SLT STUDENT VOICE FORUM – 15 MAY 2017

Feedback from Annual Student Conference 22 March 2017: Turn up the Volume; Students have your say - Carousels

Attendance – Alan Riley/Attendance Strategy Group Response/Update/Actions

How do you report absence in your department? Use MIMO procedure – there are posters & stickers in class MIMO not always working

MIMO process can be confusing – words & format used

Time to text in to report absence needs to be extended Even though some people text in, their parents are still called

Contact Progress Coach Contact switchboard

MIMO always works – it will be incorrect texting format that causes the problems

SICK, STUCK, MEDICAL, FORMAL, RESPECT, LATE - Reintroduction of stickers 2017/18

We will amend the wording to ‘before your class starts’ For maths and English classes this is a problem with the

attendance checkers not using the daily registers

Do you feel attendance is monitored well in your department? Attendance is monitored well - Hair & Beauty , IT, Business,

Public Services, Travel & Tourism Not monitored well - Animal Management, Science – students

text in but still receive a phone call BSA – receive a phone call if absent Business/Creative Industries - Parents receive a text message

if absent Registers are completed before the time required so some

students are marked as late – Animal Care, Health & Social Care

Punctuality is good Need better access to classrooms (if classroom change, access

to areas is sometimes not available)

Attendance is checked on eILP

BSA – Progress coach is very active in this department

Registers cannot be completed before the start time of the class – system setting

This is the problem when the classrooms in the hair and beauty and foundation studies areas when other students use this area

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Sometimes MIMO texts don’t go through Some students do not return after break Some tutors are late There is no incentive to attend Inconsistent punctuality rules; some areas don’t allow students

into lesson after a certain time period due to disturbance of the class – students want to be treated with respect that they are actually attending (better late than never)

We will discuss with teaching staff – classroom management and lateness.

Except for the qualification at the end of the course??? We are preparing students for work; the consequences of

lateness will be much harsher in the world of work

What are the consequences of poor attendance and punctuality? Brings group attendance down if absent Disciplinary ‘On report’ – this is embarrassing and encourages people to

attend Parents are sent text message if attendance is bad

At times, parents receive text saying student is absent when they are actually late. Some parents do not receive a message at all

More students are told off for being late but not as much for being absent

Travel and Tourism - Some students receive ‘cautions’ for poor attendance

There are no consequences for most students Students receive a ‘caution’ Learning is affected When text in late, every lesson that day is recorded as late – this

affects bus passes/meals/attendance. This makes attendance record drop dramatically

Warnings/disciplinary/withdrawn from course Stand outside and knock on the door if late to lesson

Parents are sent text message if attendance is bad – this is not from the MIMO service

At times, parents receive text saying student is absent when they are actually late. Some parents do not receive a message at all. – it might be due to incorrect or missing parental phone numbers

Late students are marked with an A mark for the day – this must be amended by tutors in subsequent classes when the student is in attendance

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Suggestions of how the college can improve attendance and punctuality Many students are late to lessons because of the early start A universal reward scheme throughout all curriculum areas Rewards/certificates/prize draw/competitions Receive a ‘late’ mark even if only one or two minutes late

Students attend when they enjoy the lessons Some Catering students have a valid reason for not attending

e.g. some are mothers – would like college to be more lenient on them

More posters needed – consistent across college Travel & Tourism - Tutors are flexible to meet students’ personal

needs Longer breaks Promote how to use MIMO Record attendance on eILP so that parents can see

Make lessons more interesting and exciting Stagger breaks to help with punctuality Students with children - this should be taken into account when

late, should have another code word for them Clocks in classrooms should be correct Authorised absence should not affect attendance record Discussion with students when attendance goes below 95%

9.00am (when most classes start) is not really early

Receive a ‘late’ mark even if only one or two minutes late – if you are late, you are late – is 5 minutes early ‘on time’.

Management within the departments and understanding of individual student difficulties

Record attendance on eILP so that parents can see – It is recorded and available via Proportal

Students with children - this should be taken into account when late, should have another code word for them – this would be difficult to prevent misuse.

Authorised absence is an absence from college

Other Same people are late all the time Some tutors are late

Blended Learning – Neil Spaxman Response/Update/Actions

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Did you have an induction on blended learning? Many had it covered in induction, told how important it is/some

students did not know what BL was Some students regard BL as extra work Travel & Tourism are clear about what blended learning is Some students have been allowed to go home if blended learning

is the last lesson of the day Public Services – want it to be more relevant to the lesson Hair & Beauty – it is relevant Some students skip over videos and some other content and just

complete the quiz

Re-visit & work with LRC staff on induction training

Curriculum issue

Curriculum issue

Will look into content with Curriculum staff

Not technically possible to avoid this. Tutors could restrict the quiz attempts.

