This handbook is designed to give you information, advice and guidance in identification and management of your ‘At Risk’ learners.
In the ePLP area of Moodle there is a section for tutors called ‘Reports’.
In this section you will find your group profile information and your At Risk Register.
Some of the information required will be automatically populated via links to the ePLP.
Some information you will need to log manually.
During Induction, all learners should complete the on line At Risk Assessment at
This assessment is electronically linked to your At Risk Register, so you can easily check the answers your tutees have given.
You will also find a checklist for completion which guides you through the final stages of identifying the At Risk learners in your group.
Immediately after induction, your Tutorial Learner Mentors should be alerted to any At Risk learners so they can work closely with them from the beginning of the year.
DEADLINE: All At Risk registers to be submitted via TTLs to Dept of Personalised Learning by 25th September 2009
TTLs will report on progress against action plans for At Risk learners and updated At Risk registers at Tutorial Team Meetings.
Below is a list of some of the issues which determine At Risk learners:
Paid Employment
Students are encouraged to take up some paid employment where possible to develop time management, financial and personal skills. Most students work within the recommended 8 – 12 hours per week but a number of students work for longer than this each week which will have a detrimental impact on their achievements. You should express a concern if a student is working for more than 12 hours per week OR if a student is working any hours through the night.
Previous Experience
Some students will have had negative experiences in school e.g. being bullied, substantial absence for health or personal reasons or bad relationships with their teacher/s. Tick the box if there is a concern about negative previous experience which may impact on the learner’s time in college.
History of Non Completion
Some students will present with a history of non completion, early withdrawal etc. If this is the case then the box should be ticked as students sometimes get into a cycle of non completion.
Late Starter
A late enrolment will immediately flag up an at risk student. This includes students who transfer from other colleges. The most common cause of student drop out from college is isolation and a late start to the course and joining a group which has already ‘bonded’ can lead to feelings of exclusion and loneliness.
Career Choice
Any student opting for a clearly unsuitable or unrealistic career / progression path needs careful monitoring (particularly if any advice and guidance offered is rejected) as unrealistic goals can lead to acute disappointments and sometimes disillusionment with the tutor / teacher / college leading to early withdrawal.
Home Environment
Some students have a home environment which, for a wide variety of reasons, can put the student at risk of early withdrawal or non achievement e.g. students who are also carers (for younger siblings, parents etc) students who are not living at home and have no permanent place to stay, students who disclose violence or abuse of alcohol in the home.
Gender, Ethnicity, Age
If there are any concerns relating to gender, age or ethnicity this should be noted e.g. one minority student in a group might show discomfort in that situation, one mature student in a group of 16 year olds, a student presenting with clear issues relating to gender.
Geography
Students residing outside the borough may find transport an issue e.g. 2 buses are required for the journey. This can lead to regular lateness or absence.
Timetable
All students should be checked at enrolment to ensure that their timetable is appropriate but sometimes students ‘slip through the net’ and end up doing e.g. on an A Level programme,4 main subjects plus a GCSE and a Key skill. Timetables should be checked to ensure that they are appropriate for the student and student feedback should be taken about any concerns the student has e.g. when there are large gaps in a timetable efforts should be made to rearrange wherever possible
Finance
Students can face a variety of issues connected with finance and may need referring to student services for help and advice.
Health
Some students face serious health issues whilst on course. These may be known at enrolment or appear through the time at college. Any student who requires periods of absence due to serious illness needs careful monitoring and action planning to give maximum support. Students who find themselves to ill to complete the course should, as appropriate, be offered advice and guidance for progression to the following year.
Programme of Study
Students may opt for a course which they find themselves unsuited to – any student expressing early doubts or voicing dubious reasons for enrolling (my friends are doing it, I’m not sure why I’m doing it, etc) should be closely monitored and potential alternatives should be positively discussed. Students who feel ‘trapped’ on a course are more likely to leave than those who are fully aware of alternative options.
What is an At Risk Learner?
Comments from research:
Students are not naturally ‘at risk’ but become ‘at risk’ due to inappropriate or unsuitable learning / home environments.
Building on student strengths (e.g., knowledge, experiences, skills, talents, interests, etc.), rather than focusing on real or presumed deficiencies is the key to achievement and progression.
It is the quality of the entirety of the college experience, rather than the characteristics of the students, that will determine success or failure--both theirs and ours. The two can never be separated.
Students are placed 'at risk' (educationally) when they experience a significant mismatch between their circumstances and needs, and the capacity or willingness of the college to accept, accommodate, and respond to them in a manner that supports and enables their maximum social, emotional, and intellectual growth and development.
At-risk students are students who are not experiencing success in college and are potential dropouts. They are usually low academic achievers who exhibit low self-esteem. Disproportionate numbers of them are males and minorities. Generally they are from lower socioeconomic status families. Students who are both low income and minority status are at higher risk; their parents may have low educational backgrounds and may not have high educational expectations for their children.
