2.2 Disability Statement East Norfolk Sixth Form College (for Students) The College welcomes all students East Norfolk Sixth Form College welcomes all students who reach our subject entry requirements (details can be found in the current prospectus). 1. A guide to the rules for success No one will be refused entry because of disability; however, you will be told if in our professional opinion, you may not be able to complete a chosen course successfully because of the nature of your disability or learning difficulty. The college is not permitted to breach academic or vocational excellence standards. You may be guided towards courses which would be more likely to lead to success. You are encouraged to disclose your disability or learning difficulty at the beginning of your studies. You have a right not to disclose. However, if you decide to leave disclosure until later on in the course and the nature of your disclosure makes it unlikely that you could complete the remainder of your course, then you will be guided to a more suitable course. Our aim is to ensure success for you within the rules set by law. In future there may be funded opportunities for partial passes within your chosen subject. We are awaiting a change in the law on this matter which is due in during 2010. Any advice we give you is offered only after we have discussed your situation with an appropriate awarding body or examination authority to see if dispensations are available for you. You can be assured that we will do everything we can to help you within the rules set for us by the government. 2. Before you apply to College If you have special requirements please contact Daphne King, Deputy Principal either by (telephone: 01493 662234 / fax: 01493 441405 or e-mail dking@enorf.ac.uk ) before you start at College so we have plenty of time to prepare for your needs. You are welcome to visit the College to discuss them with our Additional Support Co- ordinator or our Student Support Officer. 3. The Application Process Please ensure that you mention any potential difficulties or special requirements on your application form so that we can ensure that they do not get overlooked. You should also mention any possible difficulties at your initial interview including whether you have received any additional time in exams at school. Following interview, all students are required to complete and return an Additional Support Notification form (green form) signed by your parent/ guardian. This form will help us to review your requirements and arrange additional meetings with our additional support team. 4. Starting at College Once you arrive, we want you to be successful and it may be that you need some extra help or support. We do our best to try to provide for all your needs but in case we have missed something you need please come and talk to us. The best person to talk to is your Personal Tutor and he/she will consult your Senior Tutor and the Additional Support Co-ordinator to meet your specific needs. Most parts of the College have wheelchair access and there are special toilet facilities. 5. Other Help is Available As well as your Personal Tutor, the College has a Student Support Officer, Peer Supporters and a counselling service for all students. An Additional Support Team led by John O’Leary provides help if you have difficulty with basic literacy, numeracy and IT. 6. Arrangements for Exams Special support may be available at exam times. There is a laptop for you if you have writing difficulties and extra time for you if you have certain medical conditions or learning difficulties. It is vital that we have medical evidence relating to any additional time you have been granted for exams, well in advance, as the examination boards will not grant it without the required evidence. 7. Problems? If you are unhappy in College we can try to help if you tell us. If you feel despite this, you have been unfairly treated, we have both an Equality & Diversity Policy and a Complaints Procedure. You can find details of these in your Student Handbook. It is very important that you keep us informed of any difficulties so all staff can be prepared to help you. 8. Administration of Medicines You have the right to bring any medicines to college and self-administer. You have the right to ask the college if someone – such as a parent or medical officer can come onto campus to administer the medicine. In this case written permission must be obtained from the college. Staff may not and will not administer your medicine to you as they are not trained and not insured to do so. We ask all students and staff to remember the rules – never give any medication, even paracetamol, to another person and never give your own medication to another person. In exceptional circumstances, staff may administer prescribed drugs to students for emergency treatment; currently this relates to: EPIPEN containing adrenaline for reversing the effects of anaphylaxis; and BUCCAL Midazolam for reversing the effects of status epilepticus Any member of staff undertaking one of the above procedures must be trained in the procedure through training arranged by the College. In addition, consent must be obtained in advance from the individual concerned or, if under 18, from their parent or guardian 9. Rules on help within disclosure The Disability Discrimination Act 1995 says that: a. We can and should help you as much as possible when you disclose your disability. b. If you do not disclose and a member of staff notices you do have a barrier to learning, they will discuss it with you in confidence. If you say you do not want help or support and you want to keep your barrier to learning confidential, then the staff will be told to respect your wishes and not to take any further action, provided that your barrier to learning does not affect health & safety or your chances of being successful in your chosen subject(s). c. If you ask for confidentiality but do also ask for support, then we can only help you when no-one else is in the room. d. Although we do have equipment to support people with disabilities, we will never use this without your permission, so that your confidentiality request is not breached. You are encouraged to disclose so that we can help you as much as possible.