General FE Enrolment Information

At Hereford College of Arts, we are committed to ensuring that all students make the most of their time here. This includes developing English and maths skills alongside the main course of study.  English and maths skills are an integral part of all courses.

If you are under 19 years old at the start of your programme and do not already have GCSEs in English and maths at grade 4 (grade C in Wales) or above you must attend English and/or maths sessions and work towards GCSE or Functional Skills qualifications at the appropriate level.

We understand that some students can feel a little anxious about attending English and/or maths at college. Don’t worry, our English and maths staff team are friendly and approachable.  They are also experienced and highly qualified specialists, who have delivered these subjects in a wide range of settings and are committed to ensuring that you have the opportunity to reach your full potential in these areas.

In addition to dedicated taught sessions, English and maths are also supported in your main course area and are embedded into the course content. This gives you the opportunity to develop your skills in a practical context. Course tutors frequently comment on these skills in feedback and when marking your assignments.

Finally, you will have access to two brilliant on-line platforms to help you to top up knowledge both inside and outside college. 

'Markus' offers you instant feedback when you upload English/maths work, helping you to focus on what you need to do to improve in a fun and time efficient way.

'Maths Watch' is an online platform that supports you to follow up the topics covered at HCA. It also helps you to track your progress and identify the areas for development that are personal to you and the way that you learn.

If you would like further advice or guidance about maths and English, please do not hesitate to contact us:

English & Maths Team

Tel: 01432 273359

Email: maths&english@hca.ac.uk

At HCA we recognise that your wellbeing is an important factor contributing to your overall health and happiness, and is something we aim to support you with throughout your journey with us. Therefore, we have Melissa Williams (Wellbeing Lead and Safeguarding & Prevent Manager) and Sam Marsh (Wellbeing Mentor) who are available to offer advice and support throughout your time with us. 

Melissa, Sam and your course staff will work with you to identify and address your wellbeing needs in order for you to reach your full potential and enjoy your time with us.

We have a self-referral system where you are able to request a time when we can talk through anything that is concerning you. The chats are informal and non-judgemental and can be about a range of issues, however large or small, that may be bothering you. We are also able to make referrals to our college counsellor who works with us one day a week and Wellbeing Practitioners from the Wellbeing & Emotional Support Team (NHS) who can offer CBT type interventions. 

We will be offering workshops and talks based on wellbeing issues and where relevant inviting other service providers to College to do the same. 

We recognise that although exciting, transition to college can leave you feeling a little anxious.  Rest assured, we acknowledge this and will work with you to ensure your first few days and weeks are as stress free as possible. If, in the days before you begin your journey with us, you feel particularly anxious please do email one of us for a quick chat, we are here to help. 

For returning students we realise that many of you may be away from your usual support networks therefore we will be updating the wellbeing pages on StudentNet with links and signposting you to external support providers. 24/7 Support from Health Assured is also available throughout the summer period. Heath Assured can help with a wide range of issues from stress and anxiety to financial wellbeing and much more. You can contact them on: 0800 028 3766 and you can access their Wisdom App using our unique code: MHA268858. 

Of course, it goes without saying that if an issue is urgent, you must use the usual emergency numbers, 111 and / or 999. Please don’t worry about using these numbers the services are there to help. 

We look forward to meeting you, welcoming you back and supporting you during your time with us. 

You can contact Melissa on m.williams@hca.ac.uk and Sam at s.marsh@hca.ac.uk

Here you can find information about course and tuition fees, bursaries and other funding options that you may be eligible for.

Here you can find information about transport options to HCA during term time, as well as any funding options available:

In this document Xaviere Hughes, Vice Principal of Further Education, answers some of your most frequently asked questions about college life at Hereford College of Arts.

Click here to download the HCA student charter:

Hereford College of Arts has a diverse mix of students, all of whom have different learning styles and needs, who all enrich our learning environment. 

Students who receive Study Skills Support have a very high level of success and often progress onto higher education.

Our Further Education Study Skills team are highly experienced specialist teaching staff within the fields of dyslexia, other spLDS, English as an additional language, literacy, numeracy and assistive technology. 

Our aim is to encourage and develop independent learners within a positive, inclusive learning environment where students who require support have the same opportunities to achieve their full potential whilst studying at Hereford College of Arts.

Study Skills Support provision

Extra help is available in a number of ways. If you want to improve your skills or to catch up on outstanding coursework you may be referred to Study Skills drop in sessions where you can access support to help you to complete your work.

If you need more specialised support than drop in sessions, you may be referred to a Study Skills tutor, who will offer you tailored support, usually as part of a small group. Our specialist tutors are there to help and offer advice in academic areas, including study skills, literacy, numeracy and organisation.

