Workshops 24

Self Harm - Online Tutorial

Presented by Jenna Martin, Student Experience Manager, Bolton College

An overview of an FE project funded by the NHS around the creation of an online tutorial that focusses on self harm. The session will provide a timeline of the project, a demonstration, the impact following a pilot and information on where to access this package.

Bolton College provides high quality vocational training with over 800 full- and part-time courses delivered at four main centres around Bolton.

Leading self and others: finding your purpose and developing self-efficacy

Presented by Viv Buckley, Principal and CEO of Bridgend College

Together we'll explore the characteristics of leadership and the importance of personal values. This interactive workshop will look at the principles of finding your purpose and developing self-efficacy to help you thrive and progress.

Viv will share insights into her own leadership journey and the importance of student support services in building a college community where students belong and can be all that they can be.

Bridgend College is a Further Education (FE) College which supports in excess of 10,000 full and part time learners, and employs around 750 members of staff. The college mission: ‘Be All That You Can Be’ is at the heart of the organisation’s culture. It applies to every learner and every member of staff and drives our ambition to continually improve and innovate.

The College achieved a number of awards and recognition, including being ranked at number 33 in the ‘Best Companies’ top 50 ‘best large companies to work for in the UK’, top 10 ‘best companies to work for in Wales’ and top 5 ‘best education and training companies to work for in Wales’. The College also received the Princess Royal Training Award for its work in delivering its person-centred leadership programme.

AoC Mental Health Charter - A Call to Action

Presented by Jen Hope, Area Director (East & West Midlands) and Senior Policy Lead (Mental Health) of Association of Colleges

The new, updated AoC Mental Health Charter offers colleges an opportunity to revisit their governance, strategy and delivery of mental health support. Join AoC in this interactive workshop to consider how new accountability measures will enable colleges to deliver high quality mental health support and guidance to students. Delegates will be encouraged to share their experience and practice in this session.

AoC is the national voice for further education, sixth form, tertiary and specialist colleges. As a membership body we influence government, local and national policy makers to create an environment for strong and sustainable colleges. We also provide high quality professional support, advice and intelligence to meet the needs of every member.

Leading change in tackling sexual harassment and sexual violence in FE

Presented by Women's Kathryn James, Leadership Network and Inspire Education Group member, Women's Leadership Network and Inspire Education Group

Sexual harassment and sexual violence is a social justice issue. It prevents people from feeling safe, from feeling valued, from feeling they can participate fully and from enjoying, thriving and succeeding in life. It is also an issue that has been hidden, dismissed and invisible.

In our workshop we will look at ways in which we can lead change in organisational cultures to tackle sexual harassment and violence in FE. This includes collecting evidence, building allyship and learner voice.

Women's Leadership Network (WLN) promotes intersectional gender equality in all FE, through leadership development and tackling important issues that impact on all women who learn and work in our sector.

Student Enrichment - Two College approaches to make Enrichment happen!

Presented by Sarah Samuels, Head of Learner Engagement at PETROC and Lloyd Perry, Director of Student Inclusion and Support at The Bournemouth and Poole College

Student Enrichment for some college can be difficult to set up and get running to benefit students. Some colleagues might not know even where to start!

PETROC and The Bournemouth and Poole College have recently launched new Enrichment programmes and this sessions explores how it was done and the impact it has started to have on students that study at the College

Petroc College of Further and Higher Education has three campuses across beautiful North and Mid Devon. We offer some truly exceptional facilities and spaces where students can learn, practice skills and relax.

The Bournemouth and Poole College is a well established educational provider which delivers further education, higher education and community based courses in Bournemouth and in Poole on the south coast of England. It is one of the larger UK colleges with thousands of students each year.

The Power of Personal Storytelling

Presented by Oba Akinwale, Commercial Director at Loud Speaker

This workshop is all about helping education leaders use their authentic life experiences to connect with their students. We'll show you how to use your own life stories to really click with students.

Not only will you gain insights into leveraging your own narrative, but we'll also equip you with a practical tool to facilitate student-to-student connections, enabling them to share and bond over their individual journeys. Leave with both the understanding and the means to foster a more interconnected and empathetic learning community.

Young people spend their lives learning what to say. At Loud Speaker, we teach them how to say it.

Loud Speaker provides unique, high-energy workshops that give learners the tools that enable them to speak professionally and leave them confident enough to take up opportunities.

Understanding Student Bursary Guidance

Presented by Sharon Cousins, Vice Principal Adult Skills & Student Services at Newham College

We will explore the context and meaning of the various Bursary Guidance, discuss systems and processes including using Pay My Student and share best practice. During the session there will be an opportunity to share challenges and look at solutions together.

