Supporting Student Success:
Student Services, Inclusive Learning and three shared partnership roles
with Police Scotland, NHS Ayrshire and Arran, and Ayrshire Health and
Social Care Partnerships
The Student Services directorate supports
student success however, the Student Services
team, Inclusive Learning team and three shared
partnership posts all directly engage with the
student journey and work to ensure all students
can succeed during their time at College.
The Student Services team remains a primary
contact for all students offering information,
advice and guidance and continues to develop
positive relationships with Curriculum and
Performance and Planning teams to support
student retention. In academic year 2015-2016,
the Student Services team delivered workshops
to 12,319 students and saw an increase also in
the number of safeguarding referrals from 117
in 2014-2015 to 194. The team also continues to
work alongside Inclusive Learning as the named
contacts for care experienced and young carers
within the College.
The Inclusive Learning team provide extended
learning support (ELS) to students with
additional support needs 2 . The team continue
to ensure that all students who require
support or are accessing the service have a
College experience where barriers to learning
and participation are reduced or removed.
A key focus of support is to foster student
independence and facilitate the development
of transferable skills. Inclusive Learning
successfully introduced in 2016 a summer
transition programme for new students to the
College with Asperger’s or an Autistic Spectrum
Disorder. During academic year 2017-2018, the
team plan to introduce an online, electronic
Personal Learning Support Plan (PLSP) as a
means to improve accessibility. This academic
year will also be an important one for the
College and the team as ELS provision in the
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Sector has undergone a review and is moving
to a needs-based model meaning a student
with any identified need may seek support. It is
essential that the College continues to be well
placed to support the needs of students in
their learning.
The College’s shared partnership roles with
Police Scotland, NHS Ayrshire and Arran, and
Ayrshire Health and Social Care Partnerships
continue to be ground-breaking initiatives that
strengthen and complement existing supports.
They each offer a unique range of services and
interventions to promote student safety and
wellbeing. The most recent introduction of a
student Mental Health and Wellbeing Advisor,
jointly funded by the College and each Health
and Social Care Partnership in Ayrshire, is
another first in Scottish Further Education (FE).
This role will address a real need and particularly
support students with poor mental health and
wellbeing to have positive experiences
and outcomes.
2
Additional support needs include specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia and dyspraxia, visual and hearing impairment, physical
disability and medical conditions. Support is also developed and provided to assist students with unseen disabilities including Asperger’s
Syndrome, epilepsy, mental health problems, and social, emotional and behavioural difficulties