The following information is for students wishing to progress onto Higher Education (HE) after studying completing a level 3 qualification at Hereford College of Arts. 

Student Finance England (SFE), Wales (SFW), Student Awards Agency Scotland (SAAS) and Student Finance Northern Ireland (SFN) provide financial support to students with learning difficulties, disabilities and long-term health issues through the provision of individual Disabled Students Allowances. These are not means tested and do not have to be paid back. Provision may include one-to-one specialist study skills, specialist mentoring and software/hardware to support individual needs. Other regions in the United Kingdom provide different funded support for disabled students.  

You will need to apply for DSA online or on paper. It is recommended that you become familiar with the application process as early as possible and apply early. You can apply before your university place is confirmed. 

Information is available online at:  

England - https://www.gov.uk/disabled-students-allowance-dsa

Scotland - https://www.saas.gov.uk

Wales - https://studentfinancewales.co.uk

Northern Ireland - https://studentfinanceni.co.uk

If you would like to discuss Disabled Students Allowance, please contact:  academicmentoring@hca.ac.uk

Hereford College of Arts offers access to two specialist library and resource centres dedicated to all aspects of the creative arts. There are libraries on both the College Road and Folly Lane campuses. They jointly offer access to over 30,000 books, subscriptions to journals and magazines, audio-visual materials and access to online resources. 

Our service is entirely customer-focused and aims to support and inspire your written and practical work through all stages and levels of study, and to provide a supportive relaxed environment to learn. 

• Friendly professional staff with backgrounds in art and design are available to help with your queries
• We subscribe to a number of specialist electronic resources, which are also available off campus, the JSTOR digital library, the Bloomsbury Design, Applied Arts, Popular Music and Screen Studies platforms, Vogue archives back to 1892, e-books and e-journals 
• We are also a member of the British Library’s Inter-Library Loan and Document Supply Service, allowing students to order books and journals from the British Library and other academic libraries.
• The libraries have quiet study spaces, colour printing, scanning and photocopying, access to college WiFi and a number of networked drop-in computers installed with the latest creative software 
• The Library’s page on Moodle (the college intranet) includes links to library information and additional resources such as past dissertations, recommended websites and research tips.
• HCA Library’s online catalogue can be viewed from any PC, tablet or mobile. You can access the catalogue directly at http://hlcollege.cirqahosting.com or through the Library page on StudentNet. You can also renew your loans, make reservations and make reading lists once you have signed into your account using the ID number on your HCA student card and your PIN number – which is initially set as the last 4 digits of your ID number.

Contact us on library@hca.ac.uk  or follow us on https://www.instagram.com/hcalibrary 

Folly Lane Campus: 

Folly Lane, Hereford HR1 1LT

01432 273359 ext 451

Term-time library opening hours: 

Monday to Friday - 10.00am to 2.00pm

College Road Campus:

College Road, Hereford HR1 1EB

01432 376888 ext 549

Term-time library opening hours: 

Monday to Thursday - 9.00am to 7.00pm

Friday - 9.00am to 4.30pm

We hope that you will be living your best creative life at HCA, but you will also be planning for your future. Your tutors will help you research opportunities, careers and progression routes during your time at HCA and downloading the ERIC app is a great way to start.  ERIC is a free careers discovery platform helping you break into the creative, digital and tech industries and become work-ready.

The app matches you to opportunities near you, internships, events, training schemes, courses and more. Just download the app, tell ERIC about your creative interests and location, and we'll match you to hundreds of opportunities in your area.

The library is home to 140+ bitesize career talks from real people working across the creative industries , watch on demand, whenever you want.

Download ERIC app on iphone - Apple Store

Download ERIC app on android - Play Store

Permits

Hereford College of Arts understands that parking on campus is limited and that it is therefore essential that the College manages its limited parking spaces, as well as actively encourage sustainable travel, the aim is to ensure that a fair and considered approach to students requesting to park on campus is carried out.

Due to the limited number of spaces on College grounds and the need to also provide parking for staff, visitors and contractors, the College has allocated 25 parking spaces for Student use at Folly Lane Campus.

Eligibility

In order to be eligible to apply for a permit, you must be in one or more of the following groups which are listed in order of priority for allocation:

1. Registered Blue Badge Holders 
2. Students with principal caring responsibilities ie: parent of a child in pre-school childcare or in primary school and/or registered carer for a partner or relative.
3. Students with health issues that restrict their use of public transport.
4. Commuter Students – Those with a journey time of over 1 hour on public transport or where a journey cannot be made by public transport.  This will be calculated using Google Maps public transport travel time.

