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General – Services/Facilities
When is the College Open to Speak to someone in person? Brampton Road Term time: Monday-Thursday 09:00 – 19:45 Fri 09:00 – 17.00 Sat 09:00 - 12.45 Brampton Road Out of term time: Monday – Friday 09:00 – 17.00 Do you have parking facilities? The College has a limited number of parking spaces, including disabled parking at each site. Enrolment on a course does not guarantee you a parking space. Parking is on the usual first-come, first-served basis. The College cannot accept responsibility for cars or personal possessions left in the car parks. Car parks may be closed during extreme weather conditions. How do I get in touch? Call us on 020 3045 5176 Do you have a canteen? The Brampton college has a canteen, Sidcup do not, however, it has food outlets nearby. Will you contact us if our class is cancelled during adverse weather? Where possible students will be contacted by text/email but, students should: Check on the College website homepage. There is a link on the homepage to lgfl opencheck, select Bexley and then click on the relevant College Site Telephone 020 3045 5176 Please note - Extreme circumstances may mean the information is not immediately available or up-to-date, in which case please use your discretion. Do you have disabled access? Brampton Road has a lift to enable access to the higher floors, Brampton and Sidcup all have disabled access. If you have any special requirement we will do our utmost to assist you. To discuss specific needs, refer to Learner Support Manager. Do you have crèche facilities? Unfortunately, we have no childcare facilities at any of the Centres. Do you have any careers advisors I can speak to? We have an Adult Careers Guidance team based at our Brampton Road centre consisting of qualified careers advisors who can also help with CV Writing and Interview techniques. Contact them on 020 8298 2822 or e-mail: careers.advice@lecb.ac.uk for appointments. I have seen/been told you provide free counselling for students and staff, can you give me more details? Contact Ros Shaw, Student Services/Student Welfare Manager either by phone (020 8298 2727), e-mail: ros.shaw@lecb.ac.uk or leave a message with one of the reception staff at either the Sidcup or Brampton Centres with contact details. How can I access someone who could help me with welfare issues? Welfare advice includes domestic violence, housing, coping with benefits, drug or alcohol abuse issues. The contact person is Ros Shaw phone 020 8298 2727 or e-mail: ros.shaw@lecb.ac.uk I need help writing my CV who do I speak to? Transfer to Guidance and Open Study on 020 8298 2822 Can I resit an exam? Refer to exams office, if a student has already been in contact with Exams, take payment update Connect and email exams to let them know the student has paid. Can I enrol after the course has started? Usually no, but in a small number of subject areas, yes, up to a certain point. Please contact the curriculum manager for more information. Can I come in to collect my Certificate/folder? Ask if they have been notified this is an option – SFL (Literacy/Numeracy, usually collected from Brampton – others from Sidcup – but need to be checked with Exams dept. Other check with Curriculum Clerical Support Do you have a library? We don’t have a library but we do have an Open Study which is open to all Adult Education learners offering:
Payments and Fees I am in receipt of ESA - Am I entitled to a discount? Refer to Fees chart, proof of benefit will also be required if it is a funded course. Can I pay by Direct Debit/Instalments? We currently have a standing order payment plan (4 x equal payments) and also an Instalment plan x 2 payments). Both plans require forms to be signed off by students (in person) together with the first payment (inclusive of any set-up fee) and a signed/dated Standing Order Form & Payment Plan which is sent to the Finance team who monitor payments and send forms to the bank. How does setting up a standing order work? See above - available for single courses over 12 weeks and costing over £150.00 Tell me about the Instalment Plan. See above - available for single courses over £100.00 and under 12 weeks. Are there any other payment options available? Discussed in person with office Manager pending income and circumstances. I receive xxxxxxx type of benefit, what fee do I pay? Refer to Fees chart, proof of benefit will also be required if it is a funded course. I am on low income but work a few hours per week? You may qualify for help from our Discretionary Student Support Fund or Bursary’s, our Registered Charity. Give student the bursary’s form and pass on to Ros once complete, the student is still required to pay 50% of the course. (The DLS Funds Officer will consider completed application together with evidence). However, we recommend that students who really can’t afford the balance should think seriously before committing to the course as the DLS/BTAS funds are limited and any help forthcoming may only cover a minimal amount so students will ultimately be responsible for the balance of the outstanding amount. What type of evidence do I need to supply? All evidence must be current and dated within the last 4 weeks. Refer to fees chart for specific benefits and evidence required. I only have my entitlement letter for my benefit but it is not in the last 4 weeks. We must have evidence that is current and dated in the last 4 weeks. If the entitlement letter is out of date we will also need a bank statement within the last 4 weeks showing that you still receive the benefit. I receive Employment and Support allowance what evidence do I need to provide? We will need your proof of benefit, and if this is not dated within the last 4 weeks we will also need a bank statement showing the payment going into your account. I have not lived in the UK or an EU or EEA country for the last 3 years – what fee would I pay? All courses non-funded: £10 per hour plus exam fees and any other fees. I enrolled on a course and am paying by standing order, Is it possible to change my bank details? It is possible but we would require a new signed, Standing Order form. It is the student’s responsibility to cancel the original SO but not before the new one is set up – start