ADDITIONALLEA GNINR TROPPUS
Additional Learning Support
In this newsletter we wanted to keep it brief with important things for you to know.
In that style, let me list them below:
Leadership Change
Important changes for staff based at Bedford!
Staff Updates
Updated Staff structure for each of our sites
Tutor Referral Code
A reminder of the QR code to access the form
EAA Updates
An update on important information when referring students for 25% extra time
Come find us
An updated list of rooms for each campus
Case studies
Hear of past students with SEND who have achieved English and maths - for those that want to celebrate success during this November resit series.
Additional Learning Support
lDeHi ChGeS
We would like to share an important change within the Additional Learning Support department.
It is with both pride and heartfelt appreciation that we announce what you have all heard, Katrina O’Brien, Head of Additional Learning Support at Bedford, has transitioned into an exciting new role as Group Head of Specialist Provision. Katrina has been an exceptional leader and advocate for inclusive education, and while she will be greatly missed in her previous role, we are confident she will thrive and make a significant impact in her new position. We extend our warmest congratulations and best wishes to Katrina as she embarks on this next chapter.
In the interim, we are pleased to confirm that Fiona Goodman will be providing temporary cover to support the day-to-day running of the department while we work to recruit a permanent successor.
Shuttleworth college now resides under Central Bedfordshire College. The ALS Head of Department responsible for this area of Additional Learning Support is Laura Pope.
With this move, Sally Parkes has transitioned to the Programme Manager for Shuttleworth College site only, and Amanda Wagstaff has been appointed as Programme Manager for Bedford sites. Emily Ogden has also been appointed Programme Manager at Tresham College, and a reminder Paul Allard is our Programme Manager in situ at Central Bedfordshire College.
Our Leadership structure is
• Nina Sharp, Director of Access and Inclusion
◦ James Killick, Head of Department at Tresham
◦ Laura Pope, Head of Department at Central Bedfordshire and Shuttleworth College
◦ Fiona Goodman, Head of Department at Bedford College (Temporary)
We remain committed to ensuring continuity and stability during this transition and thank all staff for their continued support and collaboration.
bFo sF
Head of Department
Fiona Goodman
Programme Manager
Amanda Wagstaff
Exam Arrangement Assessors
Carrie-Anne Hammond (4 days)
Kevin Smith (2 days)
Adult Learning Support
Facilitator
Olumobare Ayoola
Learning Facilitators
Sania Nawaz
Zoe Hart
Anne Salfrais
Bedford ALS Administrator
Deepak Parmar
EHCP Coordinators
Donna Vine
Emilia Sorrentino
Debbie Dawkins 3 Posts
Deaf and Hard of Hearing Coordinator
Suzie Sampson
Freelance Communicators
Transition Coordinator
Jade Smalley (starting 1st December)
Send Emotional Support
Facilitators
Nicky Barrowcliffe (BSF)
Kirsty Nice (Bedford)
TA Team Leader
TA Coordinator
Fran Spencer
Catherine Devine TAs
Additional Learning Support
c sF
Head of Department
Laura Pope
Programme Manager
Paul Allard
EHCP Coordinators
Rebecca Tilcock
Lisa-Marie White
Sharon Roberts
Louise Samir
Lisa Shepherd
Emma Gormley
Transition Coordinator
Lorraine Hardie
TA Team Leaders
Tabitha Stevens
Hannah Collins (Hub)
Tamara Scott
TA Coordinators
Sarwat Shafiq
Caroline Munro (Hub)
TAs
Programme Manager (SW)
Sally Parkes
CBC ALS Administrator
Edward Connolly
Adult Learning Support Facilitator (Cognassist)
Sania Durrani
Learning Facilitators
Kishon Das
Carl Haines
Vivian Ugbe
SEND Emotional Wellbeing Facilitators
Chanel Dolphia
Grace Walshe
Joe Hawkins (Hub)
Freddie Heffernan (Hub)
