Pastoral Support & Healthcare for International Students
Supporting your learning journey every step of the way.
The health and well-being of our students are our key priorities during their stay at one of our colleges. We register all international students with a local doctor's surgery and have dedicated college nursing staff to care for the needs of students who feel sick or unwell.
We recognise the importance of mental health. Our pastoral care specialists meet with all international students each term to ensure that they are making positive progress and feel supported during their studies.
Working alongside our trained and supportive accommodation teams, we have a dedicated student support practitioner, our International Student Support Officer (ISSO), responsible for offering direct support and coordinating student information to provide appropriate support to all our international students living in college accommodation. We support the student journey from application to departure.
Pastoral Support Induction
The ISSO usually delivers this face-to-face during a student's first week in class. However, if a student has to quarantine, they will receive a video call in their first week to be introduced to the ISSO. Then, they will be sent a video presentation to outline how pastoral support is delivered. All International students receive a contact card detailing support staff during their first week at our colleges.
Attendance and Punctuality
The attendance and punctuality of our students are checked daily, and weekly monitoring meetings between academic, accommodation, and pastoral teams occur to ensure that students attend classes. If students fail to meet expectations, they will be invited to a one-to-one meeting with their International Student Support Officer to discuss the reasons. This may lead to a target-setting process known as the referral system, or it may lead to additional support being offered to the student.
Sickness Linked to Attendance
Absences are explained by emails reporting that a student is unwell and will be picked up by the ISSO, who will initiate communication with teaching, accommodation, and healthcare teams. This will lead to the appropriate support being sourced and offered to the student.
Signposting to appropriate support groups or services
Students may contact the International Student Support Officer for advice and guidance about any matter they need support with. They will be given supportive advice and directed to the correct team to handle the matter appropriately.
Safeguarding
International students and the halls of residence have two safeguarding officers whose primary focus is the care of accommodation students. These are:
- Eleanor Fisk (International Student Support Officer -ISSO)
- Denise Moon (Group Accommodation Manager)
International Student Support Officers
Students can speak to any staff member if they are concerned about their or another student's well-being. Each campus also has a dedicated support officer who works closely with our safeguarding team.
We have emergency staff on call 24/7.