Do you work on blended learning outside of college? Students mostly do BL in college although some do at home Issues around using on all devices – phones, laptops, iPads Can be dependent upon the age of the device and the browser

they are using. For phones students can use the official Moodle app available in their app store. We are looking into developing this to a customised, branded version. Would welcome feedback from students on using the app

Do you find sola packs engaging? Depends on the subject. Some SOLA packs are interesting

(Childcare); others not interesting enough (ESOL, Construction)

Some of questions too hard/ 100% pass rate required on quizzes Some links no longer work/out of date and info which is no longer

relevant needs updating/removing

We will continue our work to review content with curriculum areas and develop more engaging relevant content

Curriculum issue Some links may not work is outside college as may require

access to other college resources for which external access is not available. Will ensure notice is given in these circumstances. It's also important for students to raise this with their tutors so any broken/out of date links can fixed

What resources would you like to see in SOLA packs?

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More videos, podcasts We are constantly looking to make SOLA packs more engaging. Would like students to work with curriculum staff and ILT to create content

How could we improve blended learning? More promotion - using Facebook/Twitter may encourage people

to look at SOLA packs Will discuss with Marketing

PAD - Polly Harrow /Progress Coach Team Leaders Response/Update/Actions

What kind of topics do you think PAD sessions should cover? Life skills Higher Education Guest speakers/employers More interactive More trips More 1:1 time

Is your Progress Coach approachable? Helpful? Progress Coaches are approachable, easy to talk to PAD sessions are useful

Is it easier to speak to Progress Coach than your tutors about any problems, issues? Progress coach is approachable and easy to talk to

Other Attendance for PAD sessions is very poor in some areas PAD has improved over time Would like more quizzes relating to skills (Kahoot) 1:1 is useful. Ask PAD tutors to use blended learning in tutorials More Progress Coaches needed (Vice PC)

Maths & English – Craig Tupling/M&E strategy Response/Update/Actions

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Barriers to Attendance – what stops students from attending their English & maths lessons? Timetabling - no point coming to college for just one lesson Boring

Lesson drags as too long (3/6 hours) Not seen as being important

Low self-confidence

This will be considered in all timetabling sessions Course coverage must include all elements – games etc are used

where possible Departments are being urged to timetable 2 x 1.5 hour sessions Constant battle and work in progress – departments to continue to

promote maths and English, especially during the 2-week induction period

Maths and English staff always work to encourage students and build confidence. This can mean starting with more accessible material at the start of the year!

Barriers to Achievement – what stops students achieving English & maths qualifications? Different levels in same class Sometimes tutors do not turn up

Lessons not engaging enough

GCSE normally takes 2 years – KC do it in 1 year

This is avoided where possible at timetabling stage Cover has been an issue at times this year – but proportionately,

this has been minimal in view of the gap between staffing requirements and availability. Recruitment will help in this matter!

Tutors include various strategies to maintain engagement – but we’ll always have students who won’t find maths and English engaging. Students must be prepared to sit a high-stakes exam at the end of the year; this exam will not be engaging

Single-year resit is standard in FE

What works? Not being sat with friends – this helps to focus Tutors are motivational & put across the importance of maths &

English Good atmosphere, culture and decoration in English lesson

rooms – not so in maths classrooms ESOL students like the more stimulating activities as this is more

engaging and interesting Subject- specific tutors are more beneficial (expertise)

What could we do better? What can the English & maths team do better to meet the needs of all our students?

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Have lessons in the morning

Two lessons rather than one longer lesson Use incentives to attend

Need to stress the importance of English & maths

Length of lessons – more universal (some students have much longer lessons than others).

More 1:1 support for students with personal issues or before exams

English & maths should be incorporated into all lessons More awareness/communication re: difference between functional

skills and GCSE maths & English

Tutors need to check that everyone understands the work

Too many lessons for maths and English to be able to accommodate all of them in the morning. While mornings will be used where possible, and Friday afternoon will be minimised, there will still be other students who would actually prefer afternoon classes

Departments are being urged to timetable 2 x 1.5 hour sessions Extra incentives to meet the terms of the signed learning contract

seem incompatible with preparing students for their responsibilities in the world of work! Are there strategies that other departments use that we can also use?

