuss areas of difficulty and to carry out formal testing. These are followed by the application for access arrangements and teachers are notified of any implications for teaching.
  • Social development opportunities – The Enlighten programme exists to provide social skills development opportunities for specific students, to enable these students to form new social connections, whilst also exploring and developing potential new interests.
  • Independent learning and assistive technology – Access to, and support in developing competency using Assistive Technology.  TextHelp Read & Write is installed on all HNC computers and students are provided with Microsoft 365 online which has a number of assistive features built-in to it as standard. Self-help materials are available, and workshop opportunities are provided to coincide with college-wide progress monitoring intervals.  
  • Support for transitions – Transition support is offered to students to help ensure a successful move to post-16 education, and to ensure they are appropriately prepared with the skills and confidence to be effective self-advocates for any support they may require during their next steps.
Discuss your SEN needs here

Students and their parent or carer are encouraged to contact us with any questions or suggestions for additional support needs that we may need to be adaptive to or provide additional support. Current or prospective students can make an additional learning support or medical need disclosure by clicking the link here.

For existing students who have already made a disclosure to the Learning Support Centre, an initial appointment to discuss any support related questions can be booked here.

For general enquiries into our services, please contact learningsupportcentre@huddnewcoll.ac.uk

“During my time at HNC I have been supported to gain confidence in myself and my abilities. My experience has been incredibly positive, and the College ensured that my transition from school to College was seamless – I felt comfortable from the moment I started. There are also so many people who will help you to prepare for your future – I really benefitted from the support of the LSC team.”

Carly Brocklehurst
Studied: A Level History, Media Studies and Photography
Destination: Photography at the University of Huddersfield
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