Parent and Carer Frequently Asked Questions

Each study programme has a Study Programme Lead and a Progress Coach. These are the main contacts for questions about progress, attendance, the timetable and general course matters. Contact details should be included in the welcome information, including the Course Handbook, issued by the curriculum team.

If you do not have these details, please use the College contact page or contact:

• General enquiries: enquiries@abingdon-witney.ac.uk
• Telephone: 01235 555 585

Please include the student’s full name, course and campus so that your enquiry can be directed appropriately. The College does not publish a general email list for all teachers.

The Parent/Guardian Hub provides access to key information, including attendance, timetables, meetings, targets and termly progress reviews. Access must first be granted by the student through the Student Hub. Once the contact has been checked by the College administration team, the parent or carer will receive an invitation email.

Visit the Parent/Guardian Hub page for access and instructions.

Check that the student has added the correct email address and granted access through their Student Hub account. If an invitation has not yet arrived, the account may still be awaiting confirmation by the administration team. If you have forgotten your password, use the password reset option on the login screen.

If the issue continues, contact the College through the contact page, giving the student’s name, course and campus.

The Parent Hub is the main source of routine information. Curriculum teams may also contact parents or carers directly where appropriate. Students are expected to take increasing responsibility for their learning and communication, but parents and carers should contact the Study Programme Lead or Progress Coach if they have concerns or cannot access information.

Students should report an absence as soon as possible through the Student Hub, available through the College website or Microsoft Teams. A member of staff will receive the notification. The College may still contact the student and, where the student is under 18, their parent or carer. We encourage students to self report absence as this is an important work skill that they need to learn, however we will usually check with parents/carers to validate any reasons and make a welfare check. Students are expected to catch up on missed work to ensure they do not fall behind with their qualification.

Students should sign in to the Student Hub using the Microsoft 365 option and their College email address. They should not use the applicant sign-in once their College account has been created.

For password or account support, students can ask at reception or the library, visit IT Services with their student ID, or ask a member of staff to help them log an IT request. Timetable or class-membership errors should also be raised promptly with the Progress Coach or Study Programme Lead.

The student should show their timetable to their Progress Coach or Study Programme Lead, who can check whether it is displaying correctly and refer any enrolment or class issue to the appropriate team. This is student-specific, so please include the student’s full name, course and campus when making contact.

For the current delivery the College uses:

• English: AQA
• Maths: Pearson Edexcel

Students entering with a qualification from another exam board, including an IGCSE, should speak to their English or maths teacher. The team will review prior learning and explain how it relates to the College course.

November resit entry depends on the student’s previous result, eligibility and the College’s entry arrangements. Entry is not automatic in every case. The English and maths team will confirm whether a student is being entered and provide the relevant arrangements.

Questions about an individual student’s entry, deadline, exam board or campus must be referred to their English or maths teacher, Progress Coach or Study Programme Lead.

The College normally enters students for the exam boards it delivers and is unable to enter students to different exam boards for these subjects. If you have a specific question about exam boards, these are best directed to the maths or English teacher.

Additional revision sessions for November resits are separate from normal classes and may not appear on the main timetable. Dates and times will be published by the College, and additional sessions may also take place during half-term.

A student will not automatically be removed from their current course because they do not achieve grade 4. The College will continue to support them to make progress; for some students, moving up by one grade in a year is a significant achievement.

Not achieving grade 4 may affect progression to the next course level where it is an entry requirement. The curriculum and Careers teams will discuss suitable next steps with the student.

No. November results are released in January and students are well into their vocational programmes by then, so they remain on their current programme for the remainder of that year. Progression is considered for the following academic year and depends on the full set of course entry requirements, performance, attendance and readiness—not one result alone.

No, the college does not offer GCSE science and cannot offer a resit for learners wanting to improve their grades in this subject. Our recommendation is to approach their previous school to see if they can accommodate a resit.

Prior qualifications and subject content will be reviewed by the English or maths team. The student will be placed on the most appropriate programme for their starting point and progression needs. Parents or carers should ask the relevant teacher if they have concerns about duplicated or unfamiliar content.

Support is planned according to individual need and can include learning-support assistance, specialist advice, study-skills development and assistive technology for reading, writing, dictation, note-taking and organisation.

