Course information

Eligibility

To attend one of our courses you must be aged 19 or over and live on the Isle of Wight.

To be eligible for funding, a learner must be a citizen of the United Kingdom and Islands, or the European Economic Area (EEA) and have been ordinarily resident in the United Kingdom and Islands, or the European Union (EU) or the European continuously for at least the past three years.

Online Learning

As one of our learner you may be invited to take part in online sessions using platforms such as ‘Google Classrooms’. None of these sessions will be recorded.

You will be sent a personal login which you will need to enter each time you join a session online. You must not give your login details to anyone else.

The sessions will only be for you individually, or your whole class. They will be monitored by the service.

As part of your safety online, if you are taking part in video classrooms, we suggest that you consider your environment, not just for yourself but for others taking part. For example, think about your background and whether there are personal items on display or anything that may offend others etc.

Multimedia Use

When you enrol on a course with us you are agreeing that the service may use photographs, other media footage or recordings of courses and/or work produced for the purpose of Learning Assessments, their website, displays and publications.

Expectations

What you can expect from us

• We will provide a variety of affordable and accessible courses that will assist with employability skills, promote social inclusion, and widen participation in lifelong learning.
• Our courses will include taster sessions, workshops and academic term-based learning to offer something for all over 19 year olds who reside on the Isle of Wight.
• We will work in partnership with the Isle of Wight Council and other organisations to provide a safe, well equipped, and friendly learning environment.
• Most accredited courses provided by us will be fully funded by the ESFA.
• A Learners handbook will be made available to each learner. These contain important and relevant information regarding the service and our courses, as well as sections which can be used by learners to note relevant details.
• Each learner will be treated fairly, with respect, courtesy and as an individual by the Tutor and service.
• All learners will receive a high standard of teaching. This will involve regular feedback on their work and progress as well as assistance in achieving their agreed outcome.
• Courses will be monitored by our own Quality Assurance, ESFA and Ofsted as well as the qualification awarding body (if applicable).
• Learners will receive free and impartial information and advice on their next steps. Access to careers advice will be available through us, to any learner who wishes to use this service.
• We will monitor attendance on courses closely. If you are on a course that runs over multiple weeks, and you do not attend a session without prior agreement from the tutor, we may contact you to check that you wish to stay on the course and still require the space.
• If notified prior to the event we will record any of the following reason for absence as ‘authorised’:
  • Unavoidable medical appointments or caring responsibilities.
  • Religious holidays.
  • Official appointments such as Jury Service or Job Interviews.
  • Bereavement or attendance at a funeral.
• If required for your course, you will receive an Individual Learning plan (ILP). Within these we ask you to state your reasons for joining the course and complete all assessments, including self-evaluation, plus initial and diagnostic assessments relevant to your course. Your tutor will use this to identify the gaps in your knowledge which will form the learning you need to do (targets).
• If you are attending an accredited course, we will provide you with the information on how to raise compliments, complaints or appeal your assessment/s.
• Once you have completed your course, we will give you the opportunity to provide feedback on your course experience.

What we can expect from you

• By either signing an electronic or paper version of the enrolment form you are agreeing to follow this learner agreement.
• During your learning experience you must behave responsibly and politely, treating everyone with respect.
• All learners must refrain from smoking, consuming alcohol, or illegal substance on any of our premises.
• You must follow health and safety procedures and take care of property, equipment, and ICT facilities.
• For all courses you will be expected to arrive on time and attend the course you have been booked on.
• If you are unable to attend your course for any reason, including illness, you will notify your Tutor directly or contact the office on 01983 817280 before the course is due to start. Learners with an ongoing medical condition that may affect their attendance are advised to discuss this with their Tutor.
• If you need any changes made to the agreed start time, or if you need to leave early, you must agree this with your tutor in advance.
• If your course runs over multiple weeks you will be expected to attend them regularly.
• If you are enrolled on an accredited course, in order to achieve your qualification, you will need to have good attendance. If your attendance starts to fall below 80%, or if you have three unauthorised absences, we may contact you to check that you want to continue the course. In some circumstances poor attendance may lead to removal from the course.
• If you need to change or leave your course before it has been completed, as soon as possible please notify your Tutor or the office on 01983 817280.
• If you are required to sit an exam you will follow the exam rules as provided by your Tutor.
• If it is needed on your course, you will complete work outside of the classroom to achieve your learning aim.
• As part of our funding requirements for some courses we need to know what the learners intended to do next. By signing the enrolment form you are agreeing to provide this if asked.
• If required you will complete, maintain, and update your ILP with your Tutor.

ICT Terms of Use Agreement

• By using Adult Community Learning ICT equipment, you agree to the following ‘ICT Terms of Use Agreement’ and will not engage in any of the following acts:
  • Abuse, harass, threaten or in any other way violate the legal rights of others or that may disturb or cause offence such as using vulgar, obscene, sexually explicit or racially abusive material
  • Use materials including text, graphics, video, audio or programs with the intention of committing an illegal act. particularly violence or pornography, and materials which incite hatred or discrimination on the basis of race, religion, gender or sexual preferences
  • Use any material including text, graphics, video, audio or programs to which you do not own the copyright or rights of privacy
  • Use any materials including text, graphics, video, audio or programs which may belong to or be the same as another person’s.
  • Download any file that you know, or reasonably ought to know, cannot be legally distributed in such a manner.
  • Impersonate any person, or other form of organisation or institution.
  • Upload files that contain viruses, corrupt files, or similar software or programs that may damage the operation of another’s computer
  • Watch live TV on the internet or use your mobile phones to take pictures of others without their permission

How We Use Your Information

The information you provide will be used by the Isle of Wight Council and External Agencies such as the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) and Department of Education (DfE) to meet its statutory responsibilities. This includes destination surveys which may take place once learning has been completed as per contractual requirements.

Your information will also be used for data analysis, to support the learning assessment process and to inform future planning.

Your information will be stored and transported in accordance with the Isle of Wight Council’s General Data Protection Regulations. Also, in line with these regulations it will be securely destroyed after it is no longer required for the stated purposes.

Once the Isle of Wight Council has used your information for their purposes, we are required to pass it onto the ESFA.

ESFA Privacy Notice

This privacy notice is issued by the ESFA, on behalf of the Secretary of State for the DfE. It is to inform learners how their personal information will be used by the DfE, the ESFA (an executive agency of the DfE) and any successor bodies to these organisations.

For the purposes of relevant data protection legislation, the DfE is the data controller for personal data processed by the ESFA. Your personal information is used by the DfE to exercise its functions and to meet its statutory responsibilities, including under the Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Act 2009 and to create and maintain a unique learner number (ULN) and a personal learning record (PLR). Your information will be securely destroyed after it is no longer required for these purposes.

Your information may be used for education, training, employment and well-being related purposes, including for research. The DfE and the English European Social Fund (ESF) Managing Authority (or agents acting on their behalf) may contact you in order for them to carry out research and evaluation to inform the effectiveness of training.

Your information may also be shared with other third parties for the above purposes, but only where the law allows it and the sharing is in compliance with data protection legislation.

More information about use of and access to your personal data, details of organisations with whom we regularly share data, information about how long we retain your data, and how to change your consent to being contacted.