Home » Return to Learning Latest announcements for current students and parents Latest Information for current students and parents/guardians Here we will keep you up to date on latest updates and announcements from across The Cornwall College Group. Absence Text Messages When a student is absent from any lesson we will send a text message alert to inform their emergency contact. This is so that parents and guardians are aware of the absence but also to ensure the safety of our students. Please see below some frequently asked questions and the answers. Are you sending this absence SMS to all parents? Messages will be sent to the parent contact details received at enrolment and will be sent in relation to any student who is aged under 19 on 31st August on the year they started college or aged 19-24 with an EHCP. The message will be sent within 10 minutes of the register being completed. Why do I get a text message for every lesson they miss? Each lesson is a different register and activity. Students have a break in between each lesson and we need to be sure that they are where they should be during their timetabled activities. I phoned in the absence in the morning to tell you my child would be absent Some students phone in their own absence and parents may not be aware so we have made the decision to inform of all absences. If you were already aware of the absence then you can ignore the message. I expect my child to be in lessons, I know they got to college OK, so where are they if they are not in a lesson? We expect students to be in lessons too. However, post 16 education is a choice, not mandatory and we are not a school with mandatory attendance. The vast majority of our students are independent and it is why they have chosen to attend college. Unless a post 16 student has a specific care plan with us, we will not supervise them throughout the day other than in lesson time. They are free to come and go as they like (as post 16 education isn’t mandatory, it is their choice). We do however, ensure that students have a safe environment in college and safe spaces to go if they feel unsafe. Despite this, we cannot guarantee where a student is at all times or that students do not leave site. If a student is not in a lesson we are informing parents via text message so that they can make contact with their student to find out where they are. Where a student has a specific safety need we will know this and we will prioritise all available team members to identify the location of the student where possible, as well as calling anyone as identified in their safety plan. We are reinforcing with our students that, being where they should be, or notifying someone if they are somewhere else, is an important part of their safety and a good employability skill. My student is nearly an adult, I don’t need to know if they are absent. We do aim to treat all our students as young adults but the safety of our students is really important. We would rather you know the whereabouts of your child so that you can make an informed decision rather than be unaware. If you really don’t want the messages you can opt out by contacting our Customer Services Team on 0330 123 2523, but we strongly discourage this. I want to talk to someone about the absence or update my contact details. Please contact the Programme Manager of the course. If you are not sure who this is or do not have their contact details, please call 0330 123 2523 and select option 1 and ask for the Programme Manger or let them know the campus and course your student is studying and they can direct your call. Learn2Live Road safety is a vital area of education and should be covered by all students. We are planning a range of activities and awareness events over the academic year across all our campuses and with all students. Further campus based events will take place on other campuses through our tutorial activities before Christmas and further reinforced after Christmas. Please see the attached details of the Learn2Live campaign and road safety for more information. Safeguarding Support is available for our students to ensure that they are safe. Students can talk to a teacher or support in class or an Engagement and Progression Officer if they have a safety or wellbeing concern and we can help. They can also email safe@cornwall.ac.uk during normal college hours. If there is an immediate risk of harm or abuse, or you need support out of hours,  then please refer directly to the police on 101 or 999 or local authority safeguarding teams. Our full safeguarding policy is available here: https://www.cornwall.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Safeguarding-and-Child-Protection-Policy-v2.pdf Supporting Mental Health Check out this helpful guide on well-being for young people (click here). We also offer a range of support via our Student Experience Team on campus and remotely for the safety and wellbeing of our students. Students can also independently access an online space on Moodle with an extensive range of links, guidance and resources to support positive mental health. Being Safe Online We continually undertake activities and provide resources on our campuses aimed at helping our students to be safe online, as well as in the wider community. To support this, you will find these resources useful: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-keeping-children-safe-online/coronavirus-covid-19-support-for-parents-and-carers-to-keep-children-safe-online VIEW OUR COVID-19 INFORMATION PAGE Related Pages Supporting Your Learning Supporting You Transport Accommodation Students’ Union How to Apply Your Options Explained Financial Support Term dates Careers Information INFORMATION FOR PARENTS OF PROSPECTIVE STUDENTS We are the largest education and training provider in the region, with over 15,000 learners each year, 2,000 of whom are studying a university programme with us. Our achievements are plentiful and our proven track record of almost 15,000 apprentices in ten years makes us the most successful provider of work based learning in the South West. 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