FIRCROFT ADULT RESIDENTIAL COLLEGE
SHORT COURSE
STUDENT INFORMATION
2010 - 2011
FIRCROFT COLLEGE 1018 BRISTOL ROAD SELLY OAK BIRMINGHAM B29 6LH
Telephone: 0121 472 0116 Facsimile: 0121 471 1503 Website: www.fircroft.ac.uk Issued September 2010
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Contents
Welcome to Fircroft College
On Your Arrival
Identification Badges
Computer Access
Disability
Cancellation Policy
College Charter
Children at Fircroft
Supervision of Children
Duty Tutor and Caretaker
Accidents
Security & Lost Property
Personal Security
Equal Opportunities
Departure
Smoking Regulations
Fire Precautions
First Aid
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Infectious Diseases
Getting to the College
By Car - From the M6 (via M1 from London) By Car From the M42 Train Service By Bike On Foot Bus Service Taxi Service
Parking
Telephones
The Fircroft Library
After the Course
3 WELCOME to Fircroft College
We are very proud to be a Beacon College and hope your experience lives up to expectations. We continue to make improvements, refreshing Primrose Hill over the summer and installing free wi-fi access throughout the college. If you haven’t been before, there is a video at www.fircroft.ac.uk
We hope coming to Fircroft is a useful step on your learning journey. If you want more help assessing where you are or planning your next step then talk to your tutor. The credits you gain on individual courses here can be added together (and can even be taken to another college) to trigger a really useful qualification.
This guide gives you the information we think you need before you come. But if threre’s something else you need to know or if you have any problems, please do not hesitate to tell a member of staff. We like to think we are a small and friendly college.
Michael Conway-Jones Director of Academic Development and Programmes
4 On Your Arrival At Fircroft College
1. Somebody from the College will be in the reception area to welcome you, normally the Short Course Facilitator.
2. We’ll give you your room key as soon as you arrive and assist you in completing a Course Registration form. You will then be shown to your room.
3. Unless otherwise stated, the times of the meals are as follows:
Breakfast - 7.30am – 8.45am
Lunch - 12.30pm – 1.15pm
Evening Meal - 6.30pm – 7.00pm
Morning Coffee - 11.00am –11.30am See course timetable
Afternoon Tea - 3.00pm – 3.30pm See course timetable
4. Tea and coffee making facilities are available in each room.
Identification Badges
You will be issued with an identification badge when you arrive at College which you should wear whilst on the course. This is in part so that other students on the course and on other courses can identify you and in part so that full-time students can also become aware that you are on a course. All badges will be collected by your course tutor on the last session of your course.
5 Computer Access
The college’s IT facilities are for use by students. You must not provide your password to anyone else, particularly not visitors or dependants.
Disability
Fircroft college welcomes applications from students with disabilities. You are offered space on your application form to identify any requirements you may have to enable you to access accommodation or any support requirements, including dietary needs. In addition you can contact us on the telephone number given on the cover of this booklet or through our website.
Cancellation Policy
Please note that the college has a cancellation policy to discourage students from cancelling at short notice (less than 10 days) or not turning up. This includes withholding fees and stopping students from attending further courses (a full copy of this policy has already been sent to you and is available upon request).
College Charter
The College Charter outlines the College’s expectations of students and provides information on what students can expect from the College.
Please ask at Reception or the Short Course office for a full paper copy (in large print if required) of our Charter.
The Charter is also available on the computer. Look at the student ‘S’ drive under ‘Fircroft policies and procedures’.
If we fail to meet your expectations, please tell us in one of the following ways:-
Inform tutor or short course office Complete suggestion/complaints book in reception
6 Complete end of course evaluation form
The College has a disciplinary procedure covering all students. The procedure will be applied to any student not abiding by the colleges rules
Wi-fi is now available free- of-charge throughout the college – please ask the short course office for a password.
Children At Fircroft
Many adults find it difficult to attend courses if they are responsible for young children. It is College policy to meet people’s needs by offering childcare facilities for students on the short course programme. Unfortunately these facilities are usually limited to weekends. There is also a limit to the number of children we can take and these places are offered on a `needs’ basis.
Students wishing to bring children under 13 must apply in advance on the course application form and they will be informed well in advance of arrival if a place in the crèche has been allocated to them. Parents should note that it is not possible to offer childcare for children of school age at times when they should be attending school. Supervision of Children
It is particularly important to note that parents are responsible for supervision of their children at all times, including evenings. The only exception to this is when children are attending the Crèche. This includes the dining room and the college grounds. Parents must not leave the college site without their children, even when the children are in the crèche.
