As a parent or carer, you can support your child to fulfil their potential at college in a number of ways:

• Good attendance
  Aiming for 100% attendance and getting to College on time are vital to every student’s success and we rely on parents and carers to support us with this. We monitor students’ attendance and inform parents and carers if their child is missing or regularly late for classes. If your child is unable to attend College for any reason, please call 020 3757 4000 or contact their tutor by email preferably by midday on each day of absence. See our term dates.
• Independent study
  You can help by ensuring there’s a quiet space at home where your child can complete homework and assignments, and revise for exams.
• Monitoring progress
  We encourage parents and carers to attend our regular progress evenings where you can come along with your child to find out how they are doing, discuss any issues, and talk about their next steps. You will also receive a report on your child’s progress every term.

Achieving English and maths qualifications is important for every student.

If your child has not achieved English and maths GCSE at grade 4 (C) or above before coming to Southwark College, they will study these subjects alongside their chosen vocational course, sitting exams in order to gain the English and maths qualifications they need.

We ask parents and carers to remind students of the importance of attending their exams, arriving at least half an hour before the start of each exam with the necessary materials.

The GCSE English and maths examination dates for academic year 19/20 are:

We offer a wide range of support to help your child get the most out of their learning experience. Our Student Support centre on campus provides extra help with English or maths, and help for people with dyslexia, autism, Asperger syndrome or a physical disability or mental health difficulty. We also provide Supported Learning courses which have built-in support for young people with high needs.

Find out more about our Special Educational Needs (SEN) provision. You can also call us on 020 3757 4000 to discuss your child’s specific SEN needs.

We offer courses at a wide range of levels, from pre-entry level through to higher education courses such as Foundation degrees, with most of our vocational qualifications consisting of a year’s study.

This means that your child can start on a course at the right level for them, whatever their current qualifications and – provided that they successfully achieve their qualification – progress on to the next level the next academic year. Many school leavers join us with low GCSE grades and, with the right motivation and attitude, are able to progress up through the levels to achieve an advanced qualification which equips them for a successful career.

We see our role as helping students not only to gain a qualification but also to find a job. The College’s Guidance and Progression Officers offer an on-going careers service throughout students’ time at College, providing help with CV writing, job applications and interview practice. Find out more about our careers and employability support.

We are committed to making sure that the College is a safe place for your child to come and study every day. All of our staff are trained in safeguarding (protecting young people and vulnerable adults from dangers such as abuse, cyber bullying, exploitation and radicalisation) and follow strict procedures in terms of reporting, escalating and dealing with concerns.

We work closely with the police and external agencies to keep our students safe both on and off campus.

Click here to read NCG's Guide to Information.