YOUR STUDENT HANDBOOK 01582 569555 barnfield.ac.uk
HELLO! WELCOME ABOARD Congratulations, you’re now officially a Barnfield College student! This guide tells you everything you need to know about college.
THE COLLEGE PACKAGE Studying at college is about more than just a course. We provide a huge variety of opportunities to help you develop the skills and experiences that will open doors to a bright future. From clubs and societies, to study support and travel money, you’ll have access to everything you need to thrive and succeed.
3
GAP
GAP is made up of four pillars: - Employer Encounters - Careers Advice - Project Bravura - Personal Development
GET CAREER READY Every college offers enrichment programmes, but only Barnfield College gives you GAP. GAP is all about unlocking your potential. It’s part of every course and tailored to you. You’ll identify your career pathway and what you need to get there. You’ll get in front of the right people, and take part in the right experiences.
FIND OUT MORE
CLICK HERE
Most of all, you’ll build the confidence and self-belief to get where you want to go. Click the button or head to barnfield.ac.uk/student-life/gapcareers-programme for more.
5
ENGLISH & MATHS Working at your pace, you’ll prepare for exams and assessments to give yourself the best chance for success.
FIND OUT MORE
CLICK HERE
If you haven’t yet achieved GCSE grades 4-9 in English or maths, you’ll take English or maths classes with the added assistance of Century - our AI programme that identifies your strengths and weaknesses and recommends skills in bite-sized nuggets to develop. Work with our subject-expert tutors to focus your learning on areas you need to develop, bringing your skill-level up in the topics where it matters to you most. Working at your pace you’ll get ready to prepare for your exams and assessments. It’s time to level up – that next grade is in sight. Click the button or head to barnfield.ac.uk/student-life/ english-maths to find out more.
POWER SKILLS FOR YOUR FUTURE. 7
SUPPORT NETWORK Our Student Support teams are here for you, both on campus and online, ready to help whenever you need it. Whether it’s navigating college life or dealing with personal challenges, you’ll always have someone to talk to.
Health Assured We’ve partnered with Health Assured, a 24/7 support service where you can chat with trained counsellors any time. Plus, their Wisdom app lets you track your mood, check your health and access live chat features.
WE’VE GOT YOUR BACK
LEARN MORE
CLICK HERE
Our Learner Support Fund (LSF) is available to help with the costs of coming to College. If your household income is less than £45,001 you could be eligible to access financial support, to help with: - Travel costs - Kit and equipment - Free meals - Childcare Click the button or head to barnfield.ac.uk/studentlife/student-support/financial-support/learnersupport-fund to learn more. 9
STUDENT SOCIETY A big part of preparing for life after college is through your own personal development. At college you’ll meet new people, experience new things, learn new skills and try new hobbies. Join our community, it’s where potential becomes reality. Click the button or head to barnfield.ac.uk/student-life/ gap-careers-programme/ personal-development to find out more. 10
ENHANCING YOUR COLLEGE EXPERIENCE College is a chance to define who you are, what you believe in and where your future is heading. We’ll help you to discover more about yourself and your interests by hosting fairs, activities, workshops, sports, clubs and societies. LEARN MORE
CLICK HERE
11
YOUR CAMPUS
WELCOME HOME Main Building Our main building houses a wide variety of specialist facilities, including labs, studios and salons, amongst many specialist classrooms. Construction & Engineering Centre Designed with green skills in mind, this state-of-the-art new building comes equipped with cutting-edge technology to prepare students for the modern jobs market.
Click the button or head to barnfield.ac.uk/ student-life/ourcampus to take a drone fly-through.
TAKE A FLYTHROUGH
CLICK HERE
WHERE TO EAT Our campuses are home to a range of different food and drink options. Click the button or head to barnfield.ac.uk/student-life/ourcampuses/food-and-drink-on-campus to see what’s on the menu. We pride ourselves on catering for everyone and have therefore ensured that we offer a wide range of hot and cold items, including halal, vegetarian, gluten-free and vegan options.
Canteen Located on the Ground Floor of the Main Building. - Hot and cold meal options - Grab & Go sandwiches - Rollover hot dogs - Snacks - Soft drinks Café Located on the Ground Floor of the Main Building near Reception.
Opening times Term time only Monday - Friday 8:30am - 2pm
Opening times Term time only Monday - Friday 8:30am - 4pm
- Starbucks drinks - Grab & Go sandwiches - Snacks - Soft drinks
TIME TO REFUEL
FOOD & DRINK ON CAMPUS
CLICK HERE 15
GETTING TO COLLEGE A6
BARNFIELD COLLEGE Luton Airport
M1
A1081
16
PLAN YOUR ROUTE Find out how to get to Barnfield College, we’ve made it easy to plan your journey. Discover the best travel routes, nearby transport links, and why studying here puts you right at the heart of Luton. Click the button or head to barnfield. ac.uk/student-life/our-campus/getting-tocollege to plan your journey to college.
PLAN YOUR ROUTE
CLICK HERE
Financial support is available to help with these costs of coming to college. You can find out more about it on page 9.
PROFESSIONAL EXPECTATIONS We set the standard high and expect professionalism from day one. Experience an exciting learning environment where everyone can reach their potential.
What we expect from our students: - Commitment - Attendance - Punctuality - Meeting all deadlines - 100% effort in lessons, on project work and assignments
FIND OUT MORE
CLICK HERE
Click the button or head to barnfield.ac.uk/about/ policies-statements to view our expectations in detail. 18
SETTING THE STANDARD What you can expect from us: - Gaining freedom and independence - Learning in a mature environment - An ‘industry-ready’ skill set - Building a positive rapport with tutors and classmates - Regular catch-ups with personal tutors - Personalised support services
ON-DEMAND COLLEGE With on-demand access you’ll never miss a beat whether you’re on campus or online.
20
TAKE YOUR STUDIES WITH YOU As a student at Barnfield College, you can look forward to accessing all of our resources, kit and equipment and stateof-the-art facilities on campus, but we also back this up with our On-Demand College services – to provide students with a seamless digital experience. You’ll have access to: - CANVAS - Online learning platform - My WHCG app - College in your pocket - Century - English and maths skills - Office 365 - Study anywhere Click the button or head to barnfield.ac.uk/student-life/ on-demand-college for more.
FIND OUT MORE
CLICK HERE
COLLEGE CALENDAR These are the key dates to know for the academic year 26-27. Click the button or head to barnfield.ac.uk/students/collegecalendar to view the full calendar.
Exam Dates We publish all exam dates to the My WHCG app, so you can keep track of your upcoming exams and assessments. These will be added to the app as you’re entered, your course tutors will keep you informed. We’ll be in touch by email with more information on how to access the My WHCG app.
VIEW OUR CALENDAR
CLICK HERE
STAY UP TO DATE
Academic Year 26-27 Term Dates Autumn Term 2026 Term Starts: Thursday 3 September Half Term: Monday 26 - Friday 30 October Parent/Carer Meetings: Monday 16 - Friday 27 November Term Ends: Wednesday 9 December Spring Term 2027 Term Starts: Monday 4 January Half Term: Monday 15 - Friday 19 February Progress Review Week: Monday 8 - Friday 12 March Term Ends: Thursday 25 March Summer Term 2027 Term Starts: Monday 12 April Half Term: Monday 31 May - Friday 4 June Term Ends: Friday 25 June
23
Stay connected Follow us on social media to keep up to date with everything going on at college.