Developing an anti-racist strategy and embedding a culture of belonging

Led by Joe Baldwin, Deputy Principal of Bridgend College

This co-facilitated workshop will provide insight into the work of 3 FE Colleges - Bridgend, Halesowen and Birmingham Metropolitan - and their work on creating an anti-racist culture.

Bridgend College will share their journey on co-producing their anti-racism action plan, aligned to the Welsh Government's intent and ambition to be an anti-racist nation by 2030. BMET College and Halesowen College will provide insight into their work, strategy and impact.

Each College will provide 10 minutes of insight, followed by 30 minutes of Q&A and sharing of ideas.

Disclosure: Challenges and a Commitment for Change

Presented by Piers Wilkinson, Senior Policy and Campaigns Lead, and Marcia Brissett-Bailey, Further Education Partnerships Lead, at Diversity and Ability.

The key to all good service provision is communication, yet there exists barriers and challenges for disabled people to share with student services. Marcia and Piers will highlight through their expertise as sector professionals and their own lived experiences some of the current challenges that exist within our sector. With the Disabled Student Commitment calling on the education sector to commit to having students share their disability only once, and uncertainty as to where the commitment will sit, student service managers may be at a loss as to how to respond.

This session will endeavour to provide insight into the intersectional challenges that disabled students face when trying to access support, and provide attendees with a solution for how to achieve lasting sustainable change. With the limited resources and strained capacity, this session will endeavour to support student services to save time, increase confidence, and build lasting lines of communication to ensure all students can access support before reaching a crises point.

Diversity and Ability is an award-winning social enterprise led by and for disabled people. We champion intersectional neurodiversity and disability inclusion, creating positive and lasting culture shifts through bespoke workshops, consultancy and support.

With 85% of our team self-identifying as disabled and/or neurodiverse, everything we do is underpinned by a recognition that lived experience brings strength and value to our society. We’re using those lived experiences, alongside our passion and expertise for celebrating diversity and fostering authentic inclusion, to create a world in which everyone can participate and thrive.

Cyber Choices

Presented by Hannah Link, Detective Constable at the West Midlands Regional Organised Crime Unit - Cyber team

During our Cyber choices workshop we will be discussing the following:

- The makeup of the Regional Cyber Crime Unit / Policing UK and the various staff roles.

- All sections of the Computer Misuse Act with examples of how this sits within the Law.

- Explain the difference between legal and illegal cyber activity.

- Our referral mechanism and how adults can refer into our team for one-to-one support of a young person.

- How we promote legal and ethical cyber opportunities.

The West Midlands Regional Cyber Crime Unit’s Cyber Choices Team is here to help provide you with advice and support surrounding making the right cyber choices. We are the Police and therefore have a legal duty to uphold the law… however, the Cyber Choices ethos is to try and divert people positively, not to criminalise them unnecessarily. We can discuss your concerns and worries around anything cyber crime.

MADE (Maximising Achievement Developing Everyone) tutorial programme.

Presented by Stacey Boreham, Vice Principal Quality, and Laura Craig, Director of Quality, at Coleg Cambria.

The overall aim of the session is to explain the 'MADE' programme and its benefits. In addition to ascertain current practice in relation to tutorial/pastoral provision in the sector.The focus for MADE has shifted to a coaching based approach, driven by a team of Progress Coaches (PCs) across all sites that service curriculum areas. The PCs are part of the Quality Directorate to help distinguish them from Curriculum. A key role of the PCs is that they are a conduit for student support, they are a mechanism for the right referral at the right to the right support for the learner. Their role is not find the right solution in isolation.

Cambria’s MADE is a coaching programme. Its sole purpose is to raise learners’ awareness of their place in the world and build their self-efficacy, developing their personal, social, and behavioural skills and characteristics. MADE comprises of two key focuses: Maximising Achievement (MA) and Developing Everyone (DE).

MADE is delivered by Progress Coaches. Each full-time learner has a progress coach who coaches in a group setting and individually enabling learners to maximise their achievement through personal development.

Coleg Cambria in North East Wales is one of the UK's largest colleges, with over 5500 full-time and 11,000 part-time students. Coleg Cambria was created following the merger of Deeside College and Yale College, Wrexham and is an inclusive learner focused college.

Gender Identity Awareness

Presented by Lee Smart, Head of Student Conduct at Halesowen College.

An exploration into gender variance with practical tips on how to support people with their gender identity.

Halesowen is a Further Education College based in the West Midlands.

