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HE Student Support
Academic resources for Higher Education.
Library opening times:
- Monday – Thursday: 8am – 6pm
- Friday: 8am – 4.30pm
Independent study and taking an active role in your learning, including wider reading and reflection, is critical to your success in Higher Education. The Library at Cardinal Newman College houses an extensive, dedicated, HE section containing books, academic journals, laptops and computer facilities; providing an accessible and relevant learning environment for all HE students. Essential and recommended reading lists are available within each module handbook and are specifically designed to help you select the most appropriate resources to support your learning. Print items can be requested by emailing the Library team (library@cardinalnewman.ac.uk), and items are automatically renewed, where possible.
Our dedicated HE Digital Library provides access to a wide range of online resources 24/7 to support your learning outside the classroom. Appropriate academic journals and E-books, including TES and The Times newspaper, are available via the Digital Library and you can also search the Library catalogue for resources available print format. UCLan and Lancashire County Library catalogues are also available to search – please ask the Library team for more details. A wide range of information guides are available to assist you in using online resources outside College hours.
Our Library Manager, Katie Dalton (kdalton@cardinalnewman.ac.uk), is also on-hand to assist you in selecting and using appropriate resources effectively, as well as providing support in developing your Information Literacy skills. Katie hosts workshops and 1:1 sessions throughout the year, exploring topics such as research skills, Harvard/APA referencing and academic writing. In addition to this, you can submit up to 4 assignments per year for constructive feedback on organisation, referencing, spelling/grammar and academic style.
You are always welcome to provide feedback regarding Library resources, however, each semester you will be asked to take part in formal focus groups, allowing you to comment on and evaluate the provision of learning resources; this ensures you have an active input into deciding on the learning resources available for your studies.
Careers Support for HE Students
Employment skills and knowledge are embedded into all learning, teaching and assessment on all of our HE courses.
Students are encouraged to reflect upon the experiences they have in their workplaces which enriches class activities and provides the opportunity for students to apply theory to their practice. Guest speakers from industry regularly visit college and share their experiences with our students which not only enhances learning, teaching and assessment but also helps with student career decision making and is aspirational.
The college also has a specialist careers team situated in a dedicated area in the St Wilfrid’s building who help all students to make the right choices for their future. There is information on a wide range of careers, university courses across Britain and students have access to various career databases. Anytime during the recruitment, selection and admission phase and after enrolment HE students can seek advice and guidance from a specialist careers adviser to discuss career plans, progression options and/or information and support relating to student finance and applications.
Please contact careers@cardinalnewman.ac.uk for further details or to book an appointment with one of the advisers
Throughout the academic year the careers team visit HE students in their tutorials to talk about careers and progression options this can then be followed up with a 1-1 appointment.
Each year the careers team organise two events in college, a HE/Progression fair and an Employability Fair to which, both prospective and current students are welcome to attend.
The following website/resource contains lots of postgraduate course advice and careers information
Other useful careers resources are:
MDX - Improving your employability
How we will support you – Study Skills
If you are considering applying for an undergraduate degree you probably have many questions from funding to types of courses and entry requirements, there’s a lot to take in.
All the staff at Cardinal Newman College are committed to supporting all prospective students to select the right course that will enable them to become the professional they aspire to be and all enrolled students to achieve the best they can and progress successfully. Within the HE teaching team and across the college we have friendly and experienced teaching and support staff who provide study, career, welfare and technical support to all our students.
Integral to each of our Foundation Degrees is a study skills module which introduces students to a range of fundamental study skills such as the theory of reflection, the skills of referencing, essay and report writing and presenting information to others. Therefore if it has been a while since you last wrote an essay or you’re struggling with your referencing, with our help you can learn how to study more effectively and communicate at an advanced and professional level. Students can arrange one-to-one individual academic support with their module leads or with the resource manager which is especially useful for support with developing referencing skills. Weekly tutorial sessions are embedded into course delivery and sessions focus on study skills as well as personal and professional development such as mindfulness and careers / progression guidance.
