By Maria Bowness, Group Director for Curriculum and Pedagogy

I would like to wish all parents and carers a happy new year and a warm welcome back to the College! The start of a new year is the perfect time to reflect on your journey as a parent or carer supporting your young person in college, while also considering how you can assist them as they face new academic challenges. While your young person may seem increasingly independent and in control of their own learning, providing a supportive environment for their continued learning and development still makes a big difference.

As Group Director for Curriculum and Pedagogy, I spend a lot of time working with heads of schools to determine how to best support our students and what is most crucial to their learning. I have outlined a few key priorities where your support is especially important, along with ways you can help.

Attendance

Encourage your young person to maintain good attendance and punctuality. It is important to come to lessons and work together with peers and the teacher to understand each topic. When a student misses lessons, they miss out on important learning opportunities, putting them at risk of falling behind and not gaining the knowledge they need to succeed.

Here at MK College, teachers take attendance in class. If your young person is missing lessons, you should receive a text both first thing in the morning and afternoon. If you are not receiving any texts, this may be because we do not have the correct phone number, please contact us if you need to update your details. There is also a parent portal where you can access timetables, attendance record and deadline adherence.

If you are worried about your young person’s absences or have any uncertainty over attendance, we encourage you to reach out to us. A good first step is to contact the head of school for the subject, who can provide insight and help address any concerns. We are here to work with you in ensuring your young person stays on track.

Work experience

At MK College, work experience is one of our key focus areas. Our teaching approach emphasises hands-on learning to provide students with practical experience in their field during their studies. As a required component of nearly every student’s study programme, work experience is mandatory. For T Level students, this is fulfilled through an industry placement.

Work experience helps students transition more smoothly from studying to working. It can also facilitate progression to other courses or into the workplace, with many of our past students receiving their first “proper” job offer from their work experience employer.

You can support your young person by discussing their work experience plans, showing both interest and encouragement. If they are uncertain about their plans, you can encourage them to be proactive and to look for work experience. Don’t be afraid to encourage your student to reach out to the College if they are struggling with this, as our work experience team is here to assist with finding a suitable company or organisation, as well as providing support with interview techniques and possible applications.

Maths and English

Maths and English have been shown to be key subjects in improving access to opportunities and opening doors to higher-paying jobs. It is important to understand the importance of these skills and qualifications. GCSEs in maths and English are highly sought after by employers, and passing these subjects is increasingly important for demonstrating essential skills. They are also required for progression at the College: a student may not be able to move onto a higher level of study if they don’t pass maths and English.

The circumstances surrounding minimum qualifications have changed in recent years as students are no longer able to leave school at 15 or 16 years old – it is now necessary to remain in some form of education or training until you are 18 years old.

You can support your young person by encouraging them to attend lessons, revise at home, and take advantage of additional revision sessions offered by the College. If you are worried, encourage them to reach out to us for extra support. We are here to support their progress, and this includes helping them with maths and English.

Nothing demonstrates how hard work leads to results to be proud of more than our recent November resit results. We were delighted to receive excellent results and are incredibly proud of our students for their achievements. Our results have improved and we have doubled the number of students we have entered. While nationally the performance in English has gone down, our results have risen from previous years. Compared with 24.1% nationally, 32% of our students in Maths achieved the grade 4 or higher in the resits. Similarly, 48% of our students in English achieved the grade 4 or higher while the national average was 34.9%.

In summary, encouraging regular attendance and proactive involvement in seeking and completing work experience are key areas where you can help your young person succeed. Additionally, it is crucial to recognise the importance of qualifications like maths and English. These are essential building blocks that will help your young person succeed in both education and, later, in their career.

More qualifications now include exam-based evaluation than ever before. In each subject, we are working together with students to develop their revision skills and prepare them for exams. To help your young person at home, you can encourage them to integrate revision and exam preparation into their daily schedule.

We are here to support all of our learners. If your young person needs help with their studies, please encourage them to reach out to us, or feel free to contact us directly. Encourage them to be proactive, and to ask questions and seek help when needed. Students can reach out to teaching and support staff in person across our two campuses or online via Teams.

Thank you for taking the time to read through our suggestions for how you can support your young person. We wish you and your family a happy 2025 and look forward to celebrating our learners’ successes at the end of the year!

For more support for parents and carers, visit Parents & Carers – MK College

As we begin a new academic year at Milton Keynes College, we extend a warm welcome to both new and returning families. Our goal is simple: we want every student to have a great and successful year, and your support at home is essential to achieving this.

Our Approach

At Milton Keynes College, we’re about more than just getting qualifications. Our study programmes are designed to give students the skills and experience they need for the real world. This means getting involved in work experience, personal development, and other activities to ensure they are fully “work ready.”

Upcoming Events

Student Presentations: This week, students will receive presentations detailing our expectations for the year. We encourage you to discuss these expectations with your child.

Parent Information Event: We are hosting parent events in the weeks commencing September 30th and October 7th. Each school will send out invitations to parents. These events will cover what we expect from students and our goals for this year.

