Support for School Leavers

Learning support

If you have a specific learning difficulty, physical disability or suffer from mental ill health and this impacts on your learning, we understand the pressures you may be under.

To make sure we fully understand the support you may need at Exeter College, you will have a course interview with the teaching team and a Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) interview with one of the Learning Support Team. The Support Team will talk through your needs with you so that we have a complete picture of your needs before you start College. This is to help you make the best start to College life as possible. Once you start your course, your Tutor may decide that you need some extra support to help you achieve your full potential.

This support can range from out of class support with study skills to using technology to help with your studies.

If you would like to find out more about how we can help support you, click the button below, call us on 01392 400439 or email learningsupport@exe-coll.ac.uk.

Your health and wellbeing

We recognise the importance of health and wellbeing. We encourage you to disclose health and wellbeing needs as part of your application by completing a health declaration form. This will help us to understand what support you may need whilst studying and to consider this in good time before you start. The College nurse is able to discuss the management of health needs with you and can provide guidance to staff so that they know what impact this may have. 

Wellbeing support is accessible to students throughout term time. The Wellbeing Team are based on the main campus and are able to provide advice, signposting or a listening ear to students via a daily drop-in service. We know it’s not always easy to balance your studies with other pressures, so if you’re finding things tough, we’re ready to help. 

If you would like to find out more, call us on 01392 400449 or email studentexperience@exe-coll.ac.uk.  

Support for for young people in care or care leavers

If you are in care or a care leaver, there is support in place at Exeter College to offer you advice, guidance, and advocacy. There is also Financial Support available, with an allocated bursary fund which would cover your essential course resources and trips, lunches, and travel.

There is a designated person for care experienced learners to contact with any questions or concerns. This person is the Welfare Manager, Hannah Robson, who can be contacted on 01392 400447, HannahRobson@exe-coll.ac.uk, or alternatively, please drop in to see her in Greystone House.

16-19 Tuition Fund

For the 2021/22 academic year the ESFA has allocated a 16-19 Tuition Fund to support Colleges to mitigate the disruption to learning caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The funding is to provide one-to-one or small-group tuition for 16–19 year old full time learners in English, Maths or other courses where learning has been disrupted. Learners who are eligible for the support include those that have not yet achieved above a grade 4 in GCSE Maths and English, vulnerable learners including those with an EHCP, and learners from an economically disadvantaged background. Adult learners aged 19-24 with an EHCP will also be eligible to access tuition support.

At Exeter College the tuition will be provided as one-to-one support or in small groups of up to 7 students. Support will be delivered face-to-face in most cases, but with a blended approach used in some individual circumstances where appropriate

Examples of the support on offer include:
1) Targeted support for those learners from an economically disadvantaged background.
2) Support with study towards GCSE English and Maths for those who have not yet achieved above a grade 4 including mentoring, small group tuition and additional opportunities for individual feedback.
3) Academic skills and study support sessions.
4) Additional time to set academic targets and track learner progress.
5) Subject specific tuition and/or access to learning support for learners with significant gaps in their technical knowledge and skills.

Tuition will be based on an assessment of an individual’s needs and offered over and above a student’s core programme of study. Exeter College is committed to supporting 16-19 learners achieve their potential and all provision will be delivered in line with our core values.

Need childcare?

The Owlets Nursery is part of the Exeter College Group and is a partnership with the University of Exeter. It is located next to Hope Hall, the University of Exeter, adjacent to Prince of Wales Road, Exeter. The Nursery is registered for up to 104 children, from two to five years. The Nursery is open weekdays for 50 weeks of the Year (closed over Christmas) from 8am to 6pm.

If you are aged under 20 and are on a further education course, you can apply to the Government’s Care to Learn Fund for support with your childcare costs up to a maximum of £160, per child, per week.

Support for Apprentices

Our friendly Apprenticeship Team are here to support you through your first steps and help you find an Apprenticeship job. They can offer guidance on jobs that might suit your interests and skills, give you advice on companies to apply to, assist you with job applications and help prepare you for interviews. Once you start your Apprenticeship your Exeter College Skills Officer will be your main point of contact throughout your qualification. As an expert in your field of work, they will conduct training, carry out workplace visits and assessments, and ensure you and your employer are supported throughout your journey. Our Apprentices also have access to our WHAM (Wellbeing, Health, Activity and Motivation) service, which offers support with mental health and emotional wellbeing.

Money matters

We think that everyone has the right to further education and training. We are committed to supporting learners to achieve their full potential and may be able to offer financial support to help students who are experiencing hardship with costs associated with College.

Financial support from the 16-19 Discretionary Bursary Fund is available for students with a low household income. In addition, some learners who are in care, care leavers or live independently may be eligible for a bursary of up to £1,200 a year.

The College can support where cost could be a barrier to accessing education. Please check our webpage for the latest information and to request an application form, or contact the Bursary Team on 01392 400526.


Nicola

“I have enjoyed College life – meeting people and making new friends. I hope to go on to either the Level 2 Health and Social Care or Fast Track at Exeter College next. I would recommend Exeter College because it has a great support system for the learners which benefits young people – it is outstanding, supportive and diverse.”
Studying Health and Social Care Level 1