Parents must make arrangements for supervision – individual parents may find it an advantage to co-operate with other parents in making such arrangements. Many people will be studying in their rooms in the evening, and there is a need for quietness in the corridors and near study bedrooms. Parents must not leave children in bedrooms on their own. Children are expected to be in bed by midnight at the latest. Please note that our bedrooms do not have televisions.
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The crèche provider (Childsplay) have drawn up policies on the following 1. Special Needs 2. Equal Opportunities 3. Inappropriate Behaviour Arrangements These can be made available to parents if requested.
The college also has additional policies for students bringing children
Childcare Policy Health and Safety Information
Duty Tutor And Caretaker
During term time there will normally be a College Tutor on duty until 8.30pm to deal with emergencies. The name and the location of the tutor will be posted on the notice board in the reception area. A caretaker is on duty throughout the night and any emergencies (lost keys or serious matters) should be referred to the caretaker. You will find contact information in your bedroom. Caretakers are on duty from 6.00 in the evening until 8.00 in the morning.
Accidents
The College cannot accept liability for any personal accident to a student, family member or the public on College premises. The College’s Insurers will handle any claims made, but only where it can be shown that the College has, in some way been negligent will there be any possibility of compensation being paid.
Security & Lost Property
The College does not accept liability for students’ personal belongings if they are lost, damaged or stolen. Please be as careful as you can to ensure that your personal property and cash are as secure as they can be while you are in the College. Remember to lock your bedroom door when not in the room and when asleep.
Take care of your room key and do not leave it lying about. If you do
8 lose your key report it to the Course or Duty Tutor, the Short Course Office or the Caretaker.
If you bring valuable items to the College you may wish to provide yourself with personal insurance cover.
Should you leave property behind it will be retained for a period of three weeks. You should contact the Short Course Facilitator as soon as you are aware of the loss and arrange for its collection. We are very sorry but because of the lack of storage space we are unable to extend this period of time.
Personal Security
The College has taken appropriate measures for the personal security of students – you are requested to co-operate in ensuring that designated doors are kept locked at night. The two doors to the main building and the door to Primrose Hill must be kept locked in the evening. You have a key for the front door of the main building and if resident in Primrose Hill you will have a key for there as well (these doors are locked and alarmed in the evening) As a security precaution, we do not allow students to invite guests to the college whilst on a course, under any circumstances. Unless agreed in advance, students are discouraged from inviting friends to the college for a meal. Meals are charged at £5.00 per person. Equal Opportunities
Fircroft College is committed to the promotion of equal opportunities in, access to, and provision of, education. The College’s policy in student selection procedures is to ensure that no applicant for a place as a student receives less favourable treatment on grounds of ethnic origin, sex, marital status or disability or is disadvantaged by conditions or requirements which cannot be shown to be justifiable. Selection procedures are therefore monitored closely to ensure that individuals are selected and treated on the basis of their needs, merits and abilities. The College is committed to a programme of action to make this policy effective.
For example, regular checks are made to ascertain whether members
9 of certain ethnic communities are absent from the admissions list of the college so that any defect in the working of the College’s equal opportunities policy can be remedied.
Departure
On the day of departure, short course students are requested to vacate rooms by 10.00am, and to ensure that the key is returned to reception at this time. Smoking Regulations
For the sake of the health and comfort of users of the college, and as a legal requirement, the college has a no-smoking policy which applies to all areas of the college. The use of candles in the college is also prohibited.
There is a smoking cabin in the grounds with disabled access. Students must not smoke near doors and windows, and in particular we must ask that you do not smoke around the main college entrance door, nor the door from the common room to the gardens. Fire Precautions
A Fire List is kept in the lobby and lists all the people staying in College. Please check on arrival that you have been included on the list. In the event of a fire during your stay, you should assemble on the lawn outside the library where a check will be made. If you have to leave the college you must sign out in the Short Course/Long Course Student Signing Out Book, and sign in again on your return. In the event of a fire, the lists are used to check who is here. If you fail to sign out it will endanger other people. First Aid
The college has a number of registered First-Aiders who are always available should you need them. Details of how to contact the First- Aider are in student bedrooms and on notice-boards around the college.
10 Infectious Diseases
It is the responsibility of you as an individual and in the case of children, you as a parent, not to come to the college if you suspect that you or your children may have an infectious disease. Examples of infectious diseases - Influenza, Diarrhoea and vomiting, nits, meningitis, viral hepatitis. If you do chose to attend the course the college reserves the right to ask you to leave in order to safeguard the health of staff and students.
