Moving on to College
The GCSEs were looming and the question of next year approached for
Jake and Louise. Both were interested in computing and both wanted to
go to college rather than stay at school. They duly applied for a course at the local college
and were accepted. As pupils with an ABI, there were concerns about support. We arranged
a meeting with the Student Support Service and I went with them and their parents, to see
what could be offered.
Louise wanted to make a new start. She had had a Statement of Educational Need, but had
found school support unsatisfactory in certain ways. She felt she did not want or need any
help. The support worker who met with us was understanding and emphasised that Louise
could have support on her terms. Jake took a different tack. He was concerned about
getting around such a large building and about organising his work. He welcomed the
support offered, and that it would be reviewed after he had been there two weeks.
Recently I met up with Jake again to ask him how it was all going. He commented that it
was a lot better than school. ‘There is more freedom,’ he told me, ‘you can talk to the
teachers like they’re your friends, but you do need to be careful. There is one who jokes with
us, but then when I joked back he bit my head off. I had to learn how far I could go.’
He told me that he had been very nervous when he started. It had not helped that on the
first day it had been raining and going in to college on the back of his father’s bike his
trousers had become very wet. ‘You want to make a good impression on the first day,’ he
said, ‘and I had this big wet patch. Typical!’ But he soon found that everyone was a stranger
to each other and discovered a friend.
I asked Jake about the specific issues which had worried him before going to college. He
now finds it easier to organise himself because he has a programme with a checklist of all the
work he is doing, and he can make sure he keeps up with it and set himself targets, rather
than a teacher doing it for him. Jake told me about agreements he negotiates with some of
the teachers, to complete the work up to a certain point and then leave lessons early. But if
he does get behind he can organise catch-up time in the library or go to the support service
for help. This is a service which is open to all; they are there to help all students and there is
no stigma about asking for extra help.
Jake has also availed himself of individual sessions with a support worker to help him
understand parts of the course which he found difficult. With the help of the support
workers, he now checks that all his work is put in the right place in his folder and says
everything is fine ‘As long as you check it every other week and make sure everything is in
the right place.’
He told me that finding his way around was easy once he had worked out the code; e.g.
3W40 means floor 3, west wing and room 40. ‘Anyway,’ he says’ ‘there are only four rooms
you have to find, as lessons always take place in the same rooms each week.’ He has also
found that people are very friendly; ‘Last week,’ he told me, ‘I had my exam in a room I did
not know, it was at the back of the library, but I just found someone I could ask. There are
no real trouble-makers at college. Everyone is there because they want to learn.’
Recently Jake has gained distinctions in his assignments, as he has discovered that the
instructions can act as a framework, or checklist, and if he sticks to them he gets good
marks. And he has also found that, as all the techniques are practiced as you do the course,
there is no real learning to do before exams, he learns as he goes along. The style of the
exams has also helped; he is able to answer in bullet points, since, under pressure, Jake has
a tendency to write the same thing several times. His writing style, when he has time to
think, is very mature, and he has been accused of downloading extracts from the internet!
But he was able to prove to staff that it was his own work and got the credit due to him.
Louise initially did meet up with the support workers, and often had lunch with them, but
more recently has found a group of friends among the student population. She too is
maturing within the supportive atmosphere of the college in a way she was unable to at
school. So what is the advice for young people starting at a new college in September?
 Remember you’re not the only new person
 Don’t be worried about the amount of work. It is not as much as you think.
 Teachers are nice and friendly, but check it out first before you are too friendly.
 Support is there; even if you haven’t got a special need like ABI or dyslexia, everyone
can go.
 You will have so many questions on your first day, about where to get lunch or
where to go, but it’s not a big issue, ask anyone.
Siân Rees, with assistance of Jake Tovey
This article first appeared in The Acquirer Volume 3 (1)