Principal’s Update

Student Attendance
I am pleased to confirm that student attendance is, on average, 90%, including English and Mathematics classes. There are some hotspots with students who are being supported and monitored, but this still represents a very good achievement. Attendance in all government mainstream schools for the equivalent year groups 2023-2024 was 81.6% for Year 12 and 73.8% for Year 13. This is evidence of high levels of our student engagement.

Student Achievements
I was pleased to present an award to two 6th form students for their outstanding work representing young people at the Young People’s Rights event with the Children’s Commissioner, attended by Ministers. They were:

• Elianna Lazzarin (who has now left college)
• Izzy Pell

Additionally, Business student Max Harman received a commended certificate for his outstanding performance and attitude upon completing the IOD Future Leaders Programme 2024. Congratulations to them and to our colleagues who support them.

Applications
Applications to the 6th form and UCJ are on track with strong numbers, despite the school demographic being down overall. We have three courses “at risk” of not recruiting in the 6th form and two in UCJ. These will be closely monitored, and students and parents/carers will be advised at the earliest opportunity if a course does not run. We will, of course, offer an alternative.

Maths and English Team
There are significant staff shortages due to vacancies and sickness in this department, and I want to thank the remaining team for covering classes. Heads of Departments from other areas have also covered classes. We have exhausted the supply list, approached schools for any staff with capacity, and employed short-term cover. No doubt, this will not make the challenge of passing GCSEs (after three attempts in school) easier, but we are determined not to impact the students. Thank you to all those colleagues who have offered support and “stepped up.”

Quality
There were 50 observations last term in Learning Walks, and more are being conducted this week. 281 students have been referred into Learning Support, which is a high number. No student who requires learning support is left unsupported; all are receiving support via in-class, workshops, and 1-to-1 sessions. More than 40 students a week are using the new base room, which was refurbished to meet sensory and cognitive needs. This was funded via inclusion monies, so it’s great to see it having a real impact.

The College SAR external validation went very well. The outcomes were:

• Quality of Education – Good
• Student Entitlement, Support, and Inclusivity – Outstanding with good features
• Apprenticeships, Planning, and Skills – Outstanding
• Finance, Resources, and Operations – Good

This was professionally led by Heather Audoire.

This week, at SLT, we are focusing on our Jersey Premium Strategy. CYPES has just reviewed it and stated, “college leaders have a robust and well-organised strategy.” Thank you to Stuart Philip for his leadership of the strategy.

We have a watching brief on retention: 14 students with SEND have left and 7 with Student Life referrals (emotional and social needs). The needs of students have grown. In UCJ, we are aware of food bank usage by students and there is a 2-year waiting list for ADHD assessments which is a barrier to getting disability support for Higher Education students. We are using every avenue we can to secure support. We are also having an overview of all current medium to large scale projects and a deep dive into Children Looked After and our work with them.

Have a great week.

Jo