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Support for Care Experienced Students

Starting a new place of study after school can be an exciting time, but it can also be worrying and unsettling for some. Here at Harrogate College, we are committed to helping all care-experienced students get the right support, both before starting college and during their studies. We use the term ‘Care Experienced’ to mean Children Looked After or young people who have previously been looked after. This includes care leavers, those under ‘special guardianship’ or other orders, or young people who are adopted.

We can offer a bespoke support package to each student, along with a dedicated person to help meet their needs.

We also work closely with the college’s SEND team to support students with additional educational needs and disabilities (inclusive of mental health, chronic illness and neurodiversity), or an Education, Health and Care plan.

We provide:

  • Two dedicated members of staff who have an understanding of care experienced students and what support may be of benefit to them
  • Tailored support through key staff members at Harrogate College
  • Eligible students can receive a Priority Fund bursary of up to £1,200 per year
  • Student opportunities
  • Taster sessions and campus visits
  • Support accessing our range of college services, including careers advice, welfare support, mental health and wellbeing, and student enrichment
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Applying to college

On your application form, you will see a box to let us know that you are a care-experienced student. We encourage you to tick this box.

When you tick the box, this information will be shared with our Care Experience team so that we can offer extra support. This information will only be shared with the absolute necessary people in your department to ensure you are best supported. This information will not be used when considering your application to a study programme, and you will not be singled out from other students.

We understand that there are many different reasons that make sharing this information difficult. By letting us know your circumstances, we can ensure you get all the help you are entitled to, so that your transition to college is smooth and you are supported throughout your studies. We are here to listen, help and provide you with the best access to education that we can.

A lot of the support we offer at college is optional, allowing you to choose whether to access it. It’s also useful to remember that our support is always available should your circumstances ever change.

Financial support

Please click here to see the Student Funds webpage for more information on the financial support available and when to apply.

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Get in touch

If you are a care-experienced young person who is thinking about applying to college and wants to find out more about the support we provide, please get in touch using the details below.

If you are a parent, carer, support worker, Virtual School or social worker wanting to discuss the college support we offer, please get in touch to speak to a member of our team.

Contact us

Please contact the Care Experience team for more information on CLA@harrogate.ac.uk