New College Doncaster - Your Next Steps

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NCDONCASTER

I hope your GCSE exams have got off to a great start. I have no doubt that you’ll have worked really hard in preparation and we’ll be eager to celebrate your successes when we see you at enrolment in August.

I also hope you’ve found the booklets we’ve shared with you over the last few weeks helpful, providing you with insight into the culture, systems and support that make New College Doncaster a special place to study, which help our students to achieve remarkable results, and which help them to grow and develop as young adults.

This third and final booklet is designed to share with you some practical information about what happens next, in the period between finishing your GCSE exams and the start of your studies at New College Doncaster.

Wishing you the very best of luck in your remaining exams.

Students at New College Doncaster experience a culture of very high expectations, which supports them to maximise their potential and achieve their aspirations. Teachers challenge students to be the best that they can be, to have very high levels of attendance and punctuality, and to develop strong, independent learning skills. This culture prepares students exceptionally well to progress to their next steps.

welcome welcome

YOUR INDUCTION DAY

We’re looking forward to inviting you to attend one of our two Induction Days taking place on Thursday 4 July and Tuesday 9 July.

Look out for your letters arriving in the post around the third week of June. Your letter will confirm which date you need to attend College and will also let you know what to do if you’re unable to attend, for any reason.

The Induction Day is all about helping you to settle into College before we break for the summer. It’s an opportunity to meet your teachers, to find your feet within the building, to try out the buses that might bring you to College, and to meet other students that are joining the College in September.

It’s a great way to get a sense of what it will feel like to be a student at New College Doncaster, particularly if you’re still considering your options.

As part of the day, you’ll have a subject session for each of the courses you selected at your interview. In many cases it will help reassure you that you’ve made really good choices, but sometimes it can help you make very positive decisions about switching to courses that might suit you better.

We’re really looking forward to welcoming you back into College.

“IT’S A GREAT WAY TO GET A SENSE OF WHAT IT WILL FEEL LIKE TO BE A STUDENT AT NEW COLLEGE DONCASTER”.

YOUR SUMMER INDEPENDENT LEARNING (SIL)

During your Induction Day visit, each of your teachers will assign you some Summer Independent Learning (SIL) Tasks to complete over the summer break, ready for your first lesson back after the holidays.

This work is designed to help support your transition from GCSE to post-16 study. In some subjects, it will help to refresh and consolidate some of the GCSE topics that will be important for your post-16 courses. It might develop some of the important skills you’ll need, such as research or writing skills.

For some subjects, it might introduce some of the new topics you’ll be studying in more detail in the autumn term. The SIL will also help you to get a sense of whether the subjects you’ve chosen are ones that you’re likely to enjoy and succeed in, in advance of your enrolment day.

All of the SIL tasks will be available for students to download later in the year at www.ncdoncaster.ac.uk/SIL and by selecting ‘Year 11 to 12’.

YOUR ENROLMENT DAY

To become a New College Doncaster student, it’s important that you’re available to attend your enrolment appointment in person at your allocated date and time.

This will either be on Thursday 22 August or Friday 23 August, after you’ve collected your GCSE results. We will write to you in mid-July with details of your appointment.

Enrolment Day is an exciting day when you’ll officially become a New College student. During your individual appointment we’ll talk to you about your GCSE results, your future plans, and agree with you the courses you’ll study at New College Doncaster. You’ll sign your learner agreement and carry out some administrative bits and pieces, and you’ll then be able to buy a bus pass if you need one.

Because we are seeing so many students, and because it’s important that we allocate places fairly and in line with our admissions policy, we’re unfortunately not able to accommodate requests to switch from one date to the other, or at a different time of the day.

If you’re not able to attend, the letter we’ll send you in July will explain what you need to do next. Please be aware that if you’re not able to attend your appointment we cannot guarantee that places in the College, or for some particular courses, will still be available at a later stage.

If you’re also still unavailable on our Late Enrolment Day (Thursday 29 August) then we are unlikely to be able to provide a place at New College Doncaster.

YOUR START OF TERM

Year 12 students will start College on Thursday 5 September. For your first two days we’ll only have Year 12 students in College. The quiet, calm start to the term will help you to settle in and enjoy getting used to the new environment.

Your first day will start with a welcome from the Principal and an introductory tutorial, before beginning your first lessons later in the morning.

Over the course of the first week, which we call Freshers’ Week, you’ll have the opportunity to sign up to a wide range of extra-curricular enrichment and sporting programmes that will take place over the year.

We hope you’re feeling excited about joining the College that we are so proud of. You’ll quickly settle in, make new friends, consolidate your friendships from school, and find your way around.

Although we hope you’ll have made really well-considered decisions about your course choices, there will be opportunities to review this during the early part of the term.

Term dates for next academic year have been published on our website since last autumn at ncdoncaster.ac.uk/term-key-dates/

Please note that these dates might not always be the same as the term dates of some of our feeder schools, and that holidays during term time are not authorised under any circumstances.

YOUR FINANCIAL SUPPORT

The College is committed to ensuring that all students are able to access an outstanding education.

We recognise that, for some students, the barriers to accessing post-16 are financial. New College Doncaster has a range of ways to support students financially:

16-19 BURSARY TRAVEL GRANT

SPECIALIST EQUIPMENT LOAN FREE COLLEGE MEALS LAPTOP LOAN

16-19 Discretionary Bursary Support

The aim of this bursary is to support students in their studies. It could be used to support the purchase of essential books and equipment, stationery and course specific uniforms and fees. Students studying courses that involve compulsory trips and visits are also eligible for support with the costs of these. In addition to this, the cost of transport to and from University Open Days/Interviews can also be supported. Students may also use their bursary allocation to purchase basic clothing for college use.

Free College Meals

Qualifying students will receive £15 a week, uploaded onto their Paymystudent account or college ID to spend at any of the College shops or in the canteen. If on a placement or College trip, a voucher is provided for the equivalent value once Student Services are made aware.

Travel Grant

This support is aimed at helping students overcome the financial barriers of travelling to college. The Travel Grant includes an allowance towards the cost of a college bus pass (subject to route availability on enrolment day), or a grant payment to help with the cost of travelling to and from college on public or private transport (subject to receipts being submitted), or support for students that wish to cycle to college. Students that apply for a bursary will automatically get assessed for a Travel Grant.

Laptops

Laptops are available for all students to borrow whilst working in college. For qualifying students, it may be possible for a college laptop to be taken out on a longer-term loan to support with independent work at home.

Specialist Equipment

Students studying Film, Media or Visual Arts subjects have the opportunity to loan a range of specialist equipment including art stationery, cameras and video cameras. Students also have the opportunity to use the specialist facilities in the Visual Arts department during the college day.

FINANCIAL SUPPORT FAQS

Will I qualify and how do I apply?

Details of how to apply for a bursary and the qualifying criteria can be found on our website: https://ncdoncaster.ac.uk/supporting-you-financially/

When can I apply?

You can apply now using the link above.

We encourage you to apply early. This will enable our finance team to be able to assess the application before students start, ensuring that support is in place from the start of term.

Applications received after 31 August may not be processed to receive the first payment on time but you will be advised of your payment dates on your decision letter.

YOUR TRAVEL OPTIONS

We offer a large range of routes covering the Doncaster, North Nottinghamshire and North Lincolnshire areas, alongside existing public services.

Each of the locations served are covered on the map opposite.

Bus passes are priced at:

for the year and can be purchased on Enrolment Days, please see the ‘Your Financial Support’ page for more information on the eligibility for the Travel Grant.

For the most up to date information regarding routes and timings, please visit: https://ncdoncaster.ac.uk/travel