Industry Focused Career Ready
Starting life as a college student is an exciting adventure but can often be daunting for parents and guardians. We have a wealth of experience helping students with the transition from school to college. Our School Liaison Team visits many schools and are often the first point of contact for you at parents evenings and careers events. They can assist with information on the college, our courses and the application process.
We’ve invested over £80 million in industry standard facilities across the campus. Our Course Open Events which we run throughout the year give you the opportunity to visit the college and allow students to familiarise themselves with our campus. At these events students and their parents/ guardians can talk to course staff and current students alongside members of the finance, transport, accommodation and learner support teams. There is also the opportunity to take a tour of a specific subject area.
Our aim is to produce industry focused, career ready students so alongside their academic studies, students work towards the Reaseheath BeReady Passport, which develops their skills for a successful career and life.
Students tell us there is nothing like the Reaseheath experience, and ensuring our students are well supported is paramount to us. We have outstanding student services and wellbeing teams who are on hand 24/7 to help with anything from health, finance, transport, accommodation and even homesickness. Our Learning Support team provides both 1:1 support, drop in sessions and help with assistive technology.
We are continually raising our standards to ensure that we provide the best high quality teaching and learning. The results of our latest Ofsted inspection in December 2019 showed that Reaseheath continues to be good (Grade 2) with some exceptional features and continues to be outstanding in many areas (read more about this here). In September 2017 the college also underwent another Ofsted inspection regarding the Care Standards Commission, which is responsible for ensuring the safeguarding of young people and vulnerable adults. The inspection report found Reaseheath to be outstanding in all areas: overall effectiveness, outcomes for young people, quality of service, leadership and management and safeguarding were all judged to be at the highest level (read more about this here).
If you have any concerns or require further information, please look through the relevant pages on our website or contact Student Services by email – enquiries@reaseheath.ac.uk or phone – 01270 613242, where we will be able to put you in touch with the appropriate person to deal with your query.
We don’t live locally how would my son/daughter get to college?
We currently operate 23 bus routes on our college bus service, which is for the sole use of Reaseheath students. Our transport team supervise the arrival and departure of every bus, and each driver is DBS checked. If we receive reports of problems or delays on routes to and from college we will sent text alerts to both students and parents/guardians. You can find further information on our transport here.
We live too far away, do you have accommodation?
At Reaseheath we have accommodation for up to 1,000 students. Students under 18 are housed in single sex accommodation and receive 3 meals per day, if your son/daughter has any allergies please inform us so suitable meals can be provided. Our student services team are on hand to help with any issues regarding accommodation and there is a safeguarding team who are on hand 24/7. Please visit our accommodation page for full details and costs.
Is accommodation available to apprentices?
We only offer accommodation to apprentices who attend blocks of training as part of their apprenticeship programme. There is no accommodation available for apprentices on day release training programmes.
How much is the course?
As long as the student is under 19 on the 31 August of the same year they intend to start their course, tuition fees and exams costs are free. For students over 19 please visit our student finance pages for advice on Advanced Learner Loans.
Are there any other costs associated with the course?
Each student will be supplied with a list of items needed to start their course. In addition, there may be also be trips and study tours throughout the year.
Is there any financial support available?
There are a number of different funds you can apply for to help towards the cost of accommodation, essential clothing, equipment and food. Please contact our student finance team for further information.
My son/daughter has some additional needs what support is available for students?
We make every effort to meet learners support needs. The range of support available could be anything from one to one support, assistive technology or learning materials. Please ensure any learning needs are disclosed on application, so we can ensure appropriate support is put in place for the start of term. Our dedicated Learning Support Team can be contacted on lsc@reaseheath.ac.uk or you can visit our dedicated LSC webpage if you have any further questions.
Our student Wellbeing team are also there to support students and can help with a range of issues such as homesickness, mental health issues, depression, anxiety, health and financial problems. We also have an onsite chaplain and qualified nurse.
What resources are available at college to support with courses?
In recent years, over £80 million has been invested in our on-campus facilities including an equestrian centre, an industry leading food centre, new sports facilities, agric-technology centre and a scientific horticultural facility, unique to the UK.
We have an educational zoo with over 150 different species of animal and a 252-hectare working farm.
Where do we buy the essential clothing and equipment?
Some items of branded clothing and essential footwear can be purchased from our online shop. We do provide a kit list before students start at college.
You can find out what is required for each course area by clicking here.
Apprentices should discuss essential clothing and equipment, including PPE, with their employers.
What other activities are available outside their course?
We offer recreational sports such as football, netball and rugby as well as other sports such as badminton and yoga. Membership for our state-of-the-art gym with Technogym equipment, Olympic lifting platform and a weights area is available at £120 per year (19/20 prices). We have a very active student association who organise lots of different activities in the evening and there are numerous societies for students to join.
Can my son/daughter still go to university with a vocational qualification?
Yes, our Level 3 qualifications attract the same UCAS tariff points as A Levels to enable progression onto one of our degree programmes or one at another university.
For an example a Level 3 Extended Diploma is the equivalent of 3 A Levels and our Technical Baccalaureates are the equivalent of 4.5 A Levels.
Is there any careers guidance for students?
We have a dedicated careers team who can provide assistance with UCAS applications, work experience and part time employment. Preparing our students for the world of work is part of our ethos to ensure our students are career focused and industry ready each student as part of their BeReady passport undertakes BeEmployable.
What are your term dates?
Click here to view our term dates. To ensure students make the most of college we would ask that any appointments are booked for their study days and holidays are taken outside college term time.
Grades and course levels
We offer courses from Entry Level through to Degree. Students apply for courses based on their predicted grades. Tutors will discuss courses levels at detail during an interview.
If their actual grades differ from their predicted grades we advise that students contact the college to discuss changing their level of course.
Maths and English GCSE’s will continue to be studied at college should students not achieve a Grade 4 in these subjects.
You can find out more on our choosing the right course for you page.
How does my son/daughter pay for items on campus?
In the interest of safety, we will not be accepting cash payments on campus until further notice.
What safeguarding measures do you have in place?
Reaseheath College is committed to ensuring the safety and wellbeing of all its students, staff and visitors. Find out more about the safeguarding measures we have in place here.