Welcome to York Learning! Please familiarise yourself with this information before you start your course.
If you have questions we haven’t answered here, contact us: york.learning@york.gov.uk.
If you are reading this then you have already signed up for one of our courses. This page is designed to give you some basic information about our service that should help you enjoy your course and get the most from your learning. We would particularly draw your attention to the sections on health and safety, Prevent and safeguarding. It is important that you read and understand these. Your tutor will highlight these sections and take you through the detail.
Some of our courses are currently online and being delivered via Zoom video software. If you’re unsure how to use Zoom, there is videos to help you on our website. We also have a free Zoom course you can attend or if you wish you can request help from one of our staff: email us at ictskills@york.gov.uk.
You will need to look at your course guide, which will be on your email confirming booking, and check what equipment you need to have with you for your course. Please try and make sure that you have this equipment before the first class (eg an art class might need a sketchbook, some watercolours and some art pencils)
You may receive messages from us or you may receive messages direct from your tutor regarding the course.[/sm_column_text][sm_column_text]
We have very high levels of satisfaction. However, from time to time things do go wrong. If you are not satisfied with your course then please do one of the following:
Occasionally, classes have to be cancelled because of bad weather conditions. In adverse weather conditions it is not feasible for us to contact everyone, so please check before travelling. We will post information about closed classes on our website and via social media.
“Prevent” is one strand of the UK Government’s anti-terrorism strategy, designed to raise awareness of and report any behaviours which might be a sign that an individual is being radicalised or might adopt extremist ideas. We incorporate “Prevent” into our safeguarding arrangements designed to keep all of our learners safe.
People might become radicalised when they are vulnerable, through circumstances such as economic pressures, relationship breakdown or changes in family or personal situations. Of course, these are not in themselves signs that somebody will become radicalised, more that individuals in such situations are more vulnerable.
If you have a concern about an individual, then you should alert your tutor or another member of our staff who will know what to do next and be able to inform you of our procedure. Remember you are simply reporting a concern and it will be up to others, who have a wider understanding, to judge whether the information you provide is significant enough to act upon.
One of the best ways to avoid radicalisation is to build communities. We very much value the contribution that all of our learners and tutors make to this by working with and supporting each other, celebrating differences and respecting each others’ views.
Have you noticed a change in behaviour, such as someone becoming withdrawn or acting differently?
Make a note, including dates, so you can give the Safeguarding team as much detail as you can.
Contact the York Learning Safeguarding team as soon as possible.
Run to a place of safety. This is a better option than to surrender or negotiate. If there’s nowhere to run, then hide.
It’s better to hide than confront. Remember to turn your phone to silent and turn off vibrate. Barricade yourself in if you can.
Tell the police by calling 999, when it is safe to do so.
These three simple actions are designed to get you away from the incident and keep you safe until the police or appropriate authorities arrive to deal with the threat.
If you have a concern about any of this advice, including our Prevent strategy or how to keep safe in the event of an incident, please contact our Safeguarding and Prevent team on:
SafeAtYorkLearning@york.gov.uk
07798 660109
For the most part, the activities that you take part in during your time with York Learning will be safe and should not involve any risk to yourself. However, you should always be aware of any potential health and safety issues and risks. Where you think an activity is unsafe or where you think that someone’s actions could cause a health and safety incident, please let us know.
Health and safety is a shared responsibility. Outlined below is what we expect of you, and also what we will do to ensure that you are kept safe.
We ask you:
We will:
British values are simply the important human values which we want to follow here in the UK and here at York Learning. These include:
We are committed to ensuring that all our learners are treated fairly and with respect. We hope to achieve this by:
Our priority is to ensure that all of our learners are safe. We have a particular responsibility to keep vulnerable people safe, and this is called our “safeguarding duty”. This is our policy and practice for ensuring that vulnerable people are not exploited or taken advantage of. All of our staff are appropriately checked, including using police checks where necessary, and we ensure that all of our learners know who to speak to if they are worried about themselves or another learner.
If you do not feel safe or wish to make a report about another learner who you feel is in danger of being exploited, please contact our Safeguarding team. If you feel that an individual is in immediate danger, always phone the police.
Contact the Safeguarding team at SafeAtYorkLearning@york.gov.uk or 07798 660109
‘Ask for Angela’ is the name of a campaign in that is used by bars and other venues across England, to keep people safe from sexual assault. If you feel that you are unsafe or threatened, during a class you can ‘Ask for Angela’. Your tutor will understand that this is a discreet codeword and that you are in an unsafe situation.
The Help Me Signal or the Violence at Home Signal for Help) is a nationally recognised single-handed gesture that can be used by an individual to alert others that they feel threatened and need help over a video call, or in-person, without leaving a digital trace. Your tutor will recognise this sign and that you are in need of help.
For information about other courses available across the city, including English, maths, IT or apprenticeships, or if you need advice and guidance about your long-term learning or employment prospects, please contact us on 01904 554277 or visit us at West Offices.
If you think you can only fully participate in your course with some extra support, please let us know. We might be able to help with:
Funding is available for learners on all of our accredited courses whose level of income might prevent them from completing a course. We will consider applications to fund:
For more information please contact our Learner Support Manager Jill Murphy on 07798 660109 or jill.murphy@york.gov.uk.