Policies & Procedures

Please click on the links below to view the relevant policy:

• Student Charter
• Employer Charter
• Admissions Policy
• Disability Statement
• Complaints Procedure
• Equality and Diversity Policy
• Website Disclaimer
• Procurement Policy

Student Charter

City College is committed to providing high quality education for everyone. It seeks to meet the needs of each individual and provide a mature and caring environment for all students. This Student Charter sets out what we will provide for you as a learner and to clarify what commitments you need to make in return.

What you can expect from us:-

• Help to choose a programme of study that suits your needs
• A full induction to your programme of study
• Effective delivery of your programme
• Classes that start and end on time (and prompt notification about unavoidable changes)
• Learning centres and services to support your studies
• Encouragement to evaluate the course throughout your period of study
• Access to advice, information, support and counselling on any educational or personal matter throughout your time here
• A safe, secure, pleasant and accessible environment for your studies
• A prompt response to any problem you tell us about and appropriate support if necessary
• A caring and supportive atmosphere
• Respect for and the celebration of our differences, and promotion of the College Equality and Diversity Policies
• Accurate information about developments within the College which may affect you
• A thorough investigation and response to any complaint you may make

The college has a students’ complaints procedure to help you if we fail to meet these commitments. To view this, click here.

We expect you to:-

• Take responsibility for your learning by attending college regularly in accordance with the attendance policy and your agreed timetable of study
• Arrive punctually, work hard at your studies and complete all your assignments on time and to a high standard
• Seek help if you need it from appropriate staff
• Take pride in the good name of the College, abide by the college Code of Student Conduct and behave responsibly at all times
• Be an active member of the college community, participating fully
• Co-operate with staff and make active use of learning support
• Help to make the College a safe place for all by adhering to policies on health and safety
• Be considerate of the rights and interests of other College users and the local community and give particular thought to people with disabilities and special needs
• Take care of the College buildings and furnishings, and respect other people's property
• Remember that facilities are here for your benefit and for the benefit of other learners now and in future years
• Treat everyone with respect, regardless of differences in culture, ability, race, gender, age, sexual orientation or social class
• Refuse to take part in jokes or behaviour that degrade others; challenging and reporting discriminating behaviour
• Consult with your teacher about any changes you might want to your course, and keep your parents/guardians, if appropriate, fully informed of any changes
• Consult your parents/guardians and your course tutor before making any decision to leave college. You will not be asked to leave until all circumstances have been considered and you have had the opportunity to discuss this with your teacher and other appropriate staff
• Let us know quickly if you feel we have not provided the service we have promised, or if you have any other problem

Plagiarism

The College does not tolerate the passing off of other people's work as one's own

In the event that a student is suspected of:

• plagiarising work from another individual or source (such as the internet), by copying and passing off such work as the student's own
• colluding by working collaboratively with others to produce work that is submitted as the work of the single individual alone
• impersonation
• fabrication of results and/or evidence
• cheating by communicating with others by any unauthorised means when this is not allowed, (e.g. in a supervised session), the use of unauthorised materials when under test conditions
• alteration of any results document including certificates
• cheating in any other way which undermines the integrity of the assessment process

An investigation will be carried out by the appropriate Manager in their role as the chair of the course assessment board. If the allegation is upheld an automatic grade of 'criteria not met' will be awarded to the piece of work in question and the learner will have to resubmit the work. The learner disciplinary procedure may also be invoked at the discretion of the Curriculum Team Leader.

Assessment appeals procedure

If you are unhappy with any assessment decision a teacher has made about work you have submitted you may appeal against the decision. Appeals should be lodged initially with the appropriate course leader or Curriculum Team Leader. If you are dissatisfied with the outcome of the appeal, you may request that the Director of Studies consider the matter further. If you remain unhappy with the outcome you may appeal directly to the examination board. Your Tutor/Curriculum Team Leader will be able to advise you how to do this.

Appeals against assessment board decisions should be submitted in writing to the relevant Curriculum Team Leader detailing why you are making the appeal. Your case will be discussed with the relevant staff and you will be informed of the outcome within 7 days of receiving your letter.

Employer Charter

Southampton City College will

• Answer your enquiries promptly and professionally
• Advise on the learning that will most appropriately meet your needs
• Provide you with appropriate detailed course information
• Offer of choice of delivery patterns for programmes wherever possible
• Offer you the opportunity to undertake an analysis to identify your organisational learning needs
• Give you access to well qualified, committed and knowledgeable staff
• Provide a safe, healthy learning environment, which is conducive to learning for you and your employees
• Invite you to attend meetings and forums to enable you to have input into courses and services and the development of future curriculum
• Update you on the progress of your students
• React promptly to any issues raised by your employees whilst at the College
• Continually review and improve its services using feedback gathered from students and you the employer
• Provide information relating to results and achievements as soon as it is available
• Keep up to date with current practice in business and industry in order to fully understand and meet employer expectations
• Welcome you to the college whenever it is convenient to visit

