Access and Participation Statement

The London College, UCK is committed to become the institution of opportunity that is renowned for widening participation. We develop our students and staff to reach for vocational excellence and become recognised as a leading alternative provider of quality higher education programmes and to be an employer-focused institution connected with our local communities, providing teaching and learning which opens doors and meets the needs of employers.

The College’s strategies and policies set out clearly our commitment to fair access, minimising barriers for applicants. The College operates a fair and open admissions process committed to equality of opportunity and non-discrimination in line with the Equal Opportunities Policy. Inclusive admission processes ensure that all applications are considered on merit and on the basis of ability to achieve, without discrimination on grounds of age, disability, gender identity, pregnancy and maternity status, race, religion and/or belief, sex, sexual orientation or socio-economic background.

The College welcomes applications from all prospective students and aims to provide appropriate services to students with learning support needs or disabilities. This is facilitated by the provision of general information to prospective students designed to be accessible and socially inclusive. Fairness and equality is also promoted through the admission process whereby lifelong and experiential learning and continuous professional development are appropriately recognised and rewarded in terms of entry requirements and academic credit. The College ensures equality of opportunity in recruitment and selection procedures by making available appropriate support during the application process including opportunities for students to visit their intended learning environments and/or discuss their particular needs with staff.

The small size of the College enables the Student Support Unit to offer confidential personalised support for disadvantaged students. Once their needs have been identified during the application process, at enrolment or by subsequent notification to the college, individual students, are well supported by appropriate staff. The college has enlisted a specialist agency which works in collaboration with Student Support unit to support leaners with special educational needs including identifying their needs, arranging assessment and providing advice on a wide range of personal and academic issues.

The college focuses on developing existing and prospective students’ study skills to provide the firm grounding needed for success. The College employs practices and procedures which facilitate the transition from prospective student to current student. The delivery of an interesting and informative induction programme for all new students is central to quality of the student experience at the College. In preparation for their studies, the induction programme provides students with opportunities to enhance the necessary academic and professional skills that they need to deploy as they progress through their courses.

Study Skills sessions are delivered for eight weeks of the semester. These sessions underpin necessary skills to gain an academic qualification at a higher educational level. The focus of the Study Skills module is on developing skills such as academic writing and oral presentation, referring skills and time management. It also emphasises techniques of self-reflection, so that learners can gain a better understanding of their own strengths and weaknesses, and be able to utilise these on other courses of study. The comprehensive Induction and Study Skills programme enhances students’ academic capability and positively impact students’ progression, retention and achievement.

We work with community groups and employers to raise awareness of the benefits of Higher Education to individuals, industry and the local economy. We are committed to be an employer-focused institution connected with our local communities, providing teaching and learning which opens doors and meets the needs of wide range of employers and professional bodies, we are associated with.