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 2023/24
Education, Health and Care Plan
Taster Days
Probation Period & Progression
Learner ID Badges & Departmental Zones
Getting to College
College Parking
Debt Process
WelcomeFEST
ParentPortal
Meet The Tutor Event
Emergency Contact
Onsite Enrolment - Please Read Prior to Attending Enrolment

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 to confirm your course. Failure to provide these will mean you cannot enrol.

• 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
• emergency contact details. We will need their name, phone number, and email address

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 (24 August) and you can request we contact you to confirm your study programme.

Fees/Costs and Financial Support Explained

Do you need financial support with any of the following?

• Invoiced course material fees
• The cost of travelling to college
• Kit & equipment
• Uniform or PPE
• Text books
• DBS check
• CSCS card
• Professional membership fees
• Childcare costs whilst you are at college
• Food whilst you are in college

Do you know how you will be covering these costs?

• Direct payment via the college's payment portal
• A flexible payment plan
• A Level 2 or level 3 legal entitlement (aged 19 - 23 only)
• A low income or benefit fee waiver
• Free courses for jobs offer (certain level three courses only)
• An advanced learner loan (level 3 courses and above)
• CSCS card

*As invoiced costs are payable by the first day of your course it is important that you have either paid or applied for one of the above 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 (Money Management Service) 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 cover 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 "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 2023/24

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 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 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 always wear this 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 £5. 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 1st 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.

WelcomeFEST

WelcomeFEST (Induction) is to be delivered on 4th to the 6th of September with some sessions rolling into the second week of the year. Following on from learner feedback we are diversifying and streamlining the WelcomeFEST period and introducing several new initiatives such as a Level 2, Year 2 Progression Event with our University Centre staff. WelcomeFEST 2023 is made up of four elements as below;

• Initial Assessment (JISC Self-Assessment, Career Pulse, Century Tech, Course Specific Initial Assessment)
• On-Site Tutorials (Principal's Welcome, Campus Tours, College Induction etc)
• Freshers' Fayre (5th September @ WISE, 13th September @ Queens Road, 27th September @ Stroud)
• Course Specific Induction (Based on the needs of the course)

Parent Portal

Parent Portal provides live digital data to parents and guardians. Parent Portal provides access to a range of information to help parents and guardians support their child's journey at SGS College. The Portal offers the following information:

• Academic Progress
• Attendance and punctuality
• Timetables
• Exams information
• Behaviour and attitude to learning at college through 'report to parents'

Parents can apply for access to the system through our website. Students and Parents will receive an email when to apply access will be turned on in the last week of September.

Meet the Tutor Event

From 3rd October through to 5th October Curriculum Teams will be holding "Meet the Tutor" events. These provide opportunity for Parents and Carers to meet the Tutor of their young person, and for them to discuss how the Tutor supports progress through the Study Programme, how progress is tracked and reported on, and the methods available for Parents and Carers to review and support progress of the young person.

Emergency Contact

Please ensure you bring details of an emergency contact so this can be provided when enrolling. We will need their name, phone number, and email address.

Onsite Enrolment - Please Read Prior to Attending Enrolment

Declaration

Please make sure you read each section carefully prior to your enrolment.

3a: Financial Statement

Enrolling on a course of study at SGS College constitutes the formation of a legally binding contract. Enrolment therefore carries with it an obligation to pay any fees that you have been made aware of prior to your course of study commencing. If you are under 18 years of age, you need to be aware that contracts for necessary materials, licenses and equipment, apprenticeships, employment, education, and other services for your benefit are binding upon you. Therefore, we will ask a parent, guardian, or carer to act as your guarantor and to take ultimate responsibility for any outstanding debt you may have with the College.

Please be aware that some additional fees may apply and invoiced at a later date such as memberships, kit/materials fees, trips, and exam resits (some of these fees will be optional).

3b: Student Learning Agreement

I confirm that I have received information and advice about my choice of learning programme through the prospectus and from College staff. Because of this information and advice, I can state that:

• I understand the entry requirements of my chosen learning programme.
• The learning programme suits my needs.
• I am aware of the financial costs of my course.
• I know what support and advice is available to me, and also what financial support is available.

I agree to abide by the College regulations and to inform the College in writing of the following:

• Any medical condition which may affect my performance on the learning programme or in other College activities.
• Any change of circumstances that may affect my fee status.

3c: ILR Privacy Notice 2023 to 2024

This privacy notice is issued by the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) on behalf of the Secretary of State for the Department of Education (DfE) to inform learners about the Individualised Learner Record (ILR) and how their personal information is used in the ILR. Your personal information is used by the DfE to exercise our functions under article 6(1)(e) of the UK GDPR and to meet our statutory responsibilities, including under the Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Act 2009. Our lawful basis for using your special category personal data is covered under Substantial Public Interest based in law (Article 9(2)(g)) of GDPR legislation. This processing is under Section 54 of the Further and Higher Education Act (1992).

The ILR collects data about learners and learning undertaken. Publicly funded colleges, training organisations, local authorities, and employers (FE providers) must collect and return the data to the ESFA each year under the terms of a funding agreement, contract, or grant agreement. It helps ensure that public money distributed through the ESFA is being spent in line with government targets. It is also used for education, training, employment, and well-being purposes, including research.

We retain your ILR learner data for 20 years for operational purposes (e.g., to fund your learning and to publish official statistics). Your personal data is then retained in our research databases until you are aged 80 years so that it can be used for long-term research purposes. For more information about the ILR and the data collected, please see the ILR specification at www.gov.uk/government/collections/individualised-learner-record-ilr.

ILR data is shared with third parties where it complies with DfE data sharing procedures and where the law allows it. The DfE and the English European Social Fund (ESF) Managing Authority (or agents acting on their behalf) may contact learners to carry out research and evaluation to inform the effectiveness of training.

For more information about how your personal data is used and your individual rights, please see the DfE Personal Information Charter (www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-education/about/personal-information-charter) and the DfE Privacy Notice (www.gov.uk/government/publications/privacy-notice-for-key-stage-5-and-adult-education).

Contacting the DfE

If you would like to get in touch with us or request a copy of the personal information DfE holds about you, you can contact the DfE in the following ways:

• Using our online contact form: form.education.gov.uk/service/Contact_the_Department_for_Education
• By telephoning the DfE Helpline on 0370 000 2288
• In writing to: Data Protection Officer, Department for Education (B2.28), 7 & 8 Wellington Place, Wellington Street, Leeds, LS1 4AW

If you are unhappy with how we have used your personal data, you can complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) at: Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF. You can also call their helpline on 0303 123 1113 or visit www.ico.org.uk.