College Support

Yes, we have an award-winning student support team who offer one-to-one support to help you reach your full potential and achieve your goals. You'll regularly meet with a Personal Tutor who will help you to plan your learning journey and keep track of your progress. Our Learning Support Team can offer additional and specific support if you have any additional needs and/or disability. This includes support for sensory needs, learning and physical disabilities, autism and dyslexia. They can also help if you need advice and support for any issues relating to your mental health and wellbeing. You can find out more details on our Student Support page.

Yes, financial support for costs associated with studying is available to eligible students. Eligibility depends on household income and students who qualify could be entitled to a free travel pass, meals on days you're timetabled in at college and help with equipment and field trips. Bursaries may also be available for vulnerable students. Full-time students can access student discounts from most travel providers, depending on where you live and how you travel to college. We'll help you access these discounts when you enrol with us. Head over to the Support page for more information.

Here at Newcastle College we want you to gain your independence and be free to express yourself. Around campus, you won't need to wear a uniform (other than your ID lanyard). As long as you're not wearing any offensive slogans, you're free to wear whatever you feel most yourself in! Many practical courses will require you to wear a uniform (such as chef's whites for hospitality courses) or PPE (like hard hats and boots in construction). Usually this will only be required during your practical lessons.

College is very different to school and you'll get used to having lots of independent study. Your timetable will be made up of practical sessions, English and maths, tutorials and independent study, as well as work experience when that is required. This means you'll have some free periods during your days and sometimes whole days where you aren't timetabled in for lessons. This time ideally should be spent completing your independent study and coursework as you'll be trusted to manage your own time and meet all of your deadlines.

This completely depends on the course you choose. Vocational education is different to A-Levels and we don't have set exams every year. Our focus is on ensuring you gain the skills you need and we'll assess this in various ways, such as written assignments and coursework, practical projects and observations. Some courses may have an exam assessment. If you are re-sitting your English and/or maths GCSEs, you will need to complete these exams.

We have plenty of social and study space for you to spend your free periods. You can drop in to our Learning Zones across campus to use computers and check your student emails or complete any work you need to, or you can use the Library on our main campus. If you want to grab a bite to eat or relax, there are a number of cafes, canteens and eateries on campus, or you can nab a seat in our outdoor Piazza if the weather is nice.