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Enrolment Information

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The New Community Education Brochure

Please click on the links below to download the current Adult Learning brochure

Community Education Brochure Adult Learning Programme - Spring 2008 in PDF Format Adult Learning Programme - Spring 2008 in Microsoft Word Format Adult Learning Brochure - Autumn 2007 in PDF Format

Courses are scheduled to begin week commencing 24^th September 2007.

We look forward to seeing you!

Information, Advice and Guidance

We will give you professional information and advice about our courses, entry requirements and progression routes. Please contact the Community Education Manager at the centre, if you require confidential individual advice.

You may be unsure that the course you are thinking of enrolling on, is the right one for you. Please contact us at any time before enrolling and we will be happy to answer any questions you may have. We may also arrange for you to talk directly to the course tutor so that you can be sure we have answered your query.

You may also like to attend our enrolment day to find out more information or to enrol. It will be held on Saturday 1 September 2007 at The Queens Head Morpeth from 10.00am till 3.00pm.

Enrolling on Your Course

Enrolling: You must enrol and pay for classes before they start. You can enrol by post, telephone or in person.

• By Post – Using the enrolment form in the middle of this brochure, completing the credit card details or by enclosing a cheque made payable to:- Northumberland County Council
• By Telephone – Telephone enrolments can be made by giving your credit card details when community staff return from the summer break on Wednesday 29 August 2007.
• In Person – Personal enrolments can be made at our enrolment day held on Saturday 1 September 2007 at The Queens Head Morpeth from 10.00am till 3.00pm or when the community staff return from holiday on Wednesday 29 August 2007.

Enrolments should be received at least one week prior to the start of the course. Once we receive your enrolment we book a space for you on your course. We will not contact you to confirm your place. We will only contact you if a class is full or has not attracted sufficient enrolments. If you have not heard from us you should turn up to the first class as detailed in the brochure.

Enrolments are processed on a first come first served basis, so your application for a place cannot be guaranteed. The offer of all programmes advertised by this centre is dependent upon viable learner numbers, as determined by the Community Education Manager.
Therefore please do not leave enrolment until the first session as a decision will have to be made prior to the course start date. You should also note that some courses have minimum entry or age requirements; therefore you may not be guaranteed a place. If this is the case, once we receive your enrolment, we will contact you to discuss the course requirements. If you have not lived in the UK or the European Union for the last three years then please contact the centre to see if you are eligible for a place on our courses.
Our courses are for people who are aged at least 16 by 31st August 2007, therefore if you are under 16 years of age you should speak to centre staff about enrolling, to find out if a place can be offered to you.

Paying Your Fees

You can pay for your course in the following ways:-

• By cheque (payable to Northumberland County Council)
• By credit card (VISA and MasterCard only, please note that we do not have the facility to take Switch Card payments)
• By cash

Please note we do not accept part enrolments and we cannot reserve spaces for you without a payment. Please note that we are unable to accept Switch payments.

Qualification Courses

If you choose to take a course leading towards a qualification you should be willing to participate in the assessment of it. If you are unsure about what this involves, talk to us about it prior to enrolment. If you are not willing to take the assessment, please browse through the courses which do not have a qualification and think about choosing one of these courses instead.

Free Tuition

The categories that are entitled to free tuition are:

• Learners who are at least 16 and under 19 years of age on 31 August 2007
• Learners studying their first full Level 2 qualification. If you do not hold a full level 2 qualification (5 GCSE passes at grade C or above or NVQ Level 2 or equivalent), you can study to achieve your first full level 2 qualification for free.
• Learners who are at least 19 and under 26 years of age on 31 August 2007 studying their first full Level 3 qualification. If you do not hold a full level 3 qualification (3 A Levels, NVQ Level 3 or equivalent), you can study to achieve your first full level 3 qualification for free.
• Learners in receipt of income-based benefits, formerly known as means-tested benefits, that is:
  1. Unemployed people in receipt of income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
  2. Those in receipt of Council Tax Benefit
  3. Those in receipt of Housing Benefit
  4. Those in receipt of Income Support
  5. Those in receipt of Working Tax Credit with a household income of less than £15,050
  6. Those in receipt of Pension Credits (Guarantee Credit only)
• Unemployed people in receipt of contribution based Jobseeker’s Allowance
• Unwaged dependants of those listed above
• Offenders who are serving their sentence in the community
• Those taking basic skills courses in literacy and / or numeracy (excluding English for speakers of other languages)
• Asylum seekers in receipt of the equivalent of income-based benefit (assistance under the terms of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999) and their dependants

If you qualify for a concession please bring evidence of your benefits or tax credits with you to enrolment so that we can process your application quickly. Please note that Incapacity Benefit is not income related so it will not qualify you for a concession.

Please note that our centre reserves the right to charge an administration fee of £5.00 per course to learners offered remission who fail to start the course or attend the class sessions.

