Supporting you

Whatever your background or circumstances, we believe that any student studying at Kirklees College deserves a rewarding educational experience. An experience that can create opportunities, change lives and can lead to an exciting future.

Get in touch

Contact us regarding any support related queries by email or telephone; we are here to help you achieve the very best during your time at Kirklees College.

How can we support you?

Whatever your background or circumstances, we believe that any student studying at Kirklees College deserves a rewarding educational experience. An experience that can create opportunities, change lives and can lead to an exciting future.

Safeguarding at Kirklees College

Safeguarding is our highest priority at Kirklees College and we take every possible action to make sure all students, staff and the wider college community are kept safe and protected from harm.

All students, staff and visitors must wear a visible ID at all times.

If you are concerned about your own or someone else’s safety or wellbeing, please contact any member of college staff or the Safeguarding team.

Telephone: 01484 437000 Email: safeguarding@kirkleescollege.ac.uk

Safeguarding support is available during college opening hours.

Click here to see information about local services to contact during summer closure. Click here to see our Safeguarding team’s out of hours message. 

Safeguarding at Kirklees College - Image

Care Experienced

Being care experienced means you have spent time living with foster carers under local authority care, in residential care (e.g. a children’s home), looked after at home under a supervision order, or in kinship care with relatives or friends, either officially (e.g. a special guardianship order) or informally without local authority support.

Care Leavers

If you are a young person aged 16 – 25 who is or has been looked after in public care at some point since the age of 14 we are here to support you, if you need it, to make the transition and enjoy a rewarding educational experience.

You will be supported by the College Care Co-ordinators team, whom you can meet before starting your course and will support you throughout your time at Kirklees.

They will work with other members of college staff to maximise your learning and arrange access to the following if required:

  • 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
  • Peer mentoring
Play Video about Two female students in headscarves chatting with a female tutor
16-18 students at Kirklees College, outside college building

Children Looked After

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 25.

As a child looked after student, you will be supported by the College Care Co-ordinators who you can talk to before joining the college, and who will be there throughout your study programme to support progression.

They will work with Carers, Personal Development Coaches, Pastoral Mentors, Personal Tutors, Lecturers and other relevant staff to ensure you are fully supported and can access the following:

  • 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

Young parents are considered to be mothers, fathers or those that are due to give birth and are under 25 years old.

You can disclose whether you are a young parent/pregnant prior to joining college, or at any point during your study programme.

We guarantee that any disclosure of your pregnancy will be treated with respect and confidentiality, especially regarding your wishes about informing parents and/or support agencies, except if there are concerns around safeguarding.

We are not here to judge you, but for us to be able to support appropriately, we will ask following questions such as:

  • Has the pregnancy been confirmed?
  • Do you need any support with getting the pregnancy confirmed?
  • Who else have you spoken to?

Pastoral Mentors will work with personal tutors, lecturers, and other relevant staff to ensure that you are fully supported in the following areas:

  • Referrals to Young Peoples Support Services if required.
  • Provide you with support and continued liaison throughout antenatal and postnatal phases.
  • Support through ‘Care to Learn’ applications.
  • Authorising absence for your antenatal appointments/scans, including young father’s attendance.
  • Support in the planning of any activities which have to be missed due to pregnancy or parenting.
  • Where possible, we will look to plan flexible timetables.
  • Support Health and Safety issues in college with an appropriate risk assessment completed.
  • Offered support and understanding if you suffer from competing pressures of pregnancy, parenting and education


Please contact support@kirkleescollege.ac.uk to find out more.

Young carers are young people up to 25 who have caring responsibility in their personal life.

As a young carer, you will carry out tasks and responsibilities that are additional to those appropriate for someone of your age.

Tell your Pastoral Mentor if you care for a family member or friend with one or more of the following:

  • Physical disability
  • Mental Health issues
  • Learning difficulties
  • Alcohol or drug misuse
  • Long-term illness

Pastoral Mentors can provide you with support throughout your study programme, and you can meet them before starting your course.

They will work with personal tutors, lecturers, and other relevant staff to ensure you are fully supported and can access the following:

  • Additional learning support
  • Careers and Progression advice
  • Counselling
  • Financial support
  • Transport support and advice
  • Liaison with appropriate agencies

We will endeavour to ensure that parents/guardians can access college for open evenings and progression days. If this is not possible, we will consider how alternative arrangements can be made to keep a communication link.

Please contact support@kirkleescollege.ac.uk to find out more.

If you are living without the support of a family, we understand how difficult this can be. We can help support you whilst you are studying with us.

Pastoral Mentors can provide you with support throughout your study programme, and you can meet them before starting your course.

They will work with personal tutors, lecturers and other relevant staff to ensure you are fully supported and can access the following:

  • Additional learning support
  • Careers and Progression advice
  • Counselling
  • Financial support
  • Transport support and advice
  • Liaison with appropriate agencies


Please contact support@kirkleescollege.ac.uk to find out more.

More Support

Financial Support

Kirklees College offers a range of support funds to help
students overcome any financial problems that may prevent them from studying.

Costs such as travel or meals may stop some students from joining or continuing a course or programme. The Financial Support Team can offer advice on financial matters and help in applying for any available grants or funding.

SEND

Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). Kirklees College is committed to delivering the provisions of the Children and Families Act 2014. We embrace our statutory duty to fulfil our obligations under the SEND Code of Practice for those aged up to 25 and are committed to making every effort to meet your support needs.

Operation Encompass

Operation Encompass is a police and education early information sharing partnership enabling schools and colleges to offer immediate support for children and young people experiencing domestic abuse.

Information is shared by the police with the College’s Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL), Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead or Safeguarding Advisor prior to the start of the next school day after officers have attended an incident identified as domestic abuse. This then enables the College to provide appropriate support, dependent upon the needs and wishes of the student(s).

Click the logo to the left for more information.