Somerset College

To be Somerset's premier college for skills education and training for those aged 14 and beyond, meeting the needs of the local and regional economy for employment, prosperity and success.

And these are our ways of working:

• Striving for excellence
• Responsiveness to learners and customers
• Equality and diversity
• Value for money
• Responsive to new markets
• Progression for learners
• Embedding skills for life
• Partnerships
• Supporting economic regeneration
• Investing in staff

We aim to provide:

• A stimulating and exciting atmosphere.
• A creative and innovative culture permeating all teaching and learning.
• A vibrant and embracing social context.
• A culturally diverse curriculum and learning community.

Our pledge to you is that we will:

• Promote equal opportunity for all.
• Deliver a wide range of courses aimed at enabling students to achieve nationally recognised qualifications.
• Ensure that learning and social activities take place within a safe environment.
• Publicise the courses and services we offer.
• Publicise student achievements and results.
• Provide advice on an individual basis.
• Provide you with a relevant introduction to the College and your course.
• Record and report on student progress and provide necessary support.
• Provide information on opportunities available in employment and training, further and higher education and give individual support as required.
• Consult with students, employers and the community to improve the quality of our work.
• Provide information to parents and guardians.
• Meet the needs of the employers.

University-level students on University of Plymouth programmes also benefit from the University's assessment rules and regulations.

The Matrix Standard is a unique quality framework for the effective delivery of information, advice and/or guidance on learning and work. It is a quality standard for information advice and guidance services. The College's Customer Services Team achieved this prestigious national quality mark in recognition of the excellent service we offer. This was achieved as a result of a rigorous inspection during which the team were observered at work and the views of both students and partner agencies about our service delivery were taken into account.

The Investors in People Standard allows us to:

• Review current policies and practices against a recognised benchmark.
• Develop a framework for planning future strategy and action.
• Have a structured way to improve the effectiveness of our training and development activities.

We have a duty to safeguard and promote the welfare of our students under the age of 18. We have developed a Safeguarding Policy on Child Protection and Vulnerable Adults that aims to meet these duties.

The policy includes child protection, prevention of bullying, harassment and discrimination, dealing with attendance issues and meeting the needs of sick students and security.

If you, as a student here have any concern about your wellbeing, safety or rights, then you should:

• Talk to your tutor.
• Talk to staff in the Student One Stop.
• Talk to the designated person for child protection, Pat Griffin on 01823 366 525, or email pat.griffin@somerset.ac.uk. Pat is based in the Learning Support Office in the Atrium.
• Talk to David Harvey, Head of Division for Student Entitlement, on 01823 366 467, or email david.harvey@somerset.ac.uk.

Safeguarding our students is of vital importance to us. You should let the College know straight away if you have any concerns about your welfare.

We will treat all our students with the respect they deserve and expect our students to show the maturity and responsibility of adults when they are at Somerset College.

To read our Safeguarding Policy in full click here

Vetting and Barring Scheme for people working or volunteering with children or vulnerable adults

The Vetting and Barring Scheme is a new system recently introduced, so it may be subject to change and modification. For up-to-date information and further explanation please visit http://www.isa-gov.org.uk/

Information for students:

Where indicated in the College's prospectus or on the College's website, specific programmes/courses may involve regular access to children and/or vulnerable adults, also known as regulated activity.

Where this is the case, students will be legally required to register with the Vetting and Barring Scheme (VBS) which is administered by the Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA). The ISA has recently been established as a single agency to monitor all individuals who want to work or volunteer with vulnerable people. Registration with the scheme will cost £64 (as of April 2009) and is a one-off payment which will cover both the cost of registration and a Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) check. Following successful registration you will be issued with an ISA Registration Number which will stay with you for the rest of your career. The College will send further instructions on registering with the VBS as part of the admissions process. For further guidance please look at the information shown against the programme/course or contact the College directly.

Information for staff:

Somerset College is committed to safeguarding children and vulnerable adults. From July 2010 all new entrants to roles working with children or vulnerable adults will be asked to register with the Government's Vetting and Barring Scheme and be assessed by the Independent Safeguarding Authority. Further information will be sent to all prospective staff as part of the application process.