Exam Arrangement Assessors
Aman Katwa (3 days)
Carrie-Anne Hammond (1 day)
EHCP Coordinators:
Debbie Dawkins
Neelam Nahar
Learning Facilitators:
Trina Rawlins
1 post
Send Emotional Wellbeing Facilitators
Anita New
TA Team Leader
Fiona Taylor
TA Coordinator
TAs
Additional Learning Support
tSh sF
Head of Department
James Killick
Programme Manager
Emily Ogden
Learning Facilitators:
Vanesa Fernandes
Leigh Mutch
Paul Mihalache
Adult Learning Support Facilitator (CogNassist)
Letitia Chereches
Exam Arrangement
Assessors
Aman Katwa (2 Days)
Anne Unger (4 Days)
EHCP Coordinators
Hannah Paterson
Lucy Dioni
SEND Emotional Wellbeing Facilitators
Anita Hughes (Wellingborough)
Annette Noakes (Wellingborough)
Georgia Bell (Corby)
Maggie Evans (Kettering)
Team Leader
Rachel Mould
TA Coordinators
Isaac Lynch (Kettering)
Sophie Champelovier (Corby & Wellingborough)
TAs
Tresham ALS Administrator
Fatima Darouich
Additional Learning Support
e uAtE
As part of the ongoing commitment to fairness and consistency in examinations, JCQ has introduced several key updates to the 2025/26 regulations for Exam Access Arrangements (EAA). These changes have important implications for how support is identified, evidenced, and implemented across our provision.
What’s Changing? Stricter Evidence Requirements
Applications for access arrangements of 25% extra time must now be supported by more clear, detailed evidence of a student’s normal way of working, from each subject area.
This includes:
For extra time based on a learning difficulty:
• Teacher feedback on how an why extra time is used
• In class assessments or mocks demonstrating use of extra time
For extra time not based on a learning difficulty, the above plus the below:
• Reports from relevant professionals (e.g., educational psychologists or SENCos)
• Supervised rest breaks must be trialled first and shown to be insufficient before applying for extra time. This ensures that the most appropriate and effective support is provided based on individual needs.
What Does This Mean for Tutors?
Tutors play a vital role in the EAA process. Your observations and feedback are now essential in building the evidence base for access arrangements.
Your input helps ensure that students receive the support they genuinely need, and that our applications meet JCQ compliance standards.
Additional Learning Support
cE Nd S
Bedford
Ouse House
• Ground Floor
◦ Glass Office, TA Coordinators, ELSA
◦ TA Office
◦ Study Centre (Group Study Support)
• 1st Floor
◦ Group Director of Access and Inclusion
◦ Exam Assessor
◦ Programme Manager Office
◦ EHCP Coordinators
College House
• Ground Floor
◦ Haven Room
◦ ELSA Room
• 1st Floor
◦ HoD and Admin
The Bedford Sixth Form
• Haven F03
Central Bedfordshire
Kingsway Campus
• B116 – Staff Offices (Programme Manager,
• B115 B GSS Room
• B115 A Haven
• CT01 Exam Room
Houghton Regis Hub
• Haven
Shuttleworth
• Study Centre – Learning Facilitators
• Office
• Haven
Tresham
Kettering
• 263 – Staff Office
• 269 – HoD Office, Exam Assessment Room
• HE Lounge – Group Study Support
Wellingborough
• Haven / GSS - TB024
Corby
• GSS - 202
• Haven 212
Additional Learning Support
bAn Da
Bryan was taught in a specialist school setting. It is in this setting that Bryan was told : (written by Bryan himself)
Bryan has an EHCP and was supported prior to starting college with an initial assessment meeting and help with transition from school to college. An individual support plan was created and shared with tutors to enable him to be supported from day 1.
Bryan started with us at Tresham College (Corby site) in September 2023, enrolling on Level 2 IT. He passed this and progressed to Level 3 media at Kettering site. Bryan overcame the challenge of changing setting again from one campus to another with a positive attitude and a smile on his face.
