City Skills Learning Support Guide
Home /City Skills Learning Support Guide
🎓 Supporting Every Learner to Succeed
📚 Contents
- Our Commitment to Inclusive Learning
- What Counts as a Learning Need?
- How to Tell Us About Your Needs
- What Happens Next?
- One-to-One Support from Our SEN Team
- Support Available During Learning
- Support During End-Point Assessment or Exams
- How We Work with Awarding Bodies and EPA Organisations
- How Employers Can Support Too
- What if You Change Your Mind About Support?
- FAQs – Common Questions Learners Ask
- Useful Contacts & Next Steps
Supporting Every Learner to Succeed
At City Skills, we’re here to make sure you have the support you need—whether it’s your first time asking for help or you’ve had support before. This guide shows how we can help you feel confident, capable, and ready to succeed.
1. Our Commitment to Inclusive Learning
At City Skills, we believe every learner deserves the chance to succeed—regardless of any learning difficulty, disability, or health condition. Whether you’ve had support before, think you might need it now, or have never needed it in the past, we’re here to make sure you feel confident, comfortable, and fully supported throughout your apprenticeship.
Learning support isn’t just about extra help—it’s about giving you the tools, space, and confidence to do your best work. We want you to feel empowered, not labelled.
Our promise: We’ll meet you where you are, and walk with you from there.
What Counts as a Learning Need?
A learning need can be anything that makes it harder for you to learn, concentrate, communicate, or take part fully in your apprenticeship.
You don’t need a formal diagnosis to talk to us. If something’s getting in the way of your learning, we want to know—so we can help.
Some common examples include:
✅ Dyslexia
✅ ADHD
✅ Autism
✅ Anxiety or depression
✅ Hearing or vision loss
✅ Long-term health conditions
✅ Physical disabilities
✅ Working memory or processing speed difficulties
✅ ADHD
✅ Autism
✅ Anxiety or depression
✅ Hearing or vision loss
✅ Long-term health conditions
✅ Physical disabilities
✅ Working memory or processing speed difficulties
The bottom line? If you’re struggling, tell us. It’s our job to support you.
How to Tell Us About Your Needs
We make it easy and relaxed to let us know about a learning difficulty, disability or health condition.
🟢
At the start:
At the start:
During enrolment, just tick the box or speak to us. Not sure? No problem—we can talk it through.
🟢
Later on:
Later on:
Speak to your development coach any time. We can arrange a friendly one-to-one with our SEN team.
🟢
No pressure:
No pressure:
If you say no to support, we’ll respect that—and check in from time to time in case things change.
We won’t judge. We’re simply here to help.
What Happens Next
💬
1. You’ll meet with a SEN specialist
A relaxed 1:1 chat to explore what’s working, what’s not, and what might help.
📝
2. We’ll put together a simple support plan
We’ll create a tailored plan and, with your permission, share it with your coach or employer.
🔁
3. You’ll get regular check-ins
Monthly SEN sessions are there for advice, strategies, or a wellbeing check-in.
📚
4. We’ll support with assessments
We’ll liaise with awarding bodies and EPAOs to arrange assessment adjustments.
🤝
5. No pressure, always your choice
Start support, pause it, change it—whenever you like.
Tailored Monthly Support
Monthly one-hour sessions are tailored to what you need most. Here’s what they might include:
✍️
For learning needs:
Support with spelling, structuring work, or using assistive tech.
Support with spelling, structuring work, or using assistive tech.
🧠
For neurodiverse learners:
Strategies to manage focus, time and communication.
Strategies to manage focus, time and communication.
🦻
For health or sensory needs:
Planning around fatigue, pain or access to materials.
Planning around fatigue, pain or access to materials.
🧘
For mental health:
Space to talk, build coping strategies, and reduce stress.
Space to talk, build coping strategies, and reduce stress.
You’re in control. We’re here to help.
Practical Support Options
📘Learning materials in alternative formats
💻Help using assistive tech
🗓️Assignment planning and time management
💬Communication strategies for group work or presentations
🧘Wellbeing check-ins to support confidence and motivation
Support is discreet, practical, and always personalised.
📝 Support During End-Point Assessment or Exams
We help you apply for reasonable adjustments, including:
⏱️Extra time or rest breaks
✍️Scribes or readers
🖥️Assistive technology
📄Modified papers or formats
🏫Accessible venues or alternative methods (where allowed)
We handle the application process and ensure everything is in place—so you can focus on doing your best.
We help gather and submit the right evidence – write support summaries if no diagnosis is available – liaise directly with EPAOs to arrange adjustments – review and update your plan as needed.
We’re your advocate throughout the process.
Employers can: encourage open conversations – offer adjustments like flexible breaks or alternative communication methods – work with us to understand support plans – provide accessible venues for assessments.
It’s about small changes that make a big difference.
✅ You can decline support now and request it later
✅ We’ll check in occasionally to see how things are going
✅ You can start or stop support at any time
You’re always in control of your support.
FAQs – Common Questions Learners Ask
Do I need a diagnosis?
No. Just let us know what’s going on.
Who will know?
Only those who need to support you, with your consent.
Will it affect my apprenticeship?
No. Support helps you succeed—it doesn’t change your status.
What if I change my mind?
You can ask for support at any time.
Can I get help during assessments?
Yes. We’ll help you apply for reasonable adjustments.
📌 Useful Contacts & Next Steps
Need support or want to talk it through?
Talk to your development coach
Email:
training@city-skills.com
Visit:
the Wellbeing & Support area of your learning portal
“Your apprenticeship is about progress, not perfection. Whatever your journey looks like, we’re here to walk it with you.”
Embark on Your Journey with Us Today.
Useful Links
Other Links
Follow Us
All Right Reserved © City Skills