At-risk students tend not to participate in college activities and have a minimal identification with the college. They also tend to feel isolated and may have behavioural or attendance issues. At-risk students have many and various reasons for not participating successfully in college including family, personal, health and work related difficulties.
At-risk students need to be identified as early as possible and regularly re-evaluated because their family status and living situations can change. Some researchers believe that the roots of at-risk behavior begin in the elementary grades with low achievement patterns, high absenteeism, and low self-esteem. Programs identifying and working with at-risk students are needed at every level. Teachers should be well trained and alert to the symptoms of at-risk student behavior, and support staff should be responsive to their needs. College must be a model for equal opportunity and a place where the individual's needs for achievement and positive experiences can be met. The needs of minority students, low income students, and students with specificissues must be addressed.
Effective programs which effectively meet the needs of at-risk students provide a supportive system in which the students can begin to have positive experiences. These include remediation programs, tutoring, child care services, medical care, substance abuse awareness programs, bilingual instruction, employment training, and close followup procedures on behaviouraland attendance issues.
The questions addressed most frequently in college research on retention and achievement are:
- What causes student withdrawal?
- Which causes of withdrawal are within the influence or control of colleges?
- What makes the most difference to student completion and withdrawal?
- Where should colleges concentrate their energies to make improvements?
Causes of drop-out tend to fall into three broad categories:
- College
- Work
- Personal/family-related
Specifically, withdrawn students tend to be less satisfied than completing students with:
- the suitability of their programme of study
- the intrinsic interest of their course
- timetabling issues
- the overall quality of teaching
- help and support received from teachers
- help in preparing to move on to a job or higher qualification.
Research evidences that students who feel well informed about their course are less likely to withdraw.
Key factors relating to student dissatisfaction are:
Poor, inadequate or inappropriate advice andguidance
Poor advice services for adults
Problems encountered by students who applylate or who join courses after their commencement
Poor (not to say hazardous and occasionallynegligent) course choice decisions on the partof some students
Indiscriminate recruitment
Insufficient understanding by some students ofthe demands of their course (eg the balanceof practical and classroom work, assessment
requirements and the balance of different components of the course)
Uninspiring, ‘boring’ or poorly structured teaching
Poor group ethos or group dynamics
Poor course organisation in terms of changes tothe advertised programme, timetable, rooming orstaff, and inadequate liaison within the teaching
team
Inadequate or poor course design
Excessive or poorly scheduled assessments
Inappropriate or inadequate induction
Large gaps in student timetables
The successful Learner Journey assumes a process model of the studentexperience which extends from initial contact, advice and guidance, to recruitment and selection, studentpreparation, induction, initial assessment, teachingand assessment, learning support, tutoring and onprogrammesupport, and which ends with progression.
Specifically, the responsive college will:
Improve and extend adviceand guidance services
Recruiting with integrity
Pay particular attention to the early stages ofprogrammes of learning (student induction, initialassessment and the establishment of groupethos and identity)
Establish a close relationship with studentsthrough tutoring which is focused on studentprogress
Closely monitor and follow up poorattendance
Ensure early identification of under-performing studentsor students who are ‘at risk’
Ensure early diagnosis of student requirements foradditional learning support andthe provision of such support as far as possiblewithin student learning programmes
Develop a curriculum framework(structure of the college year and college week,balance of teaching and independent learningand appropriate curriculum offer) which is appropriate for the college’s intended students.
Employ a variety of mechanisms to maintain or improve
student motivation including parental involvement, peer support and prizes andceremonies
Promote effective target setting allied with formative assessment and feedback
Make any necessary improvements to teaching.
Common features of college improvement processes include:
- a commitment to ‘put students first’
- proactive leadership which focuses on student success and which seeks to engageand motivate staff
- effective and self-critical teaching teams
- a substantial investment in and commitment to professional development
- well developed and mature management information and quality assurance systems whichcommand the respect of their users
Information required for successful monitoring of at-risk students :
Attendance and punctuality (to date)
Attendance and punctuality (at least last 4 weeks)
Initial assessment scores in literacy and numeracy
Details of additional support needs and arrangements
Prior achievements e.g. GCSE results
Late enrolment data
Participation on the EMA scheme
Application to the College ‘Student Funds’;
Biographical factors of age, sex, ethnicity, learning difficulty and disability
Previous academic record at the College
Geographical factors – homeward, distance from the College
Information based on Index of Multiple Deprivation i.e.
Income
Employment
Health Deprivation and Disability
Education, Skills and Training
Barriers to Housing and Services
Crime
Living Environment
Most of this information can be accessed by staff through the ePLP. It is therefore very important that all relevant academic and support staff can access the appropriate ePLP when required.