Information for Parents and Carers at Blackpool Sixth
Our parent page is where you can find useful information on how to support your college-age child’s educational journey as a parent or carer.
Parent Portal
Parents and carers will have access to timetables, registers and progress data by logging onto our parent portal, CEDAR. Further details of the functions of the parent portal are available on the link below:
If you have any problems with creating your login for CEDAR please contact Cedar.Support@blackpoolsixth.ac.uk
Please follow the steps below to create and log in to the parent portal:
- Step 1: Creating a parent account on CEDAR
To activate your account you will need
a) The student reference number for the student you are listed as the next of kin for. This will be in one of two formats. It will either be a six character number beginning with the year the student first attended college (e.g: 231234 or 241234) or it will be a seven character record which begins with S0 (zero) (eg: s012345
b) You will also need to input the email that is registered in our system for you.
Step 2: Set your passwordOnce you have completed the above, you will receive a second email which will provide you with a link to set your password details. This link will expire after 24 hours. To obtain a new link you can repeat the process above.
- Step 3: Logging into CEDAR
Once you have created your account and set your password, you can log in to CEDAR by clicking the link below:
PARENT FEEDBACK
Communicating with you - what to expect
- We’ll invite you to a Parent’s Welcome Evening in September, where you will meet your son’s, daughter’s or ward’s Progress Mentor and learn more about the courses they are studying.
- After the welcome event, you can access our Parent Portal to track attendance and progress regularly. You will be notified when the link is live.
- We hold Parents' Consultation Evenings each year to complement the information you receive through the portal and your child’s Progress Mentor (who you are welcome to contact at any time). You can speak directly with subject teachers at these events.
Good communication supports a successful transition to a college education. So, as well as updates via our Parents Welcome Evening, Parent Portal and Parents’ Consultation Evenings, your child’s progress mentor will get in touch as necessary, particularly if they have concerns about the quality of work, well-being, attendance or punctuality.
You can also rely on us to inform you about updates to campus safety and onsite facilities, extra-curricular activities that support your child’s learning and events on campus.
REPORTING ABSENCES
To report a student absent from college, please ring reception on 01253 394911 and ask to speak to your son/daughter/ward’s progress mentor.
WELLBEING SUPPORT
All staff at Blackpool Sixth complete learning and development focussed on safeguarding and student wellbeing. Consequently, should a student ever have a concern about their safety or wellbeing, they can speak to any member of staff as an initial step.
The safety and wellbeing of our students is of paramount importance, as a result, we also have a dedicated wellbeing team at the college. The wellbeing team is based in The Link and you can drop in at any time to speak to one of the team. Alternatively, email them at wellbeing.team@blackpoolsixth.ac.uk
The wellbeing team provides information, advice and guidance to support students who are experiencing a range of issues that are impacting their studies. The team will respond to concerns about safety and wellbeing, implementing support plans and interventions as required. This includes:
- One-to-one support - to create support plans to help develop resilience, motivation, confidence, self-esteem and wellbeing.
- Wellbeing workshops - our Wellbeing Mentors deliver wellbeing workshops to students. Available workshops cover a range of topics such as: relaxation techniques, mindfulness, healthy sleep, coping with stress/anxiety/change, dealing with challenges and resilience, building confidence and self esteem, exam stress and many more.
- Liaison with external agencies - our wellbeing team has forged an array of contacts across the local community covering a variety of different support needs. Where needed, the wellbeing team can make referrals on behalf of a student, or support them to make a self-referral.
- Online resources - all students can access ‘Thrive Interactive’, a student assistance programme. Through Thrive interactive help is always available 24/7. This includes: a helpline number, video/telephone counselling, a wellbeing app and 4 week self-help programmes.
WELLBEING TEAM
Wellbeing mentors
Student safety and wellbeing officers
Helping you stay informed
Follow the helpful links below to access important college information.
Key Dates
Take me to Blackpool Sixth’s academic terms dates.
Please note: Blackpool Sixth does not authorise holidays in term time and will refuse to readmit a student who takes unauthorised leave. Please use the term date information provided to plan your holidays.
Ofsted Questionnaire
The Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills (Ofsted) has created a questionnaire to gather parents' and carers' views about their son’s, daughter’s, or ward’s education provider. The questionnaire takes a few minutes to complete, and we would appreciate your contribution. What do you value? What areas could we improve?
Examination Information
Take me to essential exam information, including exam schedules, post-result information, how to access scripts, grade boundaries and where to collect exam certification.
Further Information
You can create your own prospectus or visit our courses page for general information on our courses. You can find more details on BTEC courses in our Parents Guide to BTEC courses.
Your satisfaction is important to us. If you can’t find what you’re looking for on this page, please don’t hesitate to contact us via the details below.