The importance of Menstrual Health Education

Presented by Tanya Simon-Hall, Founder and CEO of The Adeno Gang and David Francis, Executive Director Student Services & Wellbeing at Newham Sixth Form College

The Adeno Gang will be demonstrating the importance of menstrual health education and how it was implemented at Newham Sixth Form College. We will be discussing the impact our work has had on the students at the college, our Menstrual Health Student Ambassadors and more...

The Adeno Gang supports, advocates and educates those with Adenomyosis and other menstrual health conditions. We share knowledge and experiences on how to navigate through these conditions and we are continuously working to change the narrative surrounding Women's Health, primarily by educating young people on the importance of menstrual health. We provide the skills and tools for young people to be able to make informed decisions regarding their menstrual health. We are campaigning for Adenomyosis and other menstrual health concerns to be recognised in society, schools and work spaces. To end period stigma, period poverty and the period tax.

Supporting learners to be Career Ready - personal development, progression & parental engagement

Presented by Alison Sadler, Education Development Consultant - FE & Skills at The Careers & Enterprise Company and Jess Leech, Vice Principal - Students at Barnsley College

In collaboration with Barnsley College, we will explore how to effectively support learners with their personal development towards successful transition to their best next step, including the role of parental engagement. We explore CEC resources to support you with their journey and hear from the college how they have achieved Ofsted Outstanding in this area.

Set up by government in 2015, the mission of the Careers & Enterprise Company is to help every young person to find their best next step. We are the national body for careers education in England, supporting schools and colleges to deliver modern, 21st century careers education

Understanding Reasonable Adjustments - Implementation and Execution

Presented by Dr Louise Karwowski, Director of Education at Cognassist

This informative and engaging workshop where we will cover:
- what 'neurodiversity' means
- how to identify your learner’s neuro-differences
- how to implement adjustments that can have huge impact
- real life examples of reasonable adjustments
- the benefits of reasonable adjustments and how to claim Learner Supporting Funding
- working with inclusive EPAOs and AOs

The combination of a PhD in Quantum Mechanics held by Dr Louise, combined with her 15 years+ experience in the field of neurodiversity and disability, provides a strong foundation for linking in scientific research within the solution to improving the quality of education and employment.

Dr Louise is passionate about supporting positive cultural change and breaking down barriers that prevent equity, diversity, and inclusion whether that be in education, the workplace, or any other environment.

If you're looking to enhance your learner support and equity, diversity, and inclusion practices, all whilst reaping the reward of enhanced learner success, this is a fantastic workshop for you to join.

Cognassist is a B-Corp certified neurodiversity platform that provides support for individuals in education and the workplace. Our product offers a digital cognitive assessment to help educators identify learning needs and provides personalised support to learners who may be at a disadvantage. Cognassist offers specialised training content, bitesize support modules and a data-driven approach to supporting neurodiversity. We want to help you create a culture of learning and neuro-inclusion that empowers diverse thinkers every day.

Student Happiness in the Spotlight: A Workshop Based on the Latest Research and Real-Life Practices

Presented by Billy FitzJohn, Associate Director at Endsleigh Insurance Services and Kayleigh Frost, Head of Clinical Support

This workshop will provide real insights into the biggest concerns facing students today. We will be looking into the results from Endsleigh’s 2023 Student Happiness Index report, combined with real life examples of how the Student Assistance Programme has supported colleges and students through these challenging times. Learn how students have engaged with a 24/7 wellbeing service and what really concerns them.

Join us for a workshop on the biggest concerns facing students today, based on the results of Endsleigh’s 2023 Student Happiness Index report. Learn real-life examples of how the Student Assistance Programme has supported colleges and students through these challenging times.

We will also be sharing real insights into how over 700,000 students who use the student assistance programme, have engaged with the service via their college and university in recent times.

Endsleigh is part of Howden Group, the world’s largest independent retail broker network. We have almost 60 years’ experience providing solutions for the education community.

Our Student Assistance Programme works in partnership with universities and colleges, offering specialist 24/7 mental health and wellbeing support for over 700,000 students across the UK.

Let's Get Personal

Presented by the Chichester College Group

Colleagues from CCG will share both their strategy and operational approaches to embedding personal development in College life and in the curriculum. The session will cover such as how the group use Turing funding to support a wide range of opportunities for students.

Becoming a Trauma Informed College and Widening the Participation of Young People in College Education

Presented by Hopwood Hall College

Join Caroline Street, Executive Director, Business & Student Support and Tracey Marrow, Head of Safeguarding at Hopwood Hall College as they take you through their five year journey to become trauma informed and widen participation; work that has been recognised by the prestigious Queens Anniversary Prize. The Projects cover the themes of Mental Health, Trauma, Behaviour and Transition.