First day at College - Vocational Courses

Since receiving an offer of a place at SGS College, please click the link below to see when your first day will be:

Important - Construction Filton Learners

Filton Campus Enrolment ONLY

Your first day of college will be on either the 30th or 31st August. You will be in college for a maximum of two hours so that we can check your enrolment details, allocate you to a tutor group and provide you with your induction timetable for the following week. Please bring the following with you:

• Your exam results slips / certificates, whatever grades received. These are VERY IMPORTANT, as we need your results in order to confirm your course. Failure to provide these will mean you cannot enrol.
• photo identification
• pen and paper
• digital device
• any other certificates or information about your previous studies that you feel will be of use on the day
• any information regarding support needs if appropriate
• evidence needed for bursary application so we can support with completing your application

Details of Uniform, Kit, Equipment and Materials to Purchase

Hair & Beauty
Animal Centre Uniform and Dress Code
Media
Construction - Bricklaying Filton
Construction - Bricklaying Stroud
Construction - Carpentry
Construction - Electrical
Construction - Painting and Decorating
Construction - Plastering
Construction - Plumbing
Construction - Maintenance Level 1
Construction - Maintenance Level 2

First day at College - Joining Instructions

Checklist

What You Need To Bring
I Didn't Get the GCSE Results Required For My Course
Fees/Costs and Financial Support Explained
Your Financial Data
Exams & Exam Re-sits
SGS College Holiday & Term Dates 2022/23
Education, Health and Care Plan
Probation Period & Progression
Learner ID Badges & Departmental Zones
Getting to College
College Parking
Debt Process

What You Need To Bring

Please ensure you bring with you:

You must please bring all your exam results slips / certificates, whatever grades received. These are VERY IMPORTANT, as we need your results in order to confirm your course. Failure to provide these will mean you cannot enrol.

• photo identification
• pen and paper
• digital device
• any other certificates or information about your previous studies that you feel will be of use on the day
• any information regarding support needs if appropriate
• evidence needed for bursary application so we can support with your application

I Didn't Get the GCSE Results Required For My Course

If you didn't get your expected grades – please do not panic! On GCSE results day we will have members of teaching staff and our careers team available who can discuss your options with you – do not worry, we will have an offer for you.

We will text all applicants on GCSE results day (25 August) and you can request we contact you to confirm your study programme.

Fees/Costs and Financial Support Explained

Have you have considered all potential costs involved in studying your chosen course? For example: Will you be invoiced for tuition, exam and/or material fees? Will you have travel costs? Do you have children that you will need to put into childcare? Will you need to have a DBS check, pay a professional membership fee, or do you have to purchase books, equipment or materials? Maybe you have a long day at College and will need to purchase food and drinks.

Do you know how you will be covering these costs? Remember that all invoiced costs will be payable by the first day of your course and can be paid directly via the College payment portal. You may however prefer to spread the cost of the payments or, if applicable, apply for one of our financial support schemes.

Table A below, shows you the type of fees that you may be invoiced for and the schemes available, that if awarded could waive these fees. Table B lists the various schemes and provides a general overview of the fee/cost area they could support with. To find out more about the financial support schemes that may be available to you, visit the MMS webpage www.sgscol.ac.uk/mms and go to the section entitled ‘What Funding Support Options are Available’.

TABLE A: Shows the type of fees that you could be charged and when those fees may be waived:

TABLE B: Shows the various financial support schemes and general overview of the financial support fee/cost area they could support with:

Your Financial Data

Please read the SGS College Privacy Statement (www.sgscol.ac.uk/privacy) for information on how your financial data may be shared with third parties who provide services including, for example, the provision of Credit Control, Debt Collection and Payment Plan Services (such as Oriel Collections Limited) and/or if under the age of 18 parent(s) or guardian(s) within the same household.

PLEASE NOTE:

• As Funding may be limited we recommend applying for financial support before starting at SGS College.
• Financial support from the Money Management Service team may not covers all costs. You are likely to still have costs left to pay even if you are awarded a bursary or any other form of financial support the MMS team may be able to offer.

Exams & Exam Re-sits

If you fail to attend an exam or do not give the Exams Department at least 48 hours' notice that you are unable to attend, this will be recorded as a "No Show". Re-sit fees may be charged when you re-sit your exam. The Exams team will confirm any costs when you re-register.

SGS College Holiday & Term Dates 2022/23

Term Time Absence
The College does not support learners taking holiday in term time and will record it as unauthorised absence against your attendance rate. We believe full attendance supports a learner to achieve their full potential.

Please make sure if you are absent from college for any reason you report it using our online form and contact your department.

Education, Health and Care Plan

If you have an Education, Health & Care Plan as a result of requiring a high level of support for your learning difficulty/disability or physical/sensory disability please let us know by emailing [email protected] so that we can liaise with the appropriate Local Authority. We will be unable to provide the required support without agreeing provision and funding with the Local Authority first so please get in touch with the Learning Support department and let us know what your needs are.

Taster Days

If you could not attend your "Taster Day" – please don't worry. Activities you would have undertaken will be covered during your induction.

Probation Period & Progression

South Gloucestershire and Stroud College runs a probation system and all learners are classed as being on probation during the first five weeks of their course. During this period, you will be assessed based on attendance, attitude, punctuality, aptitude and performance and this will be clearly stated within your course handbook which is issued to all learners at the start of their course. In addition, to pass your probationary period you will need to have either paid for your course in full or arranged a bursary or instalment plan.

Within your course handbook, it also states what you need to do in order to progress to the next level of your programme. This will be based on end of course achievement, attendance, attitude and disciplinary record.

Learner ID Badges & Departmental Zones

You will be provided with a valid ID card and lanyard. It is important that you wear this at all times whilst on College premises. The safety of all our learners is paramount to the College ethos and the wearing of ID cards and lanyards, plus being based in a dedicated departmental zone are mechanisms of knowing who should and, more importantly, who should not be on site. It is also a key employability skill.

Daily spot checks will be made and any learner who is not wearing their ID will be requested to purchase a replacement at a cost of £2.00. These will be available from our Reception teams at each of our campuses.

We have many learners who come into College and see this as their only safe haven and we must be able to continue to ensure that they always view it as such.

Details of the Departmental Zones and lanyard colour can be viewed by clicking here.

Getting to College

SGS campuses are easy to find, with excellent transport links for train, bus, bicycle and car. SGS encourages the use of public transport and car sharing to reduce our carbon footprint.

College Parking

SGS College runs a managed parking service at its WISE, Filton and Stroud sites.

The College is committed to ensuring we have a safe parking environment for learners, staff and visitors. The service ensures parking facilities are managed so they are not overloaded beyond capacity with non-users of the facilities and that responsible parking is adhered to.

If you wish to park your vehicle onsite you must register it by 1 October; after this date all parking queries / fines will be managed directly by the parking company UK CPM, not SGS College.

For further information and to register your vehicle please visit the link below:

www.sgscol.ac.uk/college-parking

Please note, parking is run on a first come, first served basis so is not guaranteed at any site.

Debt Process

If you do not pay your fees as agreed then we have a formal debt process that is outlined here.