Maths and English staff always promote this; vocational staff support this too. This will be even more important during the 2-week induction period

Departments are being urged to timetable 2 x 1.5 hour sessions Potential to book in more drop-in sessions from the start of the

year – but students are responsible for taking advantage of this opportunity

Vocational teams to extend their current practice on this point Tutors always explain differences between programmes and

progression routes, as well as the importance of passing the current level of maths/English to be able to progress onto the next vocational level. They will continue to do so.

Using more assessment strategies has been a focus for this year’s CPD – staff are always keen to ensure all learners understand but must also keep the learning programme moving forwards.

Teaching, Learning & Assessment - Philippa Firth Response/Update/Actions

What helps you most to pass your course? Are you motivated to achieve? Additional independent learning resources e.g. SOLA Tutors’ motivation helps most Need more methods to motivate and raise aspirations Motivation and high aspirations - Training for staff regarding

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Knowing how to achieve the next grade – stretch and challenge 1:1

motivation and stretch and challenge has been developed and delivered across the College by Advanced Teaching and Learning Coaches

What do you do in lessons? Are lessons pitched at the right level? Are they easy or hard? Different types of lessons, wide variety of activities – this means

lessons are of varying difficulty levels which can affect pass rate of students

Some lessons may not be as challenging and do not stretch students

Some tutors do not focus on the set topic/agenda and can go off track. This confuses some students – information overload

Some ESOL classes include both level 1 and level 2 students

See above re stretch and challenge

Is feedback useful and does it stretch/help/challenge you to improve? Although beneficial to success, feedback is short and basic on

assessments – this varies between curriculum areas and tutors

Some feedback is limited – BTEC rules need explaining to students

Some students are given lots of feedback which makes assignments really easy to achieve the grade

Good amount of feedback - Hair & Beauty DC Students are ‘put on report’ if not doing well IT always receives feedback

Internal Quality reviews have sampled assessment and feedback in every curriculum area. Where it does not meet Awarding Body requirement or KC expectations actions have been added to quality improvement plans so that feedback improves appropriately.

Managers will be advised that not all students are aware of BTEC rules regarding feedback and further explanations provided

How do you plan to improve, do you set targets? Do you use Proportal/Markbook? Is it useful? Students enjoy personal SMART targets set with progress coach Some targets are set by staff Need to communicate a better understanding of why targets are

used Proportal is easy once it has been explained Foundation Learning - not been informed about targets

Greater understanding of why targets are used - plan to do this in Induction 17/18

Foundation Learning not informed about targets - reported to

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Science – Check targets and add to them regularly – students receive clear feedback

Foundation Learning Head of Department

Can you apply your learning in class to work experience/placements? Hair & Beauty and Health & Social have a lot of work

experience Public Services have a STOP & SEARCH day with police force

Other It would be useful if targets from Proportal could be accessed via

the VLE for those students who do not use Proportal. Not sure if this can be achieved as target setting is through Pro-

Monitor – will check with IT

Information About The College – What’s the best way to get our message out? Jane Roper

Response/Update/Actions - REFER TO APPENDIX 2.1

How did you find out about Kirklees college? Kirklees council Family Friends School Leaflets Jobseekers Online Guest speakers

Before you enrolled, did you get the information you wanted & in the way you wanted it? Prospectus posted to home address Went to the college to get the overall feel Open evening helped massively Internet – not everyone has access Many ESOL students start the course late – unaware – need to

be more informed

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What do you think about the range of course the college offers? Good variety

Which is the best way to communicate with you and your friends? Use social media to get the message across to invite people Better posters

Snapchat

Other Teachers at school are sometimes biased Taster days

Careers - Sally Rawson Response/Update/Actions

Do you know how to book a careers appointment? Most students do not know how to make a booking – need to

raise awareness around college Developed an information leaflet and poster to print for circulation

within LRCs and all centres. Leaflets and posters also available on the VLE.

Developed KC Careers Facebook page which is updated on a weekly basis.

How easy is it to book a careers appointment via the VLE? Need more awareness around college re: VLE and how the

Careers team can be contacted

Do you know what sort of things the careers service can help you with?

Talk about future plans Part-time jobs board Follow on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram

Do you use the Careers section of the VLE and if not, why not? A low number of students access the careers section on the VLE.

Those that do mainly use it for CV

Would you follow the college careers service on Facebook/Twitter

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to find out more about careers-related information/events?

