Student Support

At Newcastle College we don't believe in huge, anonymous classes. Instead, we favour plenty of individual attention and lots of one-to-one support to help you grow and flourish.

Most of our teaching takes place in small, informal groups, so you can get to know your tutors and other students quicker. This gives you a greater opportunity to share and talk through your ideas with others.

You'll also meet individually with your personal tutor on a regular basis. They'll give you feedback and advice on your work and help you to solve any problems you may experience.

In addition, we have a range of extra support services to help you if you need it, all of the highest standard! Student Services have recently been re-accredited for Matrix, the quality standard for Information, Advice and Guidance.

Getting you started

We have a dedicated Student Services team to help you. You can:

  • Ring 0191 200 4000 or email enquiries@ncl-coll.ac.uk if you would like more information about courses.
  • Ring 0191 200 4516 to speak to our Schools Liason Officer to arrange a visit to the college.
  • Come to our Advice and Guidance Evenings for a chat about the courses we offer. These are run from 4.30 - 7pm on the first Wednesday of every month.

Financial help

Our student advisers can give you advice on budgeting, making the most out of your money, and where to go for other sources of help. We can also give advice on various finance awards you may be eligible for including Newcastle College Maintenance Allowance (NCMA) , Adult Learning Grants and the college Access Fund.

Careers advice

Whether you want to continue studying or get a job when your course finishes, we can help you sort out your future. Connexions personal advisers are based at our main Rye Hill Campus. They're trained in careers guidance and can give you impartial advice if you'd like to go straight into employment.

If you are over 19 years old, Next Steps advisers provide an information, advice and guidance service to adults who want to improve their skills, undertake learning, look for work or improve their career prospects. We also provide plenty of information on further study, job vacancies and graduate start-up programmes.

To book an appointment with a Next Steps adviser during term time, just call us on 0191 200 4000 and we'll give you all the assistance you need.

Support with personal issues

If you have a problem which is affecting your learning we can refer you to a range of specialist agencies that can support you, depending on the nature of your problem.

Childcare

If you have children aged 0-4 years old, our day nursery provides a friendly and welcoming environment and is conveniently located on our Rye Hill Campus.

Staff are well qualified and regularly attend further training courses. The nursery is well equipped with an excellent range of resources. In a recent Ofsted inspection the nursery was graded good in helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do. Helping children make a positive contribution was graded as outstanding. The inspectors noted: "Children and staff form very good relationships with each other. Staff are very affectionate towards children and are focused completely on them, consequently the children are happy, confident and secure."

Disabled Students' allowance for higher education students

Many students on higher education courses who have a disability or learning difficulty may be eligible for funding from Disabled Students' Allowance (DSA). DSAs are intended to cover any additional costs which are incurred as a result of a disability and may include the provision of equipment (e.g. a computer) and support, if required. Further information can be obtained from Learning Support Service on 0191 200 4189

Support for students with learning difficulties or disabilities

The Learning Support Service (LSS) at Newcastle College provides support, advice and guidance for students with a wide range of learning needs. At present, there are six support teams working with the service:

  • the Autism and Asperger Syndrome Support Team
  • the Dyslexia Support Team
  • the Emotional, Behavioural Difficulties, Mental Health and Well Being Support Team
  • the Hearing Impairment Support Team
  • the Learning Difficulties and Physical Disabilities Support Team
  • the Blind and Partially Sighted / RNIB Support Team

If you are a learner who may, for a variety of reasons need additional assistance with your studies, we offer close links with course and programme tutors to ensure that support is appropriate to your individual needs and the requirements of the course. We endeavour to encourage and promote and environment in which learners are happy to disclose any issues to us so that support is of the highest standard.

The LSS aims to increase participation, achievement and progression in education and training. In this way we strongly believe barriers experienced by students in education can be reduced.

Visit our LSS webpages for more information

Equality and Diversity

Newcastle College is committed to providing an inclusive education. We offer support services for learners with disabilities or difficulties that ensure the college is a safe and positive environment for all.

Read our Equality and Diversity information