In partnership with AccessAble, you can find accessibility information about the Student Support hub at BCoT here.

Autism at BCoT 

The college has a very strong support system and the staff at BCoT have a good understanding of autism. We have an experienced team and an Autism Ambassador to offer help and advice.

Alexis Smith

alexis.smith@bcot.ac.uk

Lynsey Spillane 

lynsey.spillane@bcot.ac.uk

Helen Key

helen.key@bcot.ac.uk

Lauren May

lauren.may@bcot.ac.uk

Danielle Boncey

danielle.boncey@bcot.ac.uk

Our dedicated careers team can give you impartial careers advice. They will help you look for work, help with your university application, give CV advice, develop interview skills and help find industry placements.

*For current BCoT students* - careers advice and support is available via email and telephone. If you need any help, please contact anna.thorpe@bcot.ac.uk

Our college nurse is on-site every day during term time to help when you are feeling unwell.

If you have a long-term health condition, the nurse will work with you and your family to ensure we have a care plan in place to support you in your studies. The nurse is supported by a team of first aiders who are on-call whenever the college is open.

BCoT is proud to offer a free professional and confidential counselling service all week during term time.

The college employs a team of skilled professionals who can help students get back on track when they need support to deal with difficult times in their lives. Our counsellors can help to deal with anxiety and depression, or cope with relationship problems, loneliness or trouble at home or whatever issue is getting in your way. Our counsellors are non-judgemental, respectful of all views and open to all our students.

If you’re assessed as needing extra support during exams, we’ll make sure everything is in place for you These may include a reader, a scribe, extra time, a word processor, a small room, or rest breaks.

If you had access arrangements at your previous school, they won’t automatically follow you to BCoT. Because we are a new centre, we’re required to conduct an interview and assessment to get everything approved.

To get started, please book an appointment with our specialist assessor in the Maths & English/Support Hub. We also welcome referrals from parents or tutors.

The exam boards set deadlines for submission of access arrangements, and we have no control over these, so assessments need to be completed within the first term at college.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Student Support on 01256 306494.

View our Exam Arrangements Letter here.

We offer several financial schemes to help our students. Please visit our Fees and Funding section for further information about available loans and bursaries.

Children in care are referred to as ‘looked after children’.

A child is ‘looked after’ if they are in the care of the local authority for more than 24 hours.

A child will stop being ‘looked after’ when they are either adopted, returned home or turn 18 and the local authority will continue to support children leaving care at 18 until they reach 21.

The term ‘care leaver’ refers to a young person under the age of 25 who is, or has been, in public care for a minimum of three months, since the age of 14, and was in care on their 16th birthday.

How we support you

If you are currently in care or are a care leaver, we provide dedicated support before you start, while you study, and as you plan your next steps.

The Director of Student Experience, the Welfare Team, and RAP Tutors will work with you to ensure you can access:

• Additional Learning Support
• Careers and Progression Advice
• Counselling
• Financial Support
• Transport Support and Advice
• Liaison with appropriate agencies
• Advocacy for a range of situations, including entry and on-course requirements.

We want all of our students to be successful and happy while they’re studying with us. That's why we work closely with parents and guardians to help make the step from school to college a success for all our students. The Parent Portal allows parents/guardians of our students to view reports, timetables, attendance, progress, results, qualifications and comments from our teaching staff.

At BCoT, we have a dedicated team to help you succeed. Every department has a Retention and Progression (RAP) Tutor who will support you throughout your course.  

How your RAP tutor will help:

Weekly Meetings: You’ll meet every week to stay focused and on track.
Attendance: They will help you monitor your attendance.
Personal Support: They offer advice and personal support whenever you need it.
Future Planning: They help you move on to your next step, whether that is university, an apprenticeship, or a job.

Our Safeguarding policy and procedure applies to all of our students, particularly students aged 18 years or under and vulnerable adults.

The key objectives of the policy and guidance are to:

• Promote a safe environment for all our students to learn and achieve
• Actively promote the welfare of students
• Identify any students who may be experiencing abuse or harm in college, at home or in relationships and take appropriate action to ensure their safety (Child and Adult Protection).

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of students and expect all staff, volunteers and students to share this commitment. For more information, please see our Safeguarding Policy under our Policies and Statements.

We have a dedicated team that are able to support students with a variety of additional needs and are committed to providing the highest standards of support to learners who have a disability or learning difficulty.

It is important that you give us as much information as you can on your application form so we know what additional needs you may require. We can then make sure you get the right support to help you succeed at BCoT.

You may have an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP). These documents tell us about the support you need so it is important we see them and discuss them with you.

If you do not have a plan but think you need one, we can request one from the local authority based on our assessment of your support needs. If you do not have a plan, there is still support available to you.

Our team is on hand if you have disabilities, learning difficulties or health problems and can support you with your studies.

We provide support for additional learning needs including:

• Physical Disabilities
• Visual Impairment
• Deaf or hard of hearing
• ADHD
• Dyslexia
• Autism Spectrum Disorder
• Mental health issues.

We would look to support your additional learning needs as much as we can, and our support will include:

• Making reasonable adjustments within teaching and learning
• In-class support from Student Support Assistants
• Overlearning and 1:1 support outside of class with Specialist Support Tutors
• Additional Maths and English coaching
• Access to assistive technology
• Special arrangements to help with exams
• Assistance with personal care
• Accessibility and personal assistance

To discuss your support needs please get in touch with our Transition Manager, Helen Key on 01256 306289 or email helen.key@bcot.ac.uk

We offer support to students with more complex needs, to see these courses please follow this link to our Specialist Provision page

Full-time students can access discounted travel packages and bursaries, with flexible payment options available monthly, every term, or once a year.

Travel Discounts:

By Train: If you live outside Basingstoke and commute by rail, you can get a discount on your tickets.
By Bus: If you travel from a Zone 2 area (outside Basingstoke), our partnership with Stagecoach offers up to 25% off your bus fare.

We offer support to any student who is a young carer, including one-to-one guidance and advice. We also find support groups for students who are young carers, organise trips and enrichment activities, and can help you learn more about the Young Carers Allowance.