More information is available on the SEND support page. For individual support enquiries, email supportforlearning@abingdon-witney.ac.uk.

Study Coaches can also help with study skills, revision, time management, spelling, punctuation, grammar, proofreading and assistive software. Students can ask the SEND Support team or their Study Programme Lead how to access this support.

No. Previous arrangements—such as extra time, a reader, a scribe or rest breaks—do not transfer automatically. The College must collect evidence and apply the current examination rules. Arrangements must reflect the student’s normal way of working in the college environment.

Students should contact supportforlearning@abingdon-witney.ac.uk as early as possible and use agreed support consistently in lessons, assessments and mock examinations.

The frequency and type of contact will depend on the student’s needs, agreed support and level of independence. Routine progress information may be available through the Parent Hub and curriculum reviews. For a question about a particular student’s support plan or communication arrangements, contact supportforlearning@abingdon-witney.ac.uk or the student’s Study Programme Lead.

Home-to-college transport linked to an EHCP is normally arranged by the relevant local authority rather than by the College. Families should contact their local authority transport or SEND team about an application or delayed arrangement. The College SEND Support team can help clarify the educational information required and should be told if transport difficulties are preventing attendance supportforlearning@abingdon-witney.ac.uk.

Nearly all full-time students complete work experience or an industry placement. Students are encouraged to identify placements that match their interests, with help from parents and carers where possible. College staff provide guidance and additional support, especially where a student is finding it difficult to secure an appropriate opportunity.

Visit the Work Experience page for an overview. Questions about dates, hours or course-specific requirements should go to the Study Programme Lead in the first instance.

Yes, more than one placement may be possible, provided that the arrangements meet the course requirements and are agreed in advance with the College.

Yes. Placements must be suitable, safe and relevant to the student’s programme or development needs. Some curriculum areas have specific activities or targets that must be completed. The College team will liaise with the employer, carry out the required checks and explain the documentation before the placement begins.

If an employer has already offered a placement, the student should give the employer’s details to their Study Programme Lead or placement coordinator before making final arrangements to attend the placement.

Dates and patterns vary by course. Some placements take place in a block of one or two weeks, while others are spread across the year. T Level industry placements are substantially longer. Families should wait for the curriculum or placement team to confirm the required dates and hours before committing to an arrangement.

Yes. Students and families should consider whether a placement is realistically accessible before it is agreed. If travel, disability or an additional need creates a barrier, raise this early with the placement coordinator, Study Programme Lead and, where relevant, the SEND Support team. They can discuss whether a different or more supported arrangement is needed or can support students to find placements that are nearer to home.

Yes. The College supports students with progression planning and works with local employers. Students can receive help with career choices, applications and preparing for employment or apprenticeships. Availability varies by occupational area, so individual opportunities should be discussed with the Careers team and the course team.

A move may be possible, but it is not automatic. It the entry criteria, the student’s starting point and the type of programme. We will normally review course offers once GCSE results are know, before enrolling students onto their programmes so that we can take any difference in GCSE results into account. We base our decisions on what will give the student the best chance of success in college and their future career.

Both are Level 3 qualifications, but they are not the same programme. T Levels are two-year technical programmes equivalent in size to three A levels and include a substantial industry placement of at least 315 hours. Other Level 3 vocational qualifications have different structures, assessments and placement requirements.

More information is available on the T Levels page.

Many Level 3 qualifications can support progression to higher education, but entry depends on the qualification studied, grades or tariff points achieved, and the requirements of the university course. Students considering a course at any university should check the specific entry requirements via UCAS or with the university directly if they are unsure of what they need to achieve.

Enrichment opportunities can vary by year, campus and student demand – we don’t currently offer Duke of Edinburgh programmes, however the local Oxfordshire Open Awards scheme allows young people across Oxfordshire to complete DoE programmes outside of their education provider About Oxfordshire Open Award.

There are not currently plans to run a shuttle between the two sites, because the public X15 bus serves this route, however we monitor local transport and travel changes to review this decision regularly.

Depending on household income and eligibility, bursary support may be available towards travel costs. Information is available through the College’s fees and financial support pages Fees and bursaries - Abingdon & Witney College. Parents and carers can also contact the College through the travel page or general enquiries to discuss available options.