Bryan had teaching assistant support in class. He also accessed Group Study Support, working regularly with learning facilitators to support with English and maths among other things and accessed our Haven safe space.
Bryan achieved his GCSE English and Maths grade 4 and above, overcoming the words that remained that the forefront of Bryans mind - 'you were never intended to sit a GCSE'. With the right support he was able to achieve.
Not only that, Bryan has excelled at Tresham College and has taken pride in being the Student Disability Ambassador where he is keen to make sure that everyone with SEND is heard. Bryan aspires to go to Northampton University to study Media; he wants to live independently and thrive in his future, and we wish him all the very best with this and believe in him.
Bryan shared a letter with the team, a snippet reminding us of our valuable work is below:
Additional Learning Support
eA
Ella joined CBC in September 2022 on a Level 2 Childcare programme with the ambition of becoming a childcare practitioner — a career pathway that requires GCSEs in both English and maths. Ella has moderate learning difficulties that affect her processing skills, alongside exam anxiety and challenges with confidence.
Despite these barriers, she successfully completed her Level 2 qualification and went on to show a natural flair for working with children during her first year of Level 3. However, maths GCSE continued to be a significant hurdle, threatening to limit her future career prospects. By November 2024, her test scores were falling and the pressure of maths was beginning to affect her wider college experience.
Determined to turn things around, Ella asked for support and joined our Group Study Support (GSS) programme in March 2025. With resilience, hard work, and the skilled guidance of our Learning Facilitators, she made remarkable progress. In June 2025, she achieved something she once thought impossiblea GCSE pass at grade 4 and so close to a 5.
This success is a powerful reflection of Ella’s perseverance and courage, but also of the expertise, collaboration, and unwavering commitment of staff across the college. It highlights how high-quality teaching and targeted support can remove barriers and open doors for every learner.
Ella’s story demonstrates that with the right encouragement and strategies, challenges can be overcome and aspirations achieved. She has since secured a place at her first-choice university and is on track to realise her dream of becoming a childcare practitioner.
Congratulations to Ella — and to the CBC staff who helped make this journey possible. This is a shining example of how we continue to change lives through education.
Additional Learning Support
kTl
Kaitlyn entered college after a significant period away from formal education. Having missed much of school, college was her first real experience in a structured learning environment. Understandably, she arrived feeling nervous and unsure, worried about how others might perceive her. Kaitlyn is partially blind and has faced multiple medical challenges that have impacted her ability to engage fully with education in the past.
Despite these barriers, Kaitlyn showed remarkable courage. The transition was not easy, she experienced moments of doubt and anxiety, especially when her voice wasn’t being heard. But Kaitlyn didn’t give up. She learned to advocate for herself, ask for help when needed, and gradually built confidence in her abilities.
Kaitlyn has made incredible strides in the classroom. Her commitment to learning and her willingness to engage with support systems have led to significant academic improvement. She’s not yet in her final year, but her progress has been described as “leaps and bounds.” Her teachers have consistently praised her for her resilience and growth.
Kaitlyn’s journey has been supported by a dedicated team of educators and staff who believed in her from the start. She credits her English teacher, Cameron, for helping her succeed:
• “I definitely wouldn’t have sat my English exam without his teaching skills.”
She expressed deep gratitude to the Health and Social Care team, additional support and the support staff:
• “All teachers in Health and Social were so great, and Debbie, Sally, Deanna, Nic Presland, really helped with my health! I love them so much
• “Debrah has always supported me no matter my meltdowns, and always believed in me!”
A Shining Star: Dion
One name stands out in Kaitlyn’s reflections—Dion. Kaitlyn describes Dion as exceptional:
• “Love love love Dion! She is exceptional, so good in every aspect. She goes above and beyond to help everyone. She really, really needs to be recognised for everything she does!”
Dion’s unwavering support and dedication have clearly made a lasting impact on Kaitlyn’s experience and success. Additional Learning Support
Any questions?
Please feel free to reach out to our central team: ALSteam@bedford.ac.uk or 01234 291333, or talk direct to anyone of our team
