Celebrating you – support for looked after and care experienced students

This November, we’re proud to celebrate National Care Leavers Month — a time to recognise the incredible strength, resilience, and determination of our Looked After and Care Experienced students.

Whether you’re just starting college, planning your next steps, or finding your way forward, Activate Learning is here for you every step of the way.

💛 Who are Looked After and Care Experienced young people?

Every care journey is unique, but what connects all care-experienced young people is courage and perseverance.

• Looked After – You may currently be in foster care, living with extended family, in residential care, or supported by your local authority.
• Care Experienced – You’ve spent time in care at some point in your life, even if you’re no longer looked after.

At Activate Learning, we understand that every experience is different — and we’re here to help you thrive, no matter your background.

🎓 Support at college

Our Transition and Retention Advisers provide personalised, one-to-one support designed to help you succeed in college and beyond.

Here’s how we can support you:

• 🎯 Dedicated support plan – Tailored to your needs, goals, and ambitions
• 📚 Help with your course – Study support, attendance guidance, and tutor liaison (with your permission)
• 💰 Financial advice – Guidance on bursaries, travel, trips, and essentials
• 🏡 Accommodation support – Help for those living independently or in supported housing
• 💬 Someone to talk to – A safe space to share what’s on your mind, with no judgement
• 🤝 Next steps planning – Support for university, apprenticeships, work, or gap year options

📍 Find support on campus

You can find our Transition and Retention Advisers at the following college locations:

• Banbury and Bicester College: Room A123
• City of Oxford College and University Centre: Porta Cabin
• The Leys College: The Zone (Scott building)
• Reading College and University Centre: Room A118 (Advice and Admissions Centre)
• Bracknell and Wokingham College: Rooms G10 & G11 (behind Reception)
• Farnham College: Room FS 501 (near Reception)
• Guildford College: Room G4
• Merrist Wood College and University Centre: Room CYD11a (in the Courtyard)

Apprentices, Online, or Offsite Learners: Email safe@activatelearning.ac.uk and a member of our Farnham team will get back to you.

📧 Email: safe@activatelearning.ac.uk
📞 Phone: 01865 550401

🌍 Extra support beyond college

We also work alongside fantastic organisations offering guidance and inspiration for care-experienced young people:

• Become – Advice, mentoring, and advocacy for care-experienced young people
• Coram Voice – Support and rights information for young people in or leaving care
• Propel by Become – University, college, and funding information for care leavers
• Propel into Work – A programme offering one-to-one career coaching, CV support, and interview preparation
• National Youth Advocacy Service – Provides advocacy and independent advice for children and young people, including care leavers.
• Care Leaver Covenant – A national scheme connecting care leavers aged 16–25 with opportunities, jobs, training, and discounts from organisations that have pledged support. They also offer monthly online sessions for care-experienced young people to connect, share experiences, and help shape the Covenant’s work.
• Local Authority Support and Local Offers – Each local authority can also provide extra help with housing, education, funding, and leaving care support.

Find more links and resources on our Student Support Hub.

💬 The Reality: challenges and triumphs

At Activate Learning, we currently support around 360 care-experienced students across our colleges.

We know that the transition to adulthood can be tough. Many young people leaving care face challenges such as:

• The end of support services
• Loneliness and social isolation
• Difficulty trusting adults
• Unstable housing and frequent moves
• Financial pressures and limited resources

In fact, 30% of care-experienced students have had to move or leave care during their A Level studies — and statistically, they are eight times more likely to receive a custodial sentence or more at risk of homelessness after leaving care.

But there’s good news — and we’re proud to share it.

📈 Progress and success

Through dedicated support, we’ve made huge strides in closing the gap between care-experienced students and their peers:

• Retention rates are now only 1% lower than average (87%)
• Achievement rates have increased by:
  • 11% for Looked After Children
  • 9% for Care Leavers

We’re incredibly proud of this progress — and of every student achieving their goals despite the challenges they’ve faced.

🤝 Our commitment: The Care Leaver Covenant

Activate Learning is a proud signatory of the Care Leaver Covenant, a Department for Education-backed initiative that supports care-experienced young people to live independently and thrive.

By joining the Covenant, we reaffirm our commitment to providing personalised education, career, and wellbeing support for all care-experienced students across our campuses.

💛 You’re not alone

Whatever stage you’re at in your journey — starting college, moving out, planning your future, or just needing someone to talk to — we’re here for you.

Because at Activate Learning, we believe every young person deserves the chance to thrive, not just survive.