This document provides information about academic support and guidance for students at a college. It discusses monitoring student progress, communication with parents, and support for students regarding their studies, future pathways, and applications to university or employment. Parents are encouraged to check on their child's progress, attend parent evenings, and contact the college with any concerns.

2. Academic excellence through
pathways
appropriate to the individual

3. Challenging expectations
of attendance,
discipline and achievement

4. Rigorous monitoring
and
communication with home

5. Excellent standards of
teaching by
experienced and expert
staff

6. Care, guidance and support
of each student as
an individual

8. • What we will do to support your son/daughter
• What you can do to support your
son/daughter

9. Our support for your son/daughter
• Environment to encourage study
• Tutor Group
– Tutorial Programme
– Marist Values
– Study
• Tutor monitoring
• Subject monitoring
• Subject support

10. Parents’ evenings 2012-2013
• A – L: Thursday 8 November
• M – Z: Thursday 15 November
• All Year 12: Wednesday 27 March

11. Reporting
• Monitoring via Firefly
• Reports

12. What you can do to help us support
your son/daughter
• Ensure they are on time
• Ensure they have the correct equipment
• Encourage them to wear their badge
• Talk to them about College
• Contact us if you have any concerns
– k.rice@stmarysblackburn.ac.uk
• Come to the parents’ evenings
• Check Firefly every week

14. Firefly
• A web based portal that allows parents to
access real time information about their son
or daughter at the college via the internet
• All parents get their own log-in – separate
from the student

15. Firefly
• Allows parents to log-in
and monitor attendance
24/7
• Works on any web based
device
• Attendance is real time
• Can view timetables and
contact information
• Can view pastoral log and
performance in class

16. www.firefly.stmarysblackburn.ac.uk
• You will receive your own parent log-in by the
end of September
• Any problems the College will help you access
your son / daughter’s Firefly records
• Keep the log-in safe and use it every week

18. Year 12
• Advice about subject pathways
• Offer 1:1 guidance interviews
• Organise a Post 18 Futures Event in College for students & parents
(April)
• Help with preparation for applying to university
• Organise Yr12 HE visits:
 Oxbridge Regional Conference – Haydock Park
 Edge Hill Primary Teaching Day
• Volunteering opportunities with BRFC Mentoring & Blackburn Royal
Hospital
• Work experience co-ordinator in SMC
• Run workshops to help students prepare for university admissions
tests

19. Year 12…
June programme of events:
• Prepare materials & organise workshops designed to help
students start a Personal Statement
• Hold workshops to register all students for UCAS
• Organise a Higher Education Regional Event in College
• HE talks held in College:
 University of Manchester Medicine Workshop
 Salford Nursing Day
 University of Manchester Law talk
 UCLAN Computing talk
• Further university visits:
 University of Chester – Primary Teaching & Law applicants
 University of Leeds Open Day

20. Year 13
• Support all students with their UCAS applications (All year)
• Offer individual guidance interviews
• September & October: prepare student UCAS guide & hold
timetabled UCAS application workshops
• Read & offer advice on Personal Statements
• Quality check all UCAS applications
• Offer mock interviews
• February: host a Student Finance Talk & an NHS Bursary Talk
• August: Results Day support!

21. Job Seekers…
• From December onwards: help job seeker groups: CV, job applications &
mock interviews
• Employment fair held for job seekers
• Via (CXL) Advisor in College – guidance interviews & up to date
information on local job vacancies, apprenticeships & training schemes
Advertise any opportunities to students:
• For example: BAE & a range of other local employers
• 1 student has secured a competitive Year in Industry Placement as a Fuel
Scientist with Shell
• Another student has successfully gained a position as a Trainee
Accountant at Ainsworths (Accrington)

22. SMC Leavers
• As well as advising & supporting over 500 of our current
students, we also helped over 40 past St Mary’s students with
their UCAS application
• Offer guidance interviews & mock interviews
• Provide references
• Support via telephone & email

23. Current SMC University Offers
• Increase in offers for Pharmacy, Optometry & other healthcare science
careers
• 8 successful Medicine offers, including Oxford, Bristol, Southampton,
Newcastle, Manchester & Liverpool
• 3 offers for Veterinary Medicine at Bristol, Nottingham & the Royal
Veterinary College
• 1 offer from Oxford for Medicine and 1 offer from Cambridge for Politics,
Sociology & Psychology
• 2 students obtained offers for Politics from London School of Economics
• Physics & Maths remain popular choices & students have offers from
Edinburgh & St Andrews among other competitive universities
• 2 Photography students have gained offer from the prestigious Glasgow
School of Art & Design as well as Leeds College of Art & Design