Barnet and Southgate College’s Student Support Services form an important part of the student experience across all of our Campuses and is often the reason why a lot of students choose a course at College, over a school environment. Here we talk to Barnet and Southgate College’s Learning Coach, Shaila Karim about her role at the College.
1. What is your job title and which team do you work in?
My job title is Learning Coach in English and I work within the Student Services team. The Student Services team is amazing both in terms of friendliness, professionalism and quality of support in all aspects of College life both for students and staff.
2. How long have you been working at the College?
I have been working at Barnet and Southgate College for two years. I began my career at the College working as a Learning and Enrichment Assistant (LEA) in the Learning Resource Centre (LRC). Becoming an LEA was a wonderful and positive experience. I was only a few months into my role as an LEA when my manager gave me my first major project. My role was to be the initial lead in organising knife crime awareness sessions within the College. This was a huge task and I recall panic setting in – I was thinking ‘I’m new and I have no idea where to start!’ However, with the excellent support from my manager, colleagues and tutors, I quickly adapted to my new responsibility and picked up so many life skills in such a short space of time. The sessions were a success with over one hundred students attending.
My experience working as an LEA has led me to realise the very important role of the Learning and Enrichment Assistants. The hard work and dedication of the LEA’s to both students and staff ensures that everyone is provided with a welcoming and comfortable learning environment, from helping students to find resources for their course to organising enrichment activities.
After seven months of working as an LEA, I was given a wonderful opportunity to apply to become a Learning Coach in English. After having successfully passed the interview process, I became fully immersed in my new role and began to learn about and discover another dimension of supporting students.
3. Briefly explain what you do and how you help students?
I work as a Learning Coach alongside three very friendly and knowledgeable team members: Amanda, Tanya and Jo. The Learning Coaches offer free, out of class support, for any student that is studying GCSE and/or Functional Skills English and Maths. The support is offered either on a one-to-one basis or via small group sessions.
The Learning Coaches are extremely committed in supporting students and provide exceptional support in many ways, for example:
• Visiting classes at the beginning of the year so that students studying English/Maths are aware of the support available;
• Assisting students with English and Maths exam revision and preparation;
• Making sure that every appointment is tailored to meet each student’s needs;
I have also worked as part of the Learning Support team as a Teaching Assistant. The College’s excellent Learning Support team such as: Learning Support Practitioners, Learning Support Tutors and Teaching Assistants provide in and out of class support for students with an Education and Health Care Plan (EHCP) and those who declare mild to moderate learning barriers, to support their engagement in learning and development. The College also has communication workers, sign language interpreters and assistive technology available to enhance independence in learning.
4. Can prospective students contact student services prior to enrolling?
The College has an incredibly informative and helpful Admissions team who would be the first point of contact for any queries from prospective students. The Admissions team are aware that coming to College is a big step and are therefore here to support students in any way that they can.
5. What are the highlights of your job
That’s a very difficult question to answer because I cannot put my finger on just one thing; however, here are some of the rewarding aspects of my job:
• When students that I support suddenly understand a concept because of something I have said;
• Changing the perception of a student who may have felt demotivated due to struggling with a course - for that same learner, with support, to end up enjoying the course and doing well;
• Being part of an excellent team; there was a student who suffered from severe panic attacks so much so that he was unable to sit through any test or exam. With the support from myself and my team members, the student was slowly supported in learning techniques to help him in being able to sit through his GCSE exam and pass it;
• Seeing students achieve more after they have passed their course, for example, Saffron has not only achieved her College goal, but has also now started her own business.
Find out more about the Student Support Services team and their roles here: https://estream.barnetsouthgate.ac.uk/View.aspx?id=9230~4o~owjUKqy2
