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Positive Developments 14-16s College/Home Education Summer 2013

14 replies

julienoshoes · 19/06/2013 18:57

Positive Developments 14-16s College/Home Education Summer 2013

edyourself.org/articles/WolfReport.php#14-16scollege

edyourself.org/nottscollegeevents.pdf
Central College Nottingham June 26th. Newark College June 27th.
North Nottinghamshire College Tuesday 2nd July 2013
edyourself.org/westnottsflier.pdf
West Nottingham College Home Education Taster Day June 11th
edyourself.org/newcollegenottsflier.pdf
New College Nottingham Rising 16s Evening June 4th

All FE Colleges in Devon will take home educated 14-16s from September 2013. Read more here www.babcock-education.co.uk/ldp/v.asp?level2id=24363&level3=125924&rootid=2344&level2=24363&depth=3&folderid=125924 tinyurl.com/devon14-16s

edyourself.org/telfordflier.pdf Telford College Arts and Technology Home Education Evening May 23rd

edyourself.org/halesowenflier.pdf Halesowen is offering free English Maths Science GCSE courses for home educated 14-16s + a range of vocational courses from September 2013

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FionaJNicholson · 20/06/2013 11:47

Thanks for this Julie. Just to add a couple of things:

I've emailed with Notts County local authority who emphasis that you don't have to give your contact details if you don't want, you can just ring or email Emma (details on the flier) with the number of people coming.

I was at the Halesowen open evening the other night and the College Principal said please can home educators get in touch as soon as possible and fill in an Expression of Interest form (details on the flier)

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chatterbocs · 25/06/2013 17:01

Hi, how do we access the funding? I have had a visit from the LA last week & they say it is not available this year. I have also have rang my local college & they don't seem to have a clue about it....

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FionaJNicholson · 26/06/2013 20:57

Hi

Are you in England? The rules only apply to England.

You used to have to go through the LA to get a college place for under-16s because the college paid the fees and claimed the money back from the Government. But for courses from September onwards, you apply directly to the college and then the college gets the money back from central Government without any involvement from the LA.

I am frankly unimpressed that your LA only told you "the money doesn't come from us" without telling you what the new arrangements were. I have been relentlessly updating LAs and the Department for Education has sent circulars and briefings round as well.

If you scroll up to julienoshoes original post and click on the link to my website, you will find all the information. You will need to copy and paste the relevant sections of the new guidance to the college and maybe go in to see someone. Who did you try at the college? Reception/admissions is unlikely to know, you might need the principal or the person who deals with 14-16.

You can also tell the college to contact me if they have any further queries (contact link via the url on julienoshoes post)

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Alonglongway · 16/07/2013 21:01

Our local college say they are aware of but have not applied to be in the first year's programme. Does that make sense? Doesn't seem to tie in with above info

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FionaJNicholson · 17/07/2013 01:05

Yes. Most colleges don't want to be in the programme. At least not this year. But colleges can take home ed 14-16 part time or full time whether or not the college has signed up to the whole new deal for 14-16s. That's the important thing to get across to colleges.

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Alonglongway · 17/07/2013 17:24

Very interesting and useful - thank you. DD is 15 and wanting to do some kind of mix of GCSE and btecs. She spoke to a 14-16 advisor at one college yesterday who said hers was the first approach from a home ed student. Her advice was to look at the courses advertised for 16-18 and get back in touch at enrolment time end of August.

We are in London - would welcome any intelligence on colleges.

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julienoshoes · 20/08/2013 10:20

Fiona Nicholson asked the DfE if there was a lower age limit for home educated young people attending college, she's had a response from DfE this morning and have updated the edyourself website

edyourself.org/articles/hesfes2013workshops.php#14-16collegeflexi
edyourself.org/articles/WolfReport.php#14-16collegelatest

DfE August 20th 2013: "For home-educated students, there are no age restrictions for funding purposes, it is for the college to decide whether they wished to take younger students onto their courses. If they agree to take a younger home-educated student onto their courses, then we will fund in the usual way."

Please share with anyone you think may be interested.

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julienoshoes · 20/08/2013 10:25

We've also got this answer about funding -and about the possibility of doing courses at more than one college.

edyourself.org/articles/hesfes2013workshops.php#14-16collegeflexi

College: From September 2013 home educated young people aged 14-16 in England will be able to attend college part-time or full-time and the Government will pay for the course. There will be 4 funding bands. It is up to the colleges whether or not to admit under-16s. These students can do any course agreed by the college, not just a designated 14-16 course.

The rules are different for home educated young people because the parent retains responsibility and so the college does not have to make special arrangements for pastoral care or offer a full curriculum. Government guidance was published following action taken by the All Party Group for Home Education. Many colleges still won't be aware of the new rules specially for home educated young people, as the guidance was only published in June.

