Karen Bell Email and Phone Number

Responsible for coordinating the work of the Student Academic Support Team; ensuring the effective deployment of Learning Support Workers throughout the college; supporting the provision of tutorial and pastoral support for students with additional learning needs.Recently also took over responsibility to build the community learning provision of the college.

Advanced Practitioner at Cirencester College, having taught and managed literacy programmes for over ten years. In 2004, as part of my role with Cirencester College, I began to develop and deliver intensive basic skills courses to the 29 Regt. and due to the success of this innovative approach, the Regiment requested several more courses targeting all their soldiers without GCSE English or Maths. This provision has now grown to include Warminster, Blandford and Hullavington Barracks. We have also recently begun to deliver intensive ESOL courses to Commonwealth Soldiers. Managing this provision is now a major part of my role.Another growing area that I manage is Functional Skills, mandatory units of the Apprenticeship Programme, which is proving very successful at the college.I was also involved in developing and delivering the new Level 4 Literacy qualification with the Federation of Gloucestershire Colleges, having passed it myself during a special pilot run by Oxford Brookes University. The college now links with Bolton University to incorporate the new Level 5 Additional Diploma within the PGCE and Cert. Ed. Courses at Cirencester College, and as a stand alone CPD qualification.

Design and implementation of 20 week programme for16 – 19 year olds, to include Wordpower, Numberpower, NVQ L1 Information Technology and Job Search Skills.Working closely with the Careers Service and WiltshireTEC to fulfil contracts.