Please note that there will be no automatic entitlement to a permit for commuter students.

Application Process

For all permit categories you will be asked to provide evidence of your eligibility as part of your application.  

You will also be required to provide copies of a valid insurance certificate for the vehicle being registered.

The vehicles MOT and Tax status will be checked via the DVLA website and the vehicle MUST be taxed and have a valid MOT.

Without this evidence, we are unable to consider your application.

The application process will take approximately 3 weeks from the point of application to the issue (if approved) of a parking permit.

Application forms will be available from reception at Folly Lane. However, if you would like to apply sooner, please request an application form by emailing parking@hca.ac.uk.

Order of Allocation

We will allocate permits to those who are eligible under categories 1 – 4, allocating all category 1 permits before allocating category 2’s and so on.

Commuter students applications (new and continuing) will only be considered after new students have had the opportunity to apply for their permit under one of the other criteria.

Once the first round of permits have been allocated, we will then allocate the remaining permits to commuter students starting with those living furthest away from the campus, until we reach the maximum number of permits we are able to allocate. 

The distance to the campus will be calculated using Google Maps.

Permit Costs

For any approved permit for Students applying under Group 1, there is no fee, for all other permits there is a one off cost of £25 for a permit. 

The permit is valid for the current academic year (or part thereof) in which the application is being made.

The payment will need to be made after an application is deemed to be successful and at the point of collection of the parking pass.

The pass will not be issued until full payment is made, and you will not be authorised to park in the car parks until you have received your pass.

Consideration to Neighbours and Residents

If you do not qualify for a permit but still choose to drive and park in the neighbouring, primarily residential, areas surrounding all College sites, please observe the following guidelines:

Observe legal parking restrictions: this includes Residents’ Only schemes, time limitations and other restrictions including safe access for emergency vehicles, parking near pedestrian crossings, bus stops or traffic lights. Clearly, we do not enforce such restrictions and whether or not you receive a penalty or enforcement notice is at your own risk. Please bear in mind that these restrictions are there for a purpose and their infringement is at best annoying and inconvenient for residents and at worst can be dangerous.

Use consideration at all times: do not obstruct access for residents e.g. by parking across drives and entrances; do not park on private property or in reserved spaces; park considerately and appropriately e.g. not on pavements or footpaths.

We value our good relations with our neighbours and parking is the most potentially contentious issue that aggravates these relations. While there are undeniable pressures on parking space in the area, most problems arise from a lack of courtesy, consideration and common sense.

Terms & Conditions

Hereford College of Arts shares the Folly Lane campus with Hereford, Ludlow and North Shropshire College and Hereford Sixth Form College. All three Colleges operate a different car parking permit scheme. You may only park in the car park of the College you attend if your are eligible for a permit. 

Please note that the car park at the front of the College at Folly Lane is reserved for visitors, disabled drivers and staff designated as essential users.  These spaces are also patrolled and monitored.

Penalty Charge Notices

The full management of all of our car parks is carried out by CPSM, they will enforce parking restrictions on all of the car parks between 08:00hrs – 16:00hrs Monday to Friday.

You may receive a penalty charge notice if:

• The correct permit is not clearly displayed on the car for which it was issued.
• You are not parked in a marked bay.
• You are parked on double yellow lines, obstructing access and/or fire exits.
• You are parked in a disabled space without a disability permit clearly displayed.

The Penalty Notice is £100 (reduced to £60 if paid within 14 days).

Please note that the College has no power to overturn or cancel a parking notice if issued, all appeals need to be submitted directly to CSPM.

Lost Permits

Only one permit application per student is allowed and the charge for replacing lost permits will be £10. 

Students are permitted to receive a new permit should they change their car but will need to return their old permit in order to do so.

Please note: If you are parked in an area belonging to one of the other Colleges, e.g. HLC, HSFC or RNC, you may receive a penalty charge notice – these car parks are subject to each Colleges’ own terms & conditions, so different penalty charges may apply.

Due to the lack of car parking space it is in your interest to consider alternative transport arrangements to and from College. A permit does not guarantee you a parking space. Car parking permits are issued at the discretion of the College and may be cancelled or withdrawn.

Users of College car parks do so at their own risk. The College will not accept responsibility for any loss or damage to vehicles or their contents.

Below is a range of information regarding exams, assessment and coursework:

• Information for Candidates - AI
• Information for Candidates - Coursework Assessments
• Information for Candidates - Non-exam Assessments
• Information for Candidates - On-Screen Test
• Information for Candidates - Written Examinations
• Preparing For Your Exams

Click here to download the Hereford College of Arts Data Protection Notice for Applicants & Enrolled Students.