You can find all the relevant paperwork and references here edyourself.org/articles/WolfReport.php#14-16collegelatest

After the workshop we did at HesFes Fiona sent 2 queries to DfE. This is an answer to 1 of the questions: "Students can only be enrolled at one institution (the "home" institution), and that one institution takes on the responsibility for claiming all the relevant funding for the student. So, if a home-educated student wants to take courses at more than one college, then the college where the majority of learning is taking place has to take the responsibility to be the "home" institution and claim all the funding for the student, then pass across the relevant part to the other college(s) involved. There would have to be some agreement between the colleges ahead of the funding claim, for this to be able to happen."

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makingcontinents · 20/08/2013 10:29

Are there any signed up in Leeds/West Yorkshire?

Also, wondering if this is just vocational courses, or includes GCSEs. I'm looking for a way for dd to do GCSE art, we're doing other subjects using IGCSE, but obviously the coursework/test element for art makes it tricky.

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FionaJNicholson · 20/08/2013 12:41

you need to ask the colleges near you. I've only listed the ones I've liaised with or where people have told me specifically that something is laid on. Any college is free to say yes or no to having a home educated student under 16. If you can find a good course, talk to the tutor and convince him/her that your offspring will be a good match for the course, pleasure to teach etc. It's for any course you want, not just special vocational courses for 14-16s.

My website has much more information if you get chance to read the links

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musicposy · 22/08/2013 16:02

I'm at screaming point with ours (quietly to myself of course!)

DD2 (13) got her IGCSE results back and they were very good. She got an A in Biology and decided rather suddenly that she would like to keep going now to A level if possible. She is unsure if she will cope with college but we decided to try.

It all started well at the local college. They were very impressed with her results and said yes, they would provisionally take her. But have been told by our LA there is no funding any more. It transpires that West Sussex (I'm naming and shaming here!!) have told local colleges there is no funding now for 14-16s - and have been telling their home educators this too! They told us and I put them right but still they perpetuate the myth.

Anyway, I sent a lot of funding links and then the poor 14-16 lady seemed utterly overwhelmed by the whole thing even though they have apparently accepted some 14s already for next year. She has now passed it to someone else who is not answering my emails.

I then spoke to the A level coordinator. She was querying whether DD2 has 5 GCSEs including English and Maths. No she has 3, I said. That's not enough, apparently. SHE'S GODDAMED 13!! How many 13 year olds do they know with 3 good IGCSEs, taking a 4th in the autumn? I told her DD2 got the Physics at 11 and she said she was obviously gifted "but we need 5". (Head against brick wall moment) She also said part time was impossible (I assured her it wasn't) and funding wasn't there (I assured her it was). Sadly she seemed very hug up on their rules and had trouble seeing past that. In they end she decided that if DD2 took a functional skills maths and english test at level 2 online (this despite the fact she has an A in Sociology which required writing 8 essays on one paper) they might consider it. She said "There is maths in Biology A level, you know". Yes, I'm well aware of that, she's just done IGCSE. How did she think she got the IGCSE in Physics with no maths?

Anyway, deep sigh and I will brace myself tomorrow to phone again and try and get somewhere. Term starts in a week and we probably should have tried to organise it before this. If it doesn't come off we will try for next year. But I think this year would be better because the kind of child DD2 is, the big age gap between her and her classmates will work in her favour. She won't feel there is an expectation to make them her best buddies.

I think one of the problems seems to be that it is an A level. People in our home ed group have secured places there for their 14s so it shouldn't be an issue, but on more vocational courses.

Thank you for all the links. I will keep trying. If she doesn't do it it really isn't the end of the world as there will be other routes in the future. But the head against a brick wall thing is frustrating! Home educators should not have to fight this hard. Wish me luck, I'm going to keep going even if only so I can post on here that there's a college that will take 14-16s for those near me in the South.

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musicposy · 22/08/2013 16:03

Sadly I haven't been able to get near the Biology tutor yet. That's our next line of attack as they have a course open evening next week Grin

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Alonglongway · 22/08/2013 23:18

Good result at Lewisham and Southwark College today. DD (15) had spoken to 14-16 manager last month and she was positive about organising the funding. We went along to young people's enrolment today and the guidance office spoke to the 14-16 manager, who confirmed that she can do it and asked them to introduce DD to the tutors so she wouldn't have to keep explaining herself. She had an informal interview, enrolled in level 2 creative media btec and came away with a place sorted and a college ID pass to show off!

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Alonglongway · 22/08/2013 23:21

Btw the 14-16 manager did seem to be under the impression that they need to be fully signed up to the programme so I sent her a link to the DfE correspondence

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