Introduction
1.1 The information provided in this document outlines the terms and conditions that exist between Russbridge Academy (‘the College’) and you (“the applicant”).

1.2 When you accept an offer to study a higher education course at the College, you enter into a contractual relationship which is established between you and the College for the duration of your studies. It is important that you understand this document (the ‘Higher Education Student Contract’) because it summarises the terms and conditions on which you and the College enter into this contractual relationship. Before enrolling here as a student, you must read this contract in full. If you have any questions or need support in understanding this document, please contact the Admissions Team on 020 8103 1238.

1.3 This document is to be read in conjunction with other College policies and procedures which can be found on the College website. Please take the time to read these carefully, as they, together with this document, your offer letter, and the course documentation form the contract between you and the College. Please also read carefully the Programme Handbook which will be given to you at the start of your course.

1.4 The College reserves the right to make reasonable changes at any time to the terms and conditions, as it deems appropriate or necessary. Any substantial changes will be brought to your attention.

Offers
2.1 The offer made to you by the College is subject to you satisfying the conditions made known to you in the offer letter. These conditions may include a requirement to obtain or provide evidence of particular qualifications, and to satisfy all legal and other requirements to study on your chosen course. These requirements could include criminal records checks, health checks, and provision of immigration details.

2.2 In order to derive the utmost value from their studies, all students are required to meet the minimum English general entry requirement as determined by a test approved by the institution.

2.3. Applicants for specific courses, such as Health and Social Care and Teacher Training or Education, will be required to undergo a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check prior to and post enrolment. Your offer letter will inform you when such disclosure is required.

2.4 The offer may be conditional or unconditional. Where the offer is conditional, the offer letter will detail the conditions of offer you must fulfil in order to achieve a place of study on the course.

2.6 When an offer is made, and after acceptance of the offer, you have the right to change your mind and cancel your place on that course within 14 days without giving any reason. To do so, you must inform the College in writing with a clear statement that you wish to cancel your place on the relevant course.

Changes to offers
3.1 The College will not make changes to offers unless this is necessary due to circumstances beyond the College’s reasonable control, such as changes to a regulatory requirement.

3.2 Where it is necessary to make changes to an offer already accepted, the College will inform the applicant immediately with an explanation. The applicant reserves the right to decline the offer if not satisfied with, or unable to accommodate, the change in offer. The College will assist the applicant in these circumstances to find a substitute course of study.

Changes to the course before commencement of study

4.1 All course information, site of delivery and fee information is accurate and up to date at the time of publication.

4.2 The College will provide you with tuition, learning opportunities and other related services which lead to the award of the appropriate qualification, subject to you successfully fulfilling the requirements of your course. Specific details relating to the delivery of your course will be provided before or at the same time of your enrolment and also during your study. These conditions and requirements may be subject to change.

4.3 The College is entitled to make changes to courses (including content, method of delivery, and location of study) where it is necessary for the College to deliver a high quality educational experience for students. However, changes to existing courses are highlyu nlikely. They are considered very carefully, and with the best interests of students(existing and prospective) in mind.

4.4 Changes to a course will be kept to the minimum necessary, and you will be notified of any such changes at the earliest opportunity. If the College makes a significant change to your chosen course of study, and you are not satisfied with these changes, you are entitled to withdraw your acceptance of the offer and transfer to another course offered at the College, providing that you are qualified for admission to that course.

4.5 If the College is not able to provide you with a suitable alternative course to study, you are entitled to withdraw your application. The College will provide you with support to assist you in transferring to another provider as set out in our Student Protection Plan.

4.6 If you withdraw as per Paragraph 4.4, and before the course begins, the College will refund any tuition fees you have already paid, in accordance with the College’s Tuition Fee Refund Policy.

Changes to the course after commencement of study
5.1 The College will endeavour to deliver the course in accordance with the description applied at the time of the offer. However, courses are not guaranteed to run as advertised – this depends upon a number of circumstances such as registration numbers or requirements for specialist modules; therefore, modules may be cancelled or changed, and in extreme circumstances, a course might be closed. Under such circumstances we will duly support your transfer and/or completion.

5.2 The College is entitled to make changes to courses (including content, method of delivery, day and time of delivery, and location of study) where it is necessary for the College to deliver a high quality educational experience for students.

5.3 Where such changes are made they will be communicated to all students so they are aware of the implications affecting their study. If you do not consent to the change, the College will arrange to discuss the matter with you formally and within a reasonable period, seek to arrive at a resolution to which both parties can agree.

5.4 Where such a resolution is not possible, the student retains the right to withdraw from the course, and the College will seek to provide a suitable alternative course of study.

5.5 Where a student chooses to discontinue their study at the College as a result of such changes, the College will consider a request for refund of tuition fees as per the Tuition Fee Policy.

Conditions of enrolment
6.1 Enrolment is subject to compliance with the terms of the offer, as well as with the College policies and procedures. You are required to comply with the College’s Equality and Diversity and other policies and procedures as detailed in your Course Handbook.

6.2 At the time of enrolment, you will be required to provide evidence of:

• your ability to pay tuition fees
• your qualifications (including English language qualifications if required)
• your identity

6.3 Where admission to the course is dependent on submitting an enhanced DBS, any enrolment is considered provisional until acceptable disclosure is obtained. The College reserves the right to revoke an enrolment in the case of an unacceptable disclosure.

