NSCD’s Student Services department is a one stop shop for all students, and aims to be students’ first point of call for all enquiries. These enquiries may range from timetabling, accommodation, safeguarding and attendance.
Student Services coordinates the six areas of student support:
The Student Services office is located in the main reception area and operate a one stop shop, where students can arrange access to the above support.
Students can also use Student Services as a drop in for when they need immediate support. Our Student Services staff are available to offer general listening support and can signpost students to further help and assistance.
Whilst students have academic tutorials scheduled into curriculum time, they can also book additional academic tutorials and pastoral tutorials with almost any NSCD staff member through Moodle the Virtual Learning Environment. This allows students time with any member of staff they wish rather than being restricted to one personal tutor.
All students entering a course at NSCD will be assessed for dyslexia and dyspraxia to identify those who may require support to gain equal access to the curriculum; this can be through one-to-one or group sessions.
Support for students with a disability
Applicants are encouraged to disclose a disability to the staff at NSCD from the point of application. If you have any questions or concerns that you would like to discuss before you apply you can contact the School. Any information that you do raise will be treated in confidence and will only be discussed with other members of staff with your permission.
Disabled Students Allowance
If you are offered a place at Northern School of Contemporary Dance we can also help you apply for the Disabled Students Allowance (DSA), where appropriate, and help you arrange any specialist support you may be entitled to. This can help cover the cost of specialist equipment necessary for your studies, including software and study skills tuition. Unlike a student loan DSA does not have to be repaid. Applications are made through your awarding body, for example Student Finance England. In order to apply for DSA the awarding body will require evidence of any impairment or disability.
Non-Medical Helper rates are available to view here: NMH Rates 2022/23
Needs Assessors and Assessment Centres can view our Frequently Asked Questions for Assessors: FAQs for Needs Assessors
Inclusive Practice
All courses at Northern School of Contemporary Dance have been designed with inclusive practice at the centre which means we can support students through a variety of assessment methods to find the method that is most appropriate for them.
English Language (EL) support is provided to all NSCD students who do not have English as their first language to enable them to fully access the course.
To access this support students should contact elsupport@nscd.ac.uk in the first instance. This is available to students throughout the academic year, though deadlines by which students must seek EL support will be stated in respective module guides in relation to formal written assessments.
During induction week new NSCD students who do not have English as their first language are invited to a session which discusses student visas (the majority of students whose first language is not English have Student Route visas) and English Language Support. This offers an overview of what the support is and where to access this support.
Predominantly, students will send the EL tutors written work and receive written feedback on this. Feedback includes components such as spelling, grammar and sentence structure.
This support is open to Certificate of Higher Education (CertHE), BA and all Postgraduate students. For CertHE and BA support is largely given in relation to the main written assignment for the year. Final year/MA students often require support with their research project submissions, teaching module submissions and further learning/career applications and CVs.
MENTAL HEALTH AND WELLBEING
Good mental health is essential for students to get the most from their training at NSCD, however we recognise that it’s completely normal to experience times in life when you might feel anxious, overwhelmed or unable to cope.
If you feel you are struggling with your mental health, or are worried about yourself or a friend, then our Wellbeing Team are here to help.
Our counselling service is free and confidential (unless you or someone you know is at risk), and is available for all students to access.
The first step is to book an appointment with our dedicated Student Support Manager, who can assess your immediate needs and discuss options for ongoing support.
Making an appointment:
Appointments can be booked via Moodle here, or through Student Services. We can generally see students for an initial assessment appointment within 2 weeks.
From there, we will decide with you what level of support feels right. For example, we could offer:
Whatever you are struggling with – stress, anxiety, loneliness, eating, panic attacks, relationships or low mood – and however large or small it may feel, we can help.
Waiting times ae always considerably lower than NHS referrals and our services are free to all students.
Injury Support staff also work closely with the Wellbeing team to ensure the emotional side of injury is picked up and addressed. Together, we work closely with students who may be struggling with pain or an inability to participate fully in their studies to discuss coping strategies and adjustments to their weekly schedule, alongside their physical therapy.
Mental Health Resources
Although we aim to see any student needing support quickly, we are not an emergency service and are unable to offer out of hours support.
For the full directory of mental health services available in Leeds visit MindWell directory – MindWell (mindwell-leeds.org.uk)
Or, if you need help right now, Samaritans are available 24/7 to talk to. You can use the free helpline at 116 123 or visit https://www.samaritans.org
The School has an injury rehabilitation provision to help students better understand and recover from injury and/or, prevent them from developing chronic injuries. Along with in-house Injury Support Sessions, Integrative Bodywork classes and gym area, the School works in collaboration with local osteopathy, physiotherapy, acupuncture and massage providers. All students are provided with guidance on nutrition and fitness.
We also offer help and support in finding a local GP and other NHS services.
Find out more about injury supportNSCD facilitates a House Hunting Day and provides support and useful contacts for you to use when arranging your accommodation.
As the majority of our students live in shared housing, NSCD uses the services of Unipol, a student housing charity, who accredit all our recommended student housing using the Unipol code.
Should you prefer not to live in shared housing, there are many halls of residence in Leeds available due to the number of Universities and colleges in the city.
Find out about Student accommodationThe Student Handbook contains all the information you need to know about being a student at NSCD.
View the Student Handbook
