patrick leavey blog
By Patrick Leavey, Deputy Principal on 2 October 2017

No doubt you’ve heard this more than once from your tutors, but good advice is worth repeating.

Be punctual and get here on time for all your classes.

Being late is not only against college rules, it also makes your life so much more complicated. A candidate would never arrive late for an interview; they simply would not get the job. So, please don’t fall into the trap of tardiness.

We want to support you to achieve your full potential and to do this we set high expectations for attendance and punctuality at all timetabled sessions.

We recognise that attending college regularly and on time has a positive impact on learning, progress and therefore gives our students the best life chances.

Put simply, you are expected to have 100% attendance and always be on time.

We keep a close eye on our students’ timings so we would like to remind you that the first lesson of the day starts at 9.30am and we would expect students to arrive a few minutes prior to that. So, if you have a 9.30am class on your timetable entering the college barriers after 9.30am means you are late.

We are here to help and to support you to attend regularly and to be punctual. This will also help you to demonstrate to future employers, other colleges or universities that you are reliable, committed and hard working.

Please, if you have worries or personal challenges that are affecting your punctuality or attendance, discuss these with your personal tutor or visit Student Services (on site at all three of our campuses) where one of the advisors will help you.

Remember too that our Advice and Guidance team includes a Course Transfer Desk. If you are unsure about the course you are currently on, find out what other options and courses are available. You may well be able to transfer.

A quirky fact – the first US President George Washington was a stickler for timing. The story goes that when his secretary arrived late to a meeting, and blamed his watch for being late Washington quietly replied:

“Then you must get another watch, or I another secretary.”

Follow Washington’s example and make sure you achieve 100% attendance and are always on time. Students who have an attendance record which gives us cause for concern and who are persistently late will be challenged.