We pride ourselves on providing a wide range of support services for our students. For example we run our own Nursery (accredited by Ofsted) if you have childcare needs, we have academic writers in residence if you have issues writing in the academic style, and we have a special team who handle student finance issues.
We offer such a wide range of support services that getting help can be confusing. This is why we introduced Firstpoint, your first point of contact for all student enquiries. As a student you will be able to drop in to Firstpoint for a face to face chat, contact them by phone or email, or get help through their website. They have a team of staff who can offer support and help you understand the complexities of student life.
Services Firstpoint help with include:
- accommodation
- car parking permits
- money advice and student finance
- careers and employability
- course enquiries
- support and wellbeing
- counselling and mental health
- chaplaincy
- disability and dyslexia support
- nursery
- study abroad
Most students find that they need some academic assistance and guidance at some point during their studies. This is why we allocate every new student a Personal Academic Tutor. This is usually one of the people teaching on your course and they will normally remain with you throughout your studies and be your key point of contact with the University.
You can expect a minimum of four scheduled meetings with your Personal Academic Tutor during your first year, either in group or on an individual basis, and you can arrange extra meetings if you need them.
The key roles of your Personal Academic Tutor are to:
- Support your academic development
- Act as a first point of call if you are experiencing difficulties arising whist at University
- Provide your official University reference when you leave
Your Personal Academic Tutor will help you:
- Become a member of the University community and make the transition into higher education
- Understand your course’s approach to learning, skills development and assessment
- Reflect on your progress, identify your learning needs and develop useful study strategies
- Get the most out of the different learning resources and learning support available
- Plan and record your academic, professional and career development
- Access additional support and advice, if you need to
Your Personal Academic Tutor will also write a reference for you to send to employers when you leave university, so it is also useful to discuss your career intentions, ambitions and work experience with them throughout your studies. Many employability skills are developed through extra-curricular activity while at University and it is also helpful to discuss these with your Personal Academic Tutor.