Student Expectations

To make the most of their time at Milton Keynes College, we expect students to:

• Keep a Positive and Professional Attitude: This contributes to a productive learning environment.
• Aim for 100% Attendance: Attending regularly is crucial for their progress.
• Engage in Work Experience: This is key to gaining practical experience and skills.
• Commit to English and Maths: These core subjects are important, and we encourage students to give their best effort.
• Complete Directed Study Tasks: These reinforce learning and ensure steady progress.
• Be On Time: Arriving on time helps start the day right.
• Meet Deadlines: Completing assignments on time is essential for managing their workload and succeeding academically.
• Accept Feedback: Constructive feedback helps with personal and academic growth.
• Respect and Zero Tolerance on Bullying: We are committed to a respectful environment and have a zero-tolerance policy on bullying.

Partnership for Success

Your involvement is essential to helping students reach their full potential. If you have any questions or need more information, just reach out.

We are looking forward to working together for a successful year!

Nathan Flynn
Deputy Director: Quality (Campus)

Q: When did you join MK College?

A: I joined the College in early June, so I’ve been in the role for about three months.

Q: What did you do before joining MK College?

A: Before coming here, I was working in the Channel Islands, helping their education department with quality improvement. I was an education consultant who became part of the senior management team at a College in Guernsey and helped lead them towards a good Ofsted rating. I’m originally from Cumbria, so I was commuting to Guernsey every week but now I have a base in MK for this role.

Q: What has your career path looked like so far?

A: My career has always been in Further Education—this year marks my 20th year of being involved with GCSE Results Day! I started my career in prison education teaching English and maths for a short while before becoming a PE teacher for 10 years. From there I held senior leadership posts at Accrington and Blackpool Colleges. I’ve gained a lot of experience working with Ofqual and training providers, all of which have prepared me well for this role.

Q: How have the first three months been?

A: The last three months have been all about getting familiar with the College and hitting the ground running. I’ve been focused on understanding what the College does well and supporting our push toward excellence. I’m also assessing and analysing what we want to do as a college to make the student experience as strong as it can be.

Q: What has stood out to you the most about MK College?

A: What’s really stood out to me is how deeply the College lives its values every day. We have a highly skilled team that does amazing work with and for students, and there’s a strong sense of community here. It’s exciting to be part of our next steps.

Q: What are the main responsibilities of your role?

A: My main responsibility is to ensure we have a fantastic curriculum that’s ready for the future and that we’re effectively serving our community. I’m leading on national priorities for the College, like qualification reform and adapting to changes from the new government. I’m also engaging with key stakeholders in MK—such as our three MPs and other key figures in the city and region. For me, it’s about making sure we’re talking to our community and students and really understanding what they want and need.

Q: What are your current priorities and plans?

A: Our next steps after our ‘Good’ Ofsted inspection are to continue being the number one provider in the region and to give students the best possible outcomes and experiences. We’ve established a strong T Level programme and have just launched our new A Level programme, so we’ve got every box ticked. We also have a strong apprenticeship department and are starting to look at how we can grow our Higher Education provision.

The opportunities in MK are incredibly exciting, especially for someone like me who’s new to the city. Our partnership with Red Bull Racing is just one example of the unique opportunities available here.

Q: What is your favourite thing so far about working at MK College?

I think there’s a real tenacity about the College. People here are driven for all the right reasons. We had a CPD day recently that was all about growth and development, and I’m here to ensure that, from a curriculum and quality perspective, we’re the best we can be. I also want to see our staff grow and be part of the journey.

I’m really enjoying working with the people here, and I’m keen that when we do our strategy work for the future, it’s collaborative with our workforce. Because people here really care. Further Education can be a challenging environment, and while the policies and procedures can sometimes be frustrating, our goal is to make a real difference in people’s lives. That’s what motivates me—working with like-minded people who are eager to grow and help others grow too.

The new academic year is well underway, and whether this is your first child starting College or your third, we’re sure that you’ll have a few budding questions.

But there’s no need to stress; we’ve compiled a handful of useful information for you below that should help to clear anything up.

Term dates

With every new year comes new term dates!

Click here to view MK College’s terms dates, as well as both the Chaffron Way and Bletchley campus opening times.

College facilities

If your child still feels uneasy about their new life at College and aren’t too sure where to go or what amenities are available to them on campus, please make them aware of our College Facilities page.

On here, you and your child will be able to find out about and view virtual tours of the wide range of facilities that are available to them as an MKC student. From our top-quality study centre, The Brasserie Coffee Shop and Graduate Salon, there’s plenty to discover.

Their career

Our aim at Milton Keynes College is to ensure that all our students gain a professional specialism as well as growing personally. We encourage this through employment of our professionally qualified Career Team who offer year-round career support to students.

Find out more about how your child can get career advice or discover more about our careers programme here.

Our next steps page

Now that your child has started their course with us at MK College, it’s a good idea to familiarise yourself with what they’ll be up to in their first few weeks, alongside other important things like how they can receive support, and some familiar faces that they’ll see around campus.

Click here to find out about all this information and more, including a link to order your child’s kit or uniform should their course require it.

Our parents & carers page

As coming to College is a big step in your child’s journey to independence, this may feel like a challenging time as a parent. At Milton Keynes College, we work with parents and carers to make sure that every young person that comes to study with us has the support that they need.

Get in touch with us, view our helpful video on your child’s options after GCSE’s, or even see for yourself how you could become a student with us by checking out our Adult courses, all by viewing our Parents & Carers page.

If you do have any further questions that you feel haven’t been answered in this blog, the best way to get in contact with us is by visiting our Parents & Carers page and filling out the ‘Get in Touch’ form.