Resources for Parents and Carers

As we move from our Preparation for Learning period and into full course delivery, we know that our learners thrive and achieve most when they have direct access to highly skilled, engaging and passionate teachers in state-of-the-art facilities. So, where the authorities and situation allow, we will aim to maximise the in-class learning time to as close to 100% as possible.

Blended learning is a mix of in-class and remote learning using a hybrid and innovative, 21st century teaching and learning delivery model. Blended learning is the model adopted by The City of Liverpool College to ensure all our learners receive in-class instruction and learning as well as still benefitting from access to learning materials online that supplement, support and consolidate learning in class.

Blended learning is not simply using ICT in class. It is where the digital learning activities are embedded into and linked to the in-class learning experience. The ratio of face to face and digital learning can change depending on the needs of the student and the course as well as the national situation.

It has been proven that time spent learning outside of class as independent and further study is a significant factor in the overall achievement of a student. So, even where in-class teaching and learning is at 100% of the timetable, you will still be expected to supplement this with your online work.

Digital learning will still play a significant role in the delivery of courses. Accessing regular learning resources, assessments, instruction, additional support and study groups online will help students to maximise their learning experience, help them to develop independent learning skills needed for higher levels of study, revisit learning and recall information, access assessments and support as well as having the ability to access work missed through sickness or other absence. As well as having all these benefits, including digital learning within study programmes will help to equip students with the skills to communicate and create, making learners highly employable in the 21st century jobs market.

By using a Blended Learning model, our skilled tutors and instructors will be able to maximise students’ learning time. It is well known in teaching, learning and assessment that learning content such as facts and information is an important part of the learning process. As it is the less challenging part of the learning process, we try not to use our valuable in-class time together to simply learn facts. This can be done at home in preparation for your next lesson. This is what being an academic is. A student is responsible for their learning with the tutor as the expert who guides, instructs, and assesses to give feedback. By using our digital learning activities to learn the content, we can maximise our in-class time by helping students apply that content to the hard things like skills activities and practice exam questions. We can also spend quality time in helping students evaluate their learning, understand what it is they are doing well and what it is that they still need to do to achieve.

So, when work is set outside of class, it is vitally important that students do that work so that they can come to the lesson prepared and so that achieve their full potential.

Each course has different requirements for a digital learning platform. Most will use the College VLE or Microsoft Teams. In some of our more specialist areas, there may be a need for the tutor to use a specialist platform. However, tutors will introduce students to any digital platform that work will be set on and all students will be shown how to access the work set.

Asynchronous delivery is where digital resources have been pre-recorded or a set of activities has been produced for students to undertake in their own time but before a set deadline. An example of this may be the tutor asking students to go to a Microsoft Teams class and complete the remote work for the week. The work set was a recorded introduction by the teacher, followed by an automated assessment on MS Forms and then an instruction to prepare a speech on what the student has learnt ready to share with a partner at the start of the next in-class session. There was a clear and structured set of activities, but they are all pre-made and not live.

Synchronous delivery is when a tutor will deliver a live session over a remote platform at an agreed time for the group. So, the lesson is live, you are expected to attend and the session can take live Q&A as well as enable you to still see and experience live instruction/teaching from your teacher – just on a digital platform. Synchronous learning sessions can be recorded so that the class can still have the benefit of looking back at the material and so that anybody who could not attend can watch it and catch up.

No. With the unpredictable nature of the pandemic, we understand that you or your child may be called to self-isolate or your child may even become unwell and need to stay home from college. The City Of Liverpool College’s commitment to providing digital learning resources means that, if students miss a class, the resources, support and any homework can all be accessed via the digital learning platform.

At the City of Liverpool College, students are at the centre of everything we do. We are committed to providing a high-quality education and learning experience for all students. We know that during 19/20 students have had significant disruption to their education due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, whether that be with us here at college or at school. It is important to us that students are supported to catch up and develop their skills.

To help students catch up, we will be delivering a comprehensive program of tuition support across the college for our 16-19 study programme students, over and above their planned delivery for this academic year. All students who have not yet achieved a grade 4 in English and/or maths, have outstanding assessment objectives from last year and those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) are eligible for additional help and will be able to access small group (1 to 3 or max 1 to 5) tuition with us at college.

Wherever possible, we will also support students who have achieved a grade 4 in English and/or maths but need that extra level of support to reach their potential in their chosen field of study.

We have identified 4 core cohorts that we will be targeting over the year.

1. November resits for GCSE English and maths – intensive preparation
2. GCSE English and maths catch up support
3. Functional and basic skills support
4. Non-English and maths support, includes vocational, academic, and technical catch up sessions