BA (Hons) Working with Children in Early Years and Education students are allocated a dissertation supervisor who they meet with regularly for 1:1 support throughout the academic year. Some students prefer to hold these meetings on before sessions start on Thursday mornings but we are flexible to fit these meetings around student’s other commitments.
Our Access and Participation statement provides up to date information relating to our enrolments, student outcomes and how we support prospective and our enrolled students.
Access and Participation Statement
Many of our students are over 21 and we appreciate returning to education may seem daunting. However, being a little older brings with it many advantages and benefits so if you want to start a new career, improve your current job prospects or simply wish to study a subject you love, we can help you achieve your goals.
We welcome all enquiries, please contact Kathy Salisbury Assistant Principal (HE) for further details.
Student Finance
From 2025, the course fees for all the degrees are £6,185 per annum and these fees are fully funded through the Student Loans Company.
There may be some extra costs incurred by students whilst studying for the degrees such as travel, DBS checks, work-place uniform (if required) and binding of dissertations at level 6, please contact ksalisbury@cardinalnewman.ac.uk for further details.
There is a wealth of information available on-line to support prospective students to apply for their student finance, the following links are especially useful.
For students who wish to pay for their course fees privately the college offers a monthly payment plan please contact ksalisbury@cardinalnewman.ac.uk for full details.
This is a valuable link for prospective students to access information about Student Finance England from a variety of sites. Some students prefer to access information via social media such as Facebook, YouTube and Twitter, opposed to via Gov.uk however it is advisable to use a range of sources.
The following links are official Gov.Uk or UCAS links, it is advisable to use these
Repayment guide from the UCAS website
Additional Learning Support
To enable all students at Cardinal Newman to achieve their learning goals, we have a dedicated Additional Learning Support (ALS) team. The ALS team, based in St Bede’s building, offers a wide range of support to students if they have an impairment or additional needs which meets the definition of a disability, as defined in the Equality Act 2010.
Where any additional needs are identified, the ALS team will work alongside students to determine any reasonable adjustments that may be required to support with learning. The nature of this may differ from the support you that students have received in the past, as in Higher Education, there is the expectation of progression towards independence, which differs significantly from Further Education.
These adjustments will always be determined on an individual basis and will depend upon the course/professional body requirements, in line with the College requirements. In some circumstances, where support from the ALS department will not be appropriate (e.g. where a specific learning disability is not deemed to have a substantial adverse effect on the student’s ability to carry out normal day to day activities and therefore not considered a disability under the Equality Act 2010), we will refer the student to relevant services within the college for further assistance.
The ALS team can support with the following;
- Offer a quiet working area
- Proof reading
- Essay planning
- Organisation – files – workload
- CV/personal statements assistance
- Access to technology
- Guidance on exam techniques
- Guidance on planning revision/eam timetables
- 1:1 study support
- Deadlines and specialist learning support team
If you feel that you require any further support, including financial support to assist you with your learning then you may be entitled to DSA, if you follow the link below it will take you direct to the website.
Welfare and Counselling
The college aims to provide comprehensive support to all our HE students assisting anyone who might need help to overcome obstacles enabling them to complete their courses successfully. Hayley Sommerville, HE Programmes Lead is our designated welfare support officer who is committed to providing personalised advice and guidance on a number of different issues including travel enquiries, financial support, welfare and counselling.
All our HE teachers and other college staff are committed to supporting all students studying in college and are available to discuss anything at all that might be concerning you. However if you feel the need to talk in confidence about issues that are worrying you, the College have counsellors available for consultation. Please speak to your module lead or Hayley Sommerville for further details who can arrange an appointment for you.
National Union of Students (NUS)
All Higher Education students studying at Cardinal Newman College can access information from the National Union of Students https://www.nus.org.uk/ and apply for and purchase a Totum card https://www.totum.com/ . These discount cards and an app give Higher Education students access to exclusive student deals on food and fashion, travel and much more.
What is a Foundation Degree?
A Foundation Degree is the first two years of a BA or BSc (Hons) degree. After successful completion, students graduate with a Foundation Degree (FdA), graduates then have up to 5 years within which to Top-Up this qualification to a full honours degree if they wish. All the Degrees delivered at Cardinal Newman College are work-based, combining academic and workplace skills relating to specific industries, where students gain professional and technical skills to further their career.