6.4 Where a course continues after one year, enrolment at the start of each academic year is required.

6.5 You must obtain your Student ID to complete the enrolment process. Failure to do this may result in you being permanently withdrawn from your course of studies.

Fees
7.1 If you accept an offer to study, you agree to pay all tuition fees, and other related costs, as and when they fall due, in accordance with payment terms agreed.

7.2 The tuition fees quoted on the College website are for one year of study.

7.3 Information about the College’s fees and payment terms are detailed in the Tuition Fees Policy, available on the website.

7.4 The College reviews its tuition fees annually and reserves the right to increase fees for academic years subsequent to the student’s first year of entry to the College. Such increases will normally be in line with inflation to reflect increased costs of delivering the course. If you feel that such fee changes adversely affect you, you retain the right to terminate your enrolment.

7.5 The College’s policy on refund requests is set out in its Tuition Fees Policy.

7.6 In addition to your tuition fees, you may encounter additional expenditure on items such as: DBS, trips and field/site visits (where applicable). You can find out more about these expenses on the individual course information handbook.

Data Protection Notice
8.1 The College will hold and process your personal data, including some sensitive personal data. By signing the Higher Education enrolment form, you agree to this personal data being processed in accordance with the College’s Data Protection Policy, which is available on the College website.

Liability
9.1 The College does not accept personal responsibility for any loss or damage to your property. You are advised to obtain relevant insurance against thefts and other risks.

IT Facilities
10.1 You will have use of the College’s IT facilities while you are enrolled as a student at Russbridge Academy. You must be aware of and observe the rules and regulations governing such use as set out in the College’s IT Acceptable Use Policy.

Health and Safety
11.1 You must abide by the College’s Health and Safety guidelines, details of which can be accessed on the College’s website.

You have a legal duty to take reasonable care to avoid injury to you or to others and not interfere with or misused any protective clothing or equipment provided. If you suffer from a medical condition which may be triggered, or made worse by student activities, you should notify your teachers or the Student Welfare officer for Higher Education.
Intellectual Property
12.1 The College will normally be regarded as owning all intellectual Property generated by you during your studies.

Students with disabilities/learning difficulties
13.1 Higher Education students who meet the eligibility criteria may be able to access support through the Disabled Student Allowance. The College’s ‘Pastoral Support Worker for Adults and Higher Education’ can help with advice and guidance on how to apply for this funding.

Complaints
14.1 If you have a complaint about the College, you should consult and follow the College‘s Complaints Policy. If the issue relates to assessment processes or procedures, you should consult the Academic Appeal Procedures.

14.2 If, having followed the above policy and procedures, you remain dissatisfied; you have the right to make a complaint to the Office of the Independent Adjudicator (OIA) for Higher Education.

14.3 The College’s Complaints Policy and Academic Appeals Procedures may be superseded by Awarding Body Regulations, and you should consult these as well as the College Policy and Procedures.

General Student Conduct
15.1 As a Higher Education student you are expected to abide by the College’s rules, regulations, policies and codes that are in force at any given time. In particular these include, but are not limited to; regulations relating to academic study, learning and assessment; conduct and discipline; use of services and facilities; payment of fees; health and safety; and intellectual property, and include the documents detailed on the front page of this Higher Education Student Contract.

15.2. Unauthorised absence may lead to formal warnings and may result in you being excluded from the College. It is therefore important that you notify the College Absence Line in advance of absence. If at any time you have problems which may prevent you from attending sessions or continuing as a Student, please talk to your personal tutor, academic teachers or the Pastoral Support Worker for Adults and Higher Education.

Student Engagement
16.1 Extensive research has shown that the more fully a student engages with the learning opportunities provided for them on a course of higher education, the more likely they are to be successful in achieving their qualification.

16.2 For Higher Education students there is an assumed level of learner independence and autonomy deliberately built into each course, with the level of such independent study increasing as you progress through your qualification.

16.3 As such, a Higher Education student at Russbridge Academy is required to abide by the conditions set out in the Attendance and Engagement Policy.

Engagement with your studies
17.1 You should engage with all learning activities which form part of your course, subject to absence only for medical reasons or other personal reasons agreed in advance with your course leader. You should also be aware that some courses and modules require a specific level of attendance which will be clearly stated in the module or course handbook.

17.2 Where your record of engagement is considered unsatisfactory, you will be invited to attend a meeting to discuss the issues. In the event that you do not attend this meeting, you will receive a further letter inviting you to a re-arranged meeting. If you do not attend this meeting, then you may be withdrawn from the course.

General
18.1 If any provision of this agreement is or becomes void, illegal, invalid or unenforceable, that shall not affect the legality, validity or enforceability of the other provisions.

18.2 These terms and conditions and the documents referred to in this document override any other communication, document or representation made by us, either in writing or orally. These terms and conditions are the entire understanding between you and us about your course and replace any other undertakings or representations.

18.3 This agreement is personal to you; you are prohibited from assigning or transferring it or any of the rights and obligations under it to a third party.

18.4 Neither party intends that any of the terms of this agreement will be enforceable by any third party, by virtue of the Contracts (Rights of Third Parties) Act 1999.

18.5 Failure to enforce any of the provisions of this agreement will not constitute a waiver of any provision and will not affect our right to enforce that or any other provision.

18.6 A reference to a statute or a regulation shall include any amendments made from time to time under that statute or regulation.

18.7 The relationship between the College and the Student shall be governed by and in accordance with the laws of England and Wales and both parties agree to submit to the non-exclusive jurisdiction of the Courts of England and Wales.