Social media is popular with students – events, polls, questionnaires (not too much text), links to the VLE

Facebook is popular within college, students already use it for tutors and Progress Coaches

Other Put posters in classrooms advertising appointments Hot jobs – every 2 weeks Need more awareness around college about the careers service More presence required at other campuses More focus on other areas than jobs e.g. CV writing and interview

skills

Route to Work – Steven Downham-Clarke Response/Update/Actions

What does RtW mean to you? ESOL students are aware of RtW and find it useful Students see RtW as a priority as it supports their route to finding

a job Some students find RtW helpful, some find it frustrating and

pointless

Have you discussed your career/employment/progression plans? Career/employment & prep has been discussed

Can you tell me what you do to complete Work Preparation? SOLA packs - Media L3 Create CVs

When, with whom and where do you do this?

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PAD sessions

Have you discussed/had or are you working towards a work placement? RtW helped some students to find a work placement

Are the resources on the VLE (re RtW) easy to use, useful, interesting? Needs more development to make it more interactive and

interesting Some sections are enjoyable

Other Learning same things as in high school Pointless for people who already have jobs Useful for people going on to university as it helps with UCAS Useful as CV is ready when job seeking

Digital Literacies & Learning Resource Centres - David Scott Response/Update/Actions

What new or extra resources would you like to see in the LRC/Library? Students would like to be made aware of any new books that the

library receives Wi-Fi too slow Update books , some are very old - Engineering New chairs Would like more pods - Brunel Would like more Health & Social Care books Would like HC levels 2 & 3 to be quiet spaces and levels 1 & 4 to

be used as more social/work spaces More laptops for students to take home

What new or extra digital resources would you like to use during lessons or for assignments? (e.g. apps, mobile phones, social media, VLE, Office 365, Smart board etc)

Different language books

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Use phones to translate work – good & bad – making it too easy for ESOL students

Smart boards – ‘a great resource’ Kahoot should be integrated into learning More tech to be used in learning Software needs to be updated on all computers

Other Opening times are fine - HC, DC, Highfields Some sites are firewalled – stops students from working Some students lack confidence when accessing the eBooks –

would like staff to assist Film videos need updating - Creative Industries Library and LRC staff are very friendly and helpful Level 2 LRC HC is being used often as a shortcut which is

distracting

IT – Jonathan Wilkinson Response/Update/Actions

Are you aware of Office 365 for students and the associated benefits? Office 365 installations lose connection when finish college We have limited influence on student experience outside college.

This issue could be down to student personal devices or their connection to the internet. Experience from staff members does not concur with the views expressed here. Will discuss with LRC staff to educate students during induction of the process for accessing O365 outside college.

Are there any Apps that do not work with the wireless facilities in college? Some out of date software Again we have limited influence on software that is no longer

current. Doubt that it is the wireless that is not allowing access, more likely due to the filtering solution.

Have you considered bringing your own device into college? If not, why not? Some students use their own laptops On discussion with students all those who had brought in devices

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were pleased with the experience. Some stated that access to Wi-Fi in the refectory was limited at lunch times, suggested they find a quieter spot as probably down to congestion on the access point.

Do you access the VLE on an evening or weekend? VLE issues on weekends

It can be challenging to upload work to the VLE, particularly remotely

VLE often unresponsive when uploading work

Need specific experiences as support staff have not experienced issues, in fact often the experience is found to be better than when in college, possibly due to reduced numbers of users.

Again need specific experiences as could be due to device, internet connection or user knowledge.

Will review the process to ensure there is clear communication with the upload process and progress. Could be file size and users broadband.

Other Wi-Fi is slow Wi-Fi often disconnects Taylor Hill need new laptops

Printing – expensive, sometimes have to wait a long time for work to print.

Printing is easy

VLE could be more user friendly

We are undertaking a programme of replacing Wi-Fi across college, will take 12 months to complete

A laptop audit has been undertaken and whilst we have found most to be due for renewal, an analysis of requirements would be advised due to laptops not necessarily the solution

Printing costs when introduced were the lowest of the other local colleges, the university and the local library service so could be down to perception. Prices have not changed. Advised students to plan ahead if needing to print important documents or find an alternative printer that is available

VLE discussed in earlier thread

Progression – Jane Roper Response/Update/Actions - REFER TO APPENDIX 2.1

Group 1 - ESOL students:

Received a letter saying thank you for applying. Most received a keeping warm postcard.

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More communications necessary prior to starting first year at college rather than on progression years.

