The Additional Learning Support (ALS) Department is here to support all students and they “Promote inclusivity and remove barriers to maximise the student’s potential”.
The role of ALS Work-based Learning team is “to provide support strategies to maximise the student’s ability to be self-sufficient”.
It doesn’t matter what subject you are studying with us, the ALS department will work with apprentices and students studying a work-based qualification who have learning difficulties, disabilities or those that need mentoring support to help them complete their qualification and achieve their learning goals.
To ensure you get the correct support, when you enrol as an apprentice, you will complete a Cognassist assessment, which will be organised by someone in your department.
What support is available?
A range of support is available, including:
• Providing additional classroom support (which is not identified through Cognassist)
• Providing social and emotional support
The ALS department supports students who have:
• Significant problems with confidence, self-esteem or motivation
• Low attendance
• Have an unsupportive/unsupported home environment (including care leavers/carers)
• Attitudinal/behaviour problems
• Drug/alcohol problems
• Health problems (including mental health and phobias)
• Problems with communication and interaction
• Single parents with particular difficulties in engaging with learning
• Additional learning needs
• Low basic skill
• Exam concessions
What is Cognassist?
Cognassist provides cognitive assessments, personalised learning plans and online learning resources for apprentices.
Apprentices studying Level 2 to Level 6 apprenticeships will take a 30-minute assessment to identify any learning needs associated with the eight cognitive domains: namely verbal memory, literacy, numeracy, visual information processing, non-verbal memory, letter fluency, verbal reasoning and visual perception. The Cognassist learning library contains over 500 resources, includes video graphics and interaction. Apprentices are assigned cognitively tailored learning plans and strategies based on their strengths and weaknesses.
Contact us
You can talk to us about your support needs before you apply to College, at enrolment or at any time during your course. We’re happy to help. You can contact us by emailing: als@barnsley.ac.uk
Last updated: 6th July 2020