Our degrees are ideal if you wish to study while you work, have a job which you don’t want to give up or if you are looking for an alternative way to achieve a degree. They are delivered on Wednesdays, for 33 weeks a year, term time only from 1 pm – 7.30 pm to keep the disruption to your work and employer to a minimum. As our academic year is longer than at a University, study hours are comparable.
What is a Top-Up?
A Top-Up Degree is the final year of a BA or BSc (Hons) degree which can be studied after completing a Foundation Degree to convert it into a full honours degree. There are a number of Top-Up opportunities to choose from at local Higher Education Institutions, however, the one at Cardinal Newman College is designed for people who are working with children in an educational or social context.
Our Top-up is delivered in the same way as our Foundation Degrees, however, students also meet regularly with their dissertation supervisor at a time to fit around home and work commitments. Our Top-Up is also work-based, students bring their work-place experiences, knowledge and skills into the classroom and teaching, learning and assessment are embedded into a student’s own practice. https://www.cardinalnewman.ac.uk/university-courses/all-he-courses-1/item/11/working-with-children-in-early-years-education
The course will take place every Thursday, term time only for 33 weeks, from 1pm – 6.30pm. Level 6 students will also meet with their dissertation supervisors for tutorials on Thursday mornings or at an alternative day/time to fit in with student’s other commitment.
How many hours do I have to be working/volunteering?
All teaching, learning and assessment of our degrees evolve from the work-place experiences of our students. Modules are designed to enable the exploration of concepts relating to practice, it is, therefore, really important for our HE students to have regular experiences in a related work-place so they are able to apply theory to their practice and develop a deeper understanding. Some, but not all of our degrees have specified workplace hours that must be completed. Specific course details relating to each of our degrees can be found on our website: https://www.cardinalnewman.ac.uk/university-courses/all-he-courses-1
Will all students on the Foundation Degrees be straight out of College or Sixth Form?
No, as our degrees are work-based and relate closely to professional practice, they are available to and are an attractive option for everyone. As many of our HE students use our work-based approach to progress their career, for example, to become a teacher, they are equally popular with students progressing from Level 3 and adults returning to education, some of whom have experience in industry, whilst others are looking for a change in career. If you are a student returning to education after a break-in studying, you can be assured that we will support your transition. There is also a study skills module which supports the development of academic writing and research skills within all of our Foundation Degrees.
Does my workplace have to pay for anything or complete any assessments or paperwork?
No, our course fees of £6185 per annum can be fully funded through the Student Loans Company, https://www.gov.uk/student-finance. Alternatively, some students prefer to pay their own fees and the college’s payment plan is available on request. The only requirement for a workplace is for them to release students to attend their university courses on the day they are delivered. We do encourage our students to find someone in their organisation that they can talk to about studying for their degree, however, other than being supportive in terms of listening to and sharing ideas, there is no work-place assessment required.
What is the deadline to apply and do I apply through UCAS?
UCAS is not used for applications for our degrees at Cardinal Newman College. Prospective students simply complete the interest form, which is available on our website https://www.cardinalnewman.ac.uk/university-courses/apply-for-he and send this electronically to admissions@cardinalnewman.ac.uk. Alternatively completed applications can be delivered to the College reception addressed to Assistant Principal (HE) Kathy Salisbury.
Applications are then transferred to the HE team, which provides the opportunity for applicants to receive personalised information, advice and guidance relating to their application. Please see our recruitment, selection and admissions procedure at Recruitment Selection and Admissions Process. The application deadline for a September start is the last Wednesday in September.
If you only attend university one day a week, is it a proper degree?
Yes, all of our degrees are validated by Middlesex University. The Foundation Degrees were originally validated in 2015 and then reviewed in 2022 which ensures that all modules remain relevant and current to support student's development and their practice. The BA Top Up was originally validated in 2018 and is to under go the review process in early 2025. As a validated partner, Cardinal Newman College works in partnership with Middlesex University, following their academic regulations and quality processes. All teaching, learning and assessment are undertaken at Cardinal Newman College, but the final degree is awarded by Middlesex University.