In order to comply with the Employment Equality (Age) Regulations 2006 we regret we can no longer offer a 25% reduction in fees to people achieving the age of 60 years. If this affects you, you are encouraged to find out if you could be eligible for Pension Credits (Guarantee Portion). If you are eligible to claim this Tax Credit, you will be entitled to free tuition on our qualification based courses. Any tuition fees you have paid on these courses could be refunded to you on production of your award notice. You can apply for Pension Credit by freephone by calling The Department for Work and Pensions on 0800 99 1234, textphone 0800 169 0133 (8.00am to 8.00pm Monday to Friday, 9.00am to 1.00pm Saturday).

Leisure Courses, Clubs and Self-Financing Courses

These courses do not have any examination or external assessment. Fees for these are set to cover the costs of the venue, centre overheads and the costs of the tutor. These programmes will be identified separately in the listings and do not attract any reductions in fees.

Refunds Policy

If the centre cancels the course: We will offer you a full refund if the centre cancels the course before classes start. We will offer you a partial refund for the number of remaining sessions after classes have started.

If you cancel your place on a course: We will not offer you a refund if you cancel your place, unless it is for a medical reason and is supported by a Doctor’s Note. Any refunds given to you will be for the number of remaining sessions and will be subject to an administration fee of £5.00 per person per course.

Financial Help for Learners

Learner Support Funds: This fund may be able to help you meet costs such as travel, childcare, books, equipment and examination fees connected with a qualification based course. If you need financial help, then speak to the Community Education Manager and we will be able to tell you if you qualify for the fund and help you make an application. The Learner Support Fund is means tested and is a limited fund; you are therefore advised to apply as soon as possible after enrolment.

Adult Learning Grants: These are means tested grants providing a weekly payment of up to £30, during term time to adults studying full-time for a first Level 2 qualification or a first Level 3 qualification (if aged 19-25). You could be eligible if your personal income is below £19,000, you are studying full-time and you are not receiving other allowances or benefits. You can get an application pack from us or by calling Learndirect advice on 0800 100 900. If you would like further information on the ALG you can look at the following website www.direct.gov.uk/adultlearning or you can contact us for advice.

Educational Maintenance Allowance: This is money to study after 16. EMA is a weekly payment of £10, £20 or £30, depending on your household income. You can get EMA if your household has an income of £30,000 or less, and your course involves at least 12 hours of learning a week. You need to fill in an application form, and provide evidence of your household income if you want to get EMA. If you would like further information on the EMA you can look at the following website www.dfes.gov.uk/financialhelp/ema or you can contact us for advice.

Starting Your First Class

Unless you have heard from us to say otherwise, you should turn up to the centre where your course is held on the start date detailed in the prospectus. You may want to arrive early to help you find your way around but information boards and staff will guide you to the right classroom and facilities in the centre.

At your first class you will be given a receipt for any fees paid and a copy of the learner handbook. Your tutor will outline the course and any examination or assessment requirements. You will also be asked to complete a learner agreement. These forms are also essential to support the funding for your course and keep the costs to you as low as possible.

Information about Our Centre

Car Parking: Free car parking is available on site both at the Adult Learning Centre and the mainschool. Designated parking bays for disabled learners are only to be used by learners with a disability. Learners park at their own risk.

Attendance Policy for Learners: Please try to attend all classes punctually and regularly. If you are unable to attend a class you should contact us at your earliest opportunity so that we can tell your tutor and note your absence in the class register.

We will endeavour to contact you if you do not attend your class regularly. If we are unable to make contact with you, you have not informed us of your absence and have been absent for three or more consecutive sessions, you will be removed from the class register. If you wish to continue the course you will need to re-enrol.

Cancellation of Sessions

In the event of bad weather, tutor illness or unanticipated changes in school, we will make every effort to inform you of any changes to your learning activity. However some changes occur at short notice and so this may not always be possible. We will make every effort to arrange replacement sessions. To help us keep you up- to-date of any changes please make sure that you complete day and evening telephone numbers on your enrolment form.

Learners with a Disability

If you have a disability we will make any reasonable adjustment to our building or course delivery to help you access the course and get the most out of it. You are strongly encouraged to let us know as soon as possible if you require any special arrangements to be made, particularly if you think you may need special consideration during an examination as this may require prior approval from the examination body. This brochure and the Learner Handbook can be reproduced in large print and on CD for anyone with a visual impairment.

Equal Opportunities

The Service welcomes diversity in its learner population. We are committed to providing a caring and supportive environment inclusive of all learners. The Service operates proactively to prevent discrimination in any form. A copy of the Equal Opportunity Policy is available on request.

Health and Safety

Smoking is prohibited at all our venues. Emergency escape procedures and first aid arrangements will be explained by tutors at the start of each course. Learners attending any course involving physical activity, however gentle, should notify the tutor of any medical condition. You will receive a health questionnaire if you are attending a course of this nature. All accidents and incidents (including damage to property) must be reported to the course tutor immediately.

Customer Care

We do everything we can to ensure our programme runs satisfactorily. If you wish to register a comment, complaint or compliment, please speak to the Community Education Manager at any time. Alternatively we have "Tell Us What You Think" leaflets available in the centre for you to note down your comments and share them with us at any time or you can also use our comments book. We have a complaints procedure published in our learner handbook.