Some VLE and portal problems when using at home. Text message is best form of communication as students don’t

always check their emails. One text a week would be ok if it had a useful message or reminder. Don’t like general texts.

Chose college due to local proximity and only college offering ESOL.

Very few students have liked the Facebook page. None follow KC on Twitter.

Students feel there is a strong Huddersfield Centre bias.

Group 2 - PJEA, Health and Social care, Hairdressing and ESOL students

All but 1 saw and remembered the postcard. All prefer postcard over a letter. More chance of them reading and remembering it.

All preferred text message as method of communication. Don’t check their emails very often. They preferred emails to go to their college account rather than personal account even after saying they rarely check that account.

A general text message would be ok once a month. Any more frequent is too much unless it has an important message which they need to know about. Mostly happy with the comms.

Some social concerns about starting college. Felt induction was good and useful.

Chose college due to locality. Some viewed Leeds and Wakefield but decided it was too far. One chose due to USP of PJEA course. One attended because a friend was coming.

Only one of the group like Facebook page and 1 of the group followed on Twitter (the PJEA student – so mainly because social media marketing relevant to his course). Students did not want college in their social media world or didn’t think it was cool or relevant. Some didn’t want friends to know they were at this

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college. Students thought they might be more likely to follow us on

Snapchat or Instagram.

Group 3 - Art and Design, Retail, ICT and ESOL

All attended open days and found them useful. All remembered receiving keep warm postcard. All liked it and

thought it showed the college had personal interest in them. Text most preferred method of comms. Much more likely to

see/read a text. A couple also liked emails. Texts no more than once a month for general comms but ok to

send more frequently if they have a specialised message or reminder which the students need to know about.

Some VLE problems when trying to access from home. None of the students remembered attending a welcome day or

any promo for welcome days. No real concerns about starting college. One student found a tour

from his school VI unit very helpful in settling in as he knew where everything was.

Most students chose college due to locality. BSA students said facilities and connecting with tutors were part of their decision to study here. Meeting tutors and the personal touch from them was also very important.

Group 4 - Business, performing arts, engineering & engineering Apprenticeship

All received keeping warm postcards and liked that it showed college had an interest in them and wanted them to come to college. One student didn’t like direct marketing as felt there is too much of it so he doesn’t pay attention to it. One student almost went to New College but keeping warm postcard persuaded her to go to an open day at KC.

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All liked facilities and said they were part of their decision to come to college.

All preferred text messages as communication method. Didn’t like general text messages i.e. ‘hope you’re enjoying your half term, see you after the break. Thought this was intruding on their personal time.

Did like texts which had a message or reminder like ‘don’t forget to bring your ID to enrolment’ or ‘exam certs ready for collection’. More frequent texts are ok if they had such messages.

No one remembers the welcome days – attending or promotions. Thought open days didn’t have enough information; thought

people were leaving them still confused. Thought the promotion of which centre to visit wasn’t clear enough.

One student thought that signage of where things are within college is not clear enough.

All felt that there was a bias towards Huddersfield Centre and not much promotion or PR on other centres.

Didn’t follow on Facebook or Twitter and only check the website sporadically.

What does progression mean?

Trying to conquer something Getting better Succeeding Improving Moving forwards/Moving on Achieving results Next step Getting things done What to do next Improving – not just about grades but social aspects e.g.

improving confidence

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How do you want to be contacted?

Most students like and use VLE. Could have course information on it.

Don’t really use college emails – difficulties logging on; syncing to mobile etc. Prefer personal emails.

Facebook – don’t ‘like’ college Facebook page as don’t want friends and family to see that.

Would see ‘sponsored’ posts rather than organic. Do use course pages on Facebook/Twitter as appropriate to

subject. Instagram – might follow college. Snapchat – would like college ‘filters’ – Greenhead College have

own. More videos – digital options/screens in college rather than

posters. Vines. Don’t want boring generic emails.

Frequency

Don’t mind frequent contact i.e. via text if it is relevant and don’t need to respond to it.

Monthly. Weekly.

Progress to Success Campaign

Well recognised. Like the pictures – like faces recognise. Too mainstream. Could have images relevant to subject or career – too general. Message that attendance is important is a good one. Need more information.

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Eye-catching/In your face. Needs brighter colours. Cringey/childish (high school). Needs a bit more oomph. Like the message ‘Progress to Success’ – short and snappy. Wording needs to be more adult. This style is used too often.

Campaigns liked: McDonald’s EE (Kevin Bacon)

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