Getting to the College
By Car - From the M6 (via M1 from London)
From the M6 take Junction 6 (Spaghetti Junction). Take the A38M Aston Expressway into Birmingham City Centre through the Queensway Tunnel which takes you on to the Bristol Road (A38). Continue South along the Bristol Road for approximately five miles. You will pass Birmingham University on your right, drive through Selly Oak, past Sainsbury’s, also on your right, and go through the traffic lights at the main cross-roads of Selly Oak. Approximately half a mile after this cross-road, you will pass Elmfield House (which is at the top of the hill) on your left, followed by a pedestrian crossing. Fircroft is immediately on the left. The driveway is slightly concealed and easily missed. We therefore advise that you reduce your speed as soon as you reach the top of the hill.
By Car From the M42
From the M42 take Junction 1 (not M42/M5 interchange). Turn north onto the A38 and follow for approximately seven miles. You will pass the through Longbridge and Northfield shopping area.
Look for Bournville College on the left, a white overhead foot-bridge, and the Orchard Learning Resource Centre at Birmingham University Selly Oak Campus is on the left. On seeing Birmingham University, immediately move into the right-hand lane and turn into the next exit. Fircroft College’s entrance is directly opposite this exit.
11 Train Service
You can catch a local train from New Street Station to Selly Oak Station. The fare is approx £1.80 (one way). From Selly Oak Station it is a short bus ride on either the 61, 62 or 63 bus (see directions below on where to alight). It is possible to take a taxi from Selly Oak Station which will cost approximately £3.60, if you walk it will take approximately 10 minutes.
By Bike
Bicycles are carried free of charge on the local train without booking. Fircroft is just 1 mile from National Route S and you can plan your journey at www.sustrans.org.uk. Sheffield Bike stands are available at the college.
On Foot
If walking, turn left out of the station on to the Bristol Road walking away from the City, towards Northfield. It is approximately just over a half mile to the College, on the same side of the road as the station. You will walk past Sainsbury’s on the opposite side of the road, continue walking keeping the dual carriageway on your right-hand side. When you arrive at Elmfield House note that George Cadbury Hall and finally the Charles W Gillett Centre is the building directly before the Fircroft college entrance/drive.
Bus Service
You can catch the 61, 62 or 63 buses to the College from Corporation Street outside Gap in the City Centre or outside New Street Station. The fare is approx £1.70. Ask the driver to tell you when you reach Weoley (pronounced Wheely) Park Road. As you alight the bus, turn right to walk down the hill, therefore, going in the same direction as you were travelling. You will walk past The George Cadbury Hall and the Charles W. Gillett Centre, Fircroft is the next turning on the left.
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Taxi Service
There are taxis available from New Street Station – the cost is approximately £11.00 –when giving the driver the address, point out that Fircroft College is just opposite the Orchard Learning Resource Centre at Birmingham University, Selly Oak Campus on the Bristol Road in Selly Oak. The entrance to Fircroft is on the same side of the road on which you are travelling and the entrance is easily missed as it is quite concealed.
Parking
There is a car park at the front of the college, first on the left as you come down the drive. Please ensure that you do not park directly outside the front door, except in those areas designated for disabled persons.
Telephones
There is one pay phone in College in the entrance to the Primrose Hill residential area, which is a card-phone. This number below should be given to people if you wish them to ring you.
Primrose Hill: 0121 471 2669
13 The Fircroft Library
You will have use of the College library during your stay at the College. Books are not to be removed from the library. As well as books you will find computers which give access to internet facilities. All internet users will be subject to the JANET Acceptable Use Policy. Your tutor will provide you with a password.
After The Course
The whole point of being residential is to learn without the pressures of everyday life. So tutors will encourage you to complete all your work before the end of the course. If you are given the option of taking away an assessment task for a higher level, you must meet the deadline set (usually 3 weeks).
Your work will be marked and a feedback sheet(*) will be returned to you 6 weeks of the course (or deadline). Your coursework will not be returned to you, unless it is required for your next course i.e. if your course has two parts. If you would like you coursework back this can be requested by one of two ways:
i. You can collect your coursework when you attend your next course or by prior arrangement. Confirmation of the date when you wish to collect the coursework must be notified to the College giving at least 10 working days notice, or.. ii. You can provide a large A4 size stamped addressed envelope, with 66p postage secured to the envelope. This will then be returned to you with requested coursework within 10 working days of the request.
(*) Your Feedback Sheet will include your grade and some useful feedback.
Your grade is not confirmed until moderation has taken place. In the unlikely event that the moderator changes the grade, you will be informed. Certificates are then awarded at a special Awards Ceremony in the December of the next academic year or posted out in the following January (after the Ceremony). In the meantime, if you particularly need
14 a note from the college confirming your attendance and achievement we can provide that.
Please note: An Academic Year is: August to July in each year.
Certificates are presented at the Award Ceremony in the December following the academic year you attend.
Anyone who is unable to attend will receive their certificate via post in the January following the Awards Ceremony.
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