In return we ask you as the employer to:

• Provide appropriate learning facilities when training takes place at your premises
• Ensure the above venues meet health and safety standards
• Support employees with their learning from both a practical and pastoral perspective
• Encourage and motivate employees to meet their learning goals and ultimately achieve their qualification
• Inform college staff of any changes of circumstances of your employees
• Support the College in its continuous improvement by participating in evaluation programmes
• To meet all pre-arranged financial arrangements

Admissions Policy

Southampton City College aims to offer a place on an appropriate programme of learning to all suitably qualified applicants.  In order to establish the most appropriate programme an applicant is likely to have several discussions with staff during the guidance process.  The college will offer free, unbiased advice and guidance about all the programmes available at the college.  For further information on admissions, please contact the Student Services team on 023 8057 7647.

Disability Statement

Southampton City College is committed to ensuring that people with disabilities, including those with learning difficulties, and/or known medical conditions are treated fairly and given equal access to all college services. We will make all reasonable adjustments to ensure that learners with a disability learning difficulty or known medical condition are not substantially disadvantaged.

The college wishes to ensure that we comply with the requirements of the Equality Act 2010 which includes the Disability Discrimination Act (as amended by the Special Educational Needs and Disability Equality Act of 2001 and the Duty to Promote Disability 2005).

If you have a learning difficulty and/or disability, or known medical condition please ensure that you have talked through your support needs with us so that we can make all reasonable adjustments to help you succeed.

To download a copy of the current Disability Statement for the college, click on the link below.

Complaints Procedure

Our Student and Employer Charters set out the standards of service we aim to deliver and we will try at all times to achieve these standards. If we have exceeded your expectations then please do let us know, you can use this leaflet to do this. However, if you feel we have failed in some way, the information below sets out the steps you can take in making a complaint.

Informal

We are committed to dealing with complaints speedily and at the point of delivery wherever appropriate. For this reason we would ask you to raise your complaint initially with the member of staff providing the service. If you feel that this is not possible then you may raise the matter informally with the Manager immediately. Our Reception staff can advise you as to who is the most appropriate person with whom you should raise an informal complaint.

Formal

In the event that you are dissatisfied with the response to an informal complaint or consider that your complaint is too serious to be pursued through informal means, you should address a formal complaint to the Chief Executive's office. Formal complaints should be made in writing, clearly stating the facts as you perceive them and with reference to any relevant dates or responses to informal complaints. In the event that it is not possible for a formal complaint to be put in writ-ing, our Reception staff are able to arrange an interview with the relevant senior staff on your behalf. Final responses to complaints will indicate outcomes of the investigation, redress where appropriate and any action the College is taking regarding its service for the future.

Confidentiality

Please be, aware that at times it may be necessary to share your comments with third parties in line with our statutory duties to safeguard young people and vulnerable adults. If this is necessary we will make every effort to discuss this with you first, but we can cannot guarantee this at all times. Please click here to see the flowchart of how the College will work with you to addresses any comments or complaints you may have.

Equality and Diversity Policy

Southampton City College is committed to the elimination of unfair discrimination and the provision of equality of opportunity for all in learning and employment.

We aim to ensure that no applicant for employment or a learning programme receives less favourable treatment on the grounds of gender, age, race, colour, ethnic or national origin, religion, sexual orientation, transgender disability or responsibility for dependants, or is disadvantaged by conditions or requirements that cannot be shown to be justifiable.

We seek to create an accessible college and to extend opportunities in work and learning to those groups who are currently underrepresented in Further Education.

To download a copy of the current Equality and Diversity policy, click here

Website Disclaimer

All information on this site is correct at time of publication, although may be subject to change, and City College Southampton reserves the right to make changes to the information as required. Some course information may change in advance of programmes starting, and please be aware that in some cases, courses will only run where there are sufficient students to make them viable. City College Southampton is not responsible for the content of third party sites accessed via links from this website. These links are provided for your convenience only, and we are not responsible for associated content, information or views. The copyright of all materials on this site, including text and images, is held by City College Southampton unless otherwise stated. If you have any queries regarding content or use of materials on this site, please contact us: webmaster@southampton-city.ac.uk City College Southampton will process all information collected via this website in accordance with the provisions of the Data Protection Act 1998. If you have any queries regarding our privacy policy, please contact us. webmaster@southampton-city.ac.uk

Procurement Policy

City College procurement strategy will aim to embed sound ethical, social and environmental policies within procurement and comply with relevant EU and UK legislation. Its procurement processes will proactively support strategic goals and operational requirements whilst ensuring best value.

For Terms and Conditions of Purchase click here.

If your company is interested in applying to become an Approved Supplier to City College, please email for further details: procurement@southampton-city.ac.uk