date to be agreed. Are the exam fees included in the full fee of the course? Generally, the cost of the examination, registration (with the awarding body), and administration will be included in the course fees. However, there are some exceptions: please read the description of your course carefully – this will tell you whether there are any additional costs to pay. All examination, accreditation and administration fees are non-refundable. Can you tell me about an advanced learner loan/ Professional and Career Development Loans? Professional and Career Development Loans are bank loans to pay for courses and training that help with your career or help get you into work. Please note these are only available for levels 3 and above. You only start paying back the loan once you are working and earning above £25,000 a year. Loans are usually offered at a reduced interest rate and the government pays interest while you're studying. For more information go to www.gov.uk/career-development-loans/overview Online Enrolment Can I enrol online? Yes – visit our website at http://www.lecb.ac.uk I didn't apply my discount code online – can you refund this? We are unable to apply any discount retrospectively. This is clearly marked on our website and also in the Enrolment instructions that you have to agree to having read prior to completing your online enrolment. I registered my interest for a course online what happens next? For most courses you can book your IA online - click onto the course you wish to enrol on, register and then pick the most convenient date. Or you can contact the College on 020 3045 5176 quoting the course title and course code. For English and maths courses please telephone to book your assessment. I have enrolled online but not received confirmation? When enrolling online you will receive email confirmation. If you have not received check that your email server has not treated the email as 'junk mail'. You will also need to print off the course outline from the website which has the details about your course. Enrolment/Course How can I enrol? You can enrol one of four ways. You may enrol online at http://www.lecb.ac.uk Full fee payers may enrol over the phone by credit/debit card; you can enrol in person at the Sidcup, or Brampton centre. Students paying a concessionary fee on-line are required to bring evidence of concession to one of the centres within 7 days of enrolling. After 7 days, if the evidence and/or balance has not been received, they will be withdrawn from the course but will not be refunded the initial £25.00. This has now been extended to students enrolling by telephone or in person. I live out of the borough can I still enrol? Yes Are there any further details available for a particular course? Course outlines provide more specialist advice. When does the next brochure come out? Usually once a year around June/July. When should I enrol for my course? You should enrol as soon as possible or at least 3 weeks before the start of your course to avoid disappointment as a result of the course being full or cancelled due to low numbers. I want to enrol on a family learning course? You can enrol online, in person or over the phone. Please note a maximum of two Family Learning courses per student per year. My child is home educated but there are no home ed specific courses? Home Ed can enrol on mainstream classes but will be charged at £10 per hours plus exam/admin fees. Maximum 3 Home Ed learners per course. Can I enrol straight onto BSL level 2? No – student must enrol on Pre Level 2 first after completing Level 1. The tutor will then approve your enrolment for Level 2 once pre level 2 is completed. Initial Assessment I have failed my IA and would like to resit? We can rebook you for the resit and you might find these links of use: https://www.nationalnumeracy.org.uk/improve-your-maths http://www1.edexcel.org.uk/tot/alns2/CMA-Edexcel-web2.swf I have xxxxxx qualifications, so do I need to sit an initial assessment? If you hold GCSE’s in both Maths and English at Grade C or above in the last 5 years, or equivalent, then you may be exempt from sitting the assessment. However, some courses still require you to sit an IA and interview before enrolment. Proof of qualifications will be required. Withdrawals/Transfers I want to withdraw from my course – can I cancel my standing order? Fees are still payable even if you withdraw from your course, therefore you should not cancel your standing order. Outstanding fees will be pursued. Am I entitled to a refund? Refer to refund policy. Can I transfer from one course to another? You may transfer from one course to another if applicable/possible however it is only possible to transfer to a course in the same brochure. If a transfer is possible then there is a £15 transfer fee for each transfer requested, plus any additional fees. What happens if the course I transfer to costs less? If the course costs less, unfortunately, the difference in fees is not refundable. Please refer to the College's refund policy. Compliments/Comments/Complaints I am not happy with my course or the service I have received who do I contact? The first stage is to put the complaint in writing to Natalie Lofts, Customer Services Manager, LEC Bexley, 5 Brampton Road, Bexleyheath, Kent DA7 4EZ or email it to Natalie.lofts@lecb.ac.uk My tutor was excellent, I really enjoyed my course and the office/canteen/caretaking staff were so helpful who can I tell? Put the compliment in writing and send to Natalie Lofts, Customer Services Manager, LEC Bexley, 5 Brampton Road, Bexleyheath, Kent DA7 4EZ. or email it to Natalie.lofts@lecb.ac.uk Staff would really appreciate it! What is the appeal procedure if I am not happy with my exam results? This week Ofqual and the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ) have published their guidance for appeals in 2021.
There will be a two-stage appeals process, as follows:
Learners will be able to request a centre review, and once that has been concluded may proceed to an awarding organisation appeal (if they wish to). We are yet to confirm any associated fees regarding our appeals services. We will keep you updated as soon as this information is confirmed and available. For more information please see our Appeals summer 2021 webpage, and overview video. |