Helping you with achieving your goals
We work alongside other areas within the college to ensure students overcome any barriers that may prevent them from progressing on their course or within their personal life. The team has different areas of specialist knowledge to ensure that all support needs can be met.
Meet the student welfare team
Support coaches
Support coaches are primarily responsible for managing a caseload of identified students. These students will fall under one or more of the following vulnerable groups:
- Looked after young person/care leaver
- Students who are living away from parents
- Students who have current involvement with the police
- Students who experience mental health difficulties
- Young carer
- Young parent.
Support coaches help students overcome any barriers that are preventing them from progressing on their course and also in their personal life. This support begins with gathering information at the time of application and providing bespoke and targeted support to meet the needs of the student once enrolled.
Support coaches will give students opportunities to achieve their goals whilst here at college. Working closely with the attendance coaches, teachers, heads of department and various other staff within the college, they will guide the student to focus on being as successful as they possibly can be.
Support coaches offer one-to-one support via face-to-face meetings, email, phone calls, Microsoft Teams and Facebook Messenger. They will attend both internal and external meetings to support a student during their time at college.
We also offer other services within college such as the counselling provision, The Wellbeing Hub (Derby Road campus), pop-up Wellbeing events (Engineering Innovation Centre, Construction Centre and Chesterfield Road campus) and weekly visits from SEXions.
Support coaches will also signpost students to external support provisions such as social care, LGBTQ services, NIDAS (domestic violence support), CAMHS and young carers organisations to name just a few.
Support coaches are easily accessible within the college. If you need to speak to one of them you can either contact them via the Single Access Point (Duty desk based at the Derby Road campus) or email wellbeingcentre@wnc.ac.uk.
Students based at the Engineering Innovation Centre, Construction Centre and Chesterfield Road will be informed of where their support coach is based.
Attendance coaches
Attendance coaches work alongside the support coaches, the mental health coordinator, safeguarding team and teachers to help students overcome the barriers for maintaining good attendance. Some of the most common barriers currently are:
- Mental health issues such as anxiety, low mood and poor self-esteem
- Health concerns/COVID-19
- Financial difficulties and/or lack of equipment
- Course choice
- Lack of support at home.
When attendance drops down below 90% over a 4 week period, the student is referred to an attendance coach. Attendance coaches will work with the student to offer the support they need.
The behaviour coach
The behaviour coach works with students to promote positive behaviour and provide the tools for them to make the best and most informed choices for themselves. A behaviour coach will offer support once a student exhibits persistent poor behaviour and does not respond to classroom behaviour management. Poor behaviour in class and around college may be resolved with anger management sessions with opportunities to discuss and work through the choices made.
Mental health support and the Wellbeing Hub
It's our aim to make sure that the college is providing all students and staff with factual information and support around mental health. It is an integral part of the student welfare team to ensure that students are supported throughout their journey at college, especially in regards to their mental health.
The service is confidential and flexible and provided at all college sites for students to receive impartial guidance to identify their individual needs.
Liaison with external agencies can also be arranged with a students consent to meet their support needs. We can also refer a student to a free external counselling service.
To contact our mental health coordinator or access the Wellbeing Hub, please email wellbeingcentre@wnc.ac.uk
Student financial support
The student finance team are responsible for processing applications from students for the various bursaries available.
They advise students about the possible financial support available and to support with completing the online application for bursaries.
Learn more
Find out more about each of the areas below.
Support & services at West Notts