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Additional Learning Support
Introduction
We appreciate and value the contribution that individuals with learning difficulties and disabilities bring to the college. We commit to:
- Making students with additional support needs feel valued, respected and supported.
- Creating an inclusive environment where students participate fully in college life.
- Ensuring students are treated on the basis of their merits, ability and potential.
- Helping students enjoy being included in every aspect of student life.
- Providing high quality support.
Get in touch
If you have a special educational need or disability please contact us.
How we can help
We are a large team of dedicated staff experienced in supporting learners with a wide range of needs.
If you have a disability or learning difficulty we will help you find the appropriate support.
SEND Inclusion Statement
For further information about how we can help you, please view our SEND Inclusion Statement.
- Physical support
- Support for a hearing or visual impairment
- Assistive technology loans
- Workshops and clubs
- Support in the classroom
- Online/remote support
Discuss your support needs
It is important that we understand how we can support you. If you have not told us about your support needs at application or enrolment, please share this information with us. If you had support in exams at school it is important we know this. Please provide us with your previous evidence. For example, this might be your school assessment or a medical letter.
Complete our questionnaire
You will have been sent a message following your application to fill out an ALS support questionnaire. Fill out the questionnaire by logging into your application. We will:
- Treat the information you give us with care and with your consent.
- Share the information with your tutors and support staff, so they know how to support you in and out of the classroom.
Need help?
If you need help completing the ALS support questionnaire, please contact us and a member of our team will help.
Exam access arrangements
If you received access arrangements in your exams or assessments at school or most recent educational placement, it is important you tell us.
Important
If you have not already given us your evidence, for example this might be your school assessment or a medical letter, it is important you provide us with this urgently.
Examples of access arrangements include:
- A reader
- A scribe
- A prompt
- Separate accommodation
- Additional time
How to send your evidence
Email your evidence to us at: AdditionalLearningSupport@southessex.ac.uk
Alternatively you can email your evidence directly to Lorraine Brophy or Jenny Hixon:
Lorraine.Brophy@southessex.ac.uk
Jenny.Hixon@southessex.ac.uk
Post your evidence, marked for the attention of Lorraine Brophy or Jenny Hixon in the ALS team, to:
South Essex College
Luker Road
Southend-on-Sea
SS1 1ND
United Kingdom
Please note
If we have not received evidence of your request this will delay us in undertaking the assessments for you to receive access arrangements at college. We work to exam board deadlines, so it is critical that you contact your tutor if you have not done so.
All evidence must be provided to us by the second week in September. Any new evidence or requests received later than this means we cannot guarantee we can process your request in time to meet the necessary external exam board deadlines.
Local Authority information
Essex
- Essex SEND local offerComing soon
- Local offer leafletComing soon
Contact us
ALS Mailbox
AdditionalLearningSupport@southessex.ac.uk
Karen Fox – Head of ALS
Karen.Fox@southessex.ac.uk
01375 362601
Ferwin D’Costa – Administrator
Ferwin.D'Costa@southessex.ac.uk
01375 362612
Learning Mentors are responsible for arranging support in the following curriculum areas. Learning Mentors can be contacted by phone on the numbers detailed below, by college email, or Microsoft Teams.
Southend Campus
Anne-Marie Hayter – Learning & Progression/Entry Level/Service Industries Travel & Tourism
Anne-Marie.Hayter@southessex.ac.uk
01702 220600
Chris Thomson – DTMPA/Service Industries Sports and Public Services
Chris.Thomson@southessex.ac.uk
01702 220685
Sarah Jee – Health & Science/Adult English & Maths/Adult FE Counselling/Service Industries Hair & Beauty
Sarah.Jee@southessex.ac.uk
01702 220499
Jenny Hixon – Exam Access Arrangements (Southend)/HE
Jenny.Hixon@southessex.ac.uk
01702 220599
Jacqueline Palmer
Jacqueline.Palmer@southessex.ac.uk
01702 220630
Thurrock Campus
Samantha Tucker – Engineering & Construction, Art & Design, Business, DTMPA, Adult English & Maths, Service Industries
Samantha.Tucker@southessex.ac.uk
01375 362633
Shan Mok – Exam Access Arrangements (cross college)/Apprentices/HE (Thurrock)
Shan.Mok@southessex.ac.uk
01702 220445
Stephenson Road Campus
Ann Graham-Older – All curriculum departments at that campus
Ann.Graham-Older@southessex.ac.uk
01702 220505
Luckyn Lane Campus
Jo Thomas – All curriculum departments at that campus
Jo.Thomas@southessex.ac.uk
01702 220695
New Basildon Campus
Jo Thomas – DTMPA, Learning and Progression
Jo.Thomas@southessex.ac.uk
call 01702 220695
Sensory Team Learning Mentor
Gabriella Garroway – Covering ALS support for Thurrock Campus areas of Health & Science, Learning & Progression
Gabriella.Garroway@southessex.ac.uk
01375 362787
The Learning Mentor Manager team can be contacted at ALSSeniorLearningMentors@southessex.ac.uk
Each LMM has an area of responsibility for Additional Learning Support and can be contacted as follows for further advice and guidance related to their areas of specialism:
Sarah Fincham – Sensory Team
Sarah.Fincham@southessex.ac.uk
07720 968128
Tina Booth – High Needs Students and Complex Health/Physical Needs
Tina.Booth@southessex.ac.uk
01375 362640
Sarah Markey – Education, Health and Care Plans
Sarah.Markey@southessex.ac.uk
01375 362642
Lorraine Brophy – Access Arrangements, Higher Education, Apprentices
Lorraine.Brophy@southessex.ac.uk
01702 220475
Gill Collins – Social & Emotional Needs, Mental Health
Gill.Collins@southessex.ac.uk
01375 362769
Useful resources
The following links will support you with accessible features of the following remote platforms:
- MS Teams – Accessibility overview of Microsoft Teams - Office Support.
- Zoom – Accessibility overview of Zoom.
- Google Meet – Accessibility overview of Google Meet.
- Ambitious about Autism – Ambitious about Autism has launched the UK’s first online platform for autistic young people. Offering autistic young people aged 16 to 25 a safe and moderated online space to help them understand their autistic identity and reduce isolation and loneliness that many feel. Young people will be able to take part in peer support sessions, share experiences and find volunteering, work experience and employment opportunities. There will also be opportunities for them to work together and campaign for change.
- Positive Dyslexia – Positive Dyslexia YouTube channel has some free webinars.
- Made by Dyslexia – Website for positive emphasis on role models etc.
- OpenDyslexic Typeface – OpenDyslexic is a typeface designed against some common symptoms of dyslexia. If you like the way you are able to read this page, and others, then this typeface is for you!
- Worksheet Genius – A free online machine that makes differentiated, randomized worksheets; you can add words that want to use or practice and it makes up the game for you with them.
- BDA Technology – Keep up to date with the latest technology and Apps for classroom use with the British Dyslexia Association.
- Easy Spelling Aid – Easy spelling aid empowers you to independently spell words and phrases.
- TypingClub – Improve typing skills.
- Quizlet – Discover 10,000 ready-made study sets covering 24 GCSE subjects, aligned to exam board specifications and created by Verified Educators and partners.
- Seneca – Seneca is a free online revision platform. It presents subject content, organised by a helpful checklist, and uses self-marking questions to check your understanding as you go.
- Blocksite – Block distracting apps and sites.
- Forest App – Forest is an app that can help you stay focused.
- Noisli App – Background sounds that help to mask annoying noise especially for those with sensory sensitivity.
- miMind – Mind Mapping tool - organizing your thoughts, laying out schemes. Once your map is complete you can also share or export it to an image, PDF, text or XML file.
- The Shine App – Self-care toolkit to help you deal with the day-to-day highs and lows.
