Supporting you
Being a student is exciting and a lot of fun. It
also involves a lot of hard work, and for some, it means moving
away from home for the first time. For many, it involves a whole
new way of life!
At
York St John, we’re keen to make sure that every part of your
student life is as successful and happy as it can be. Our student
support teams are available to you, at any time throughout your
student life, to make sure you get the best out of your time at
University.
We’re here to help you succeed
We offer all students a programme of
events and a comprehensive introduction to university life and
study skills, usually just before the first semester begins and
also during Welcome Week. For some students, this gives a welcome
introduction to becoming a university student for the first
time!
We pride ourselves on our reputation for
putting students at the heart of everything we do and we offer a
significant and valued range of support. Our external Quality
Assessors regularly rate this aspect of our provision as
outstanding.
Putting you first
We realise that everyone has different
experiences, personalities, backgrounds and ways in which they
learn, so we have a range of professional experts available to
advise, guide and support you in all your academic, welfare and
recreational needs. We want to ensure that you gain the most from
your
experience with us.
Our teams can provide professional
advice, information and guidance, counselling, referral, skills
development, advocacy, liaison, training, assessment and
support.
Additional learning support
York St John is working hard to create an inclusive environment
for all our students and has established a number of initiatives
that will help you to gain the most from your time at university.
We work with a wide range of students who may require some kind of
additional learning support such as students with dyslexia,
disabled students or students with medical conditions.
The Disability Advice Team
The Disability Advice Team coordinates
the University’s support for disabled students and we offer a range
of services such as note taking, mentoring and special arrangements
for examinations.
We realise that each student’s requirements are different.
Therefore, we ask that if you do need our advice or support that
you get in touch with the team as soon as possible so that we can
discuss the types of arrangements that are in place at the
University.
We would also advise you to visit us
if you can, before accepting an offer, as there may be some very
specific arrangements that we can put in place for you.
Dyslexia and study development
The University provides a screening process for dyslexia and you
can also apply for funding towards the cost of diagnostic testing.
If you are diagnosed with dyslexia there is a wide range of support
and guidance to help you. This includes individual and small group
sessions with study development tutors and the use of specialist IT
support including assistive software packages such as TextHelp Read
and Write.
Funding to pay for support
Most UK full-time and part-time students, who require the sorts
of services mentioned above, are eligible to apply for Disabled
Students’ Allowances (DSA) from their funding provider such as
Student Finance England. DSAs are non means-tested grants which can
be used to pay for such things as technical equipment, support
workers and specialist one-to-one study skills tuition. Further
details on the funding available can be found on the government
website www.direct.gov.uk
How can I find out more?
If you have any queries or would like to arrange a visit please
do not hesitate to get in touch. You can contact us on: T: 01904
876540 or E:disabilityadvice@yorksj.ac.uk
Study development
Study development is available to all
students and is delivered through workshops, short writing courses,
individual and small group tutorials. It is available to help you
to improve your overall abilities as a writer, whether you have
identified a particular problem or if you just want to develop your
writing. It provides support in many areas of academic writing such
as structuring and planning your research, improving your academic
writing style and expanding your critical vocabulary.
Health and welfare
Your success at York St John University is dependent on your
wellbeing, so your health and welfare are very important to us. We
offer the following services:
Counselling & Wellbeing
The Counselling & Wellbeing Team
is committed to help promote and maintain mental wellbeing for all
students. It offers free confidential support to discuss personal
or academic concerns and develop the best way forward for you. Our
professional counsellors can offer a range of counselling styles
and are able to work on a one-to-one or group basis. They also
facilitate a range of skills training workshops on personal
development and emotional wellbeing issues. The team offers drop-in
and appointment sessions and is here to give you the space to
discuss any personal challenge no matter how small.
Health Centre
We recognise the importance of appropriate health care for all
students and therefore provide a confidential service under the
direction of the Medical Officer.
Doctors’ surgeries are held regularly and a practice nurse holds
daily clinics on campus and provides a wide range of services for
students. Health promotion activities/campaigns are held regularly,
providing specialist advice and support on subjects relevant to
student life and healthy living.
Residential Support Assistants
The team consists of trained residential support assistants and
a number of team members are on call every night during term-time.
The team works closely with colleagues across the University in
coordinating responses to wide ranging issues relating to the
student experience. Together they work to ensure an environment
where you will feel safe, supported and able to study.
Chaplaincy & Spiritual Care
You will find a wide range of life experiences and beliefs
within the Chaplaincy & Spiritual Care
team. They offer spiritual care to students to help in
providing a holistic framework of support.
A wide range of sacred, quiet and prayer spaces reflect the
different beliefs of members. These include a prayer room for use
by all faiths, the Peace Garden, the Quiet Place and the Chapel.
Christian worship takes place on a daily basis.
The Chaplaincy offers a non-judgemental, confidential ‘listening
ear’ service to all and Chaplaincy team members fully respect each
person’s identity and beliefs. Faith advisers from many of the
world faiths also provide support and advice. We also have links
with pagan and other religious groups.
The Chaplaincy is funded by York St John and the Diocese of
York. It also has a role in helping to ensure that issues of faith
are fully and appropriately attended to within the life of York St
John.
This includes, for example, offering opportunities to engage
with local faith communities and increasing religious literacy
among all students and staff.
Student Advice
The Student Advice team will provide
you with advice and guidance concerning a wide range of student
issues and matters relating to student life. If the team cannot
deal with your enquiry directly they will either refer you on to an
expert adviser in one of our specialist teams, another member of
York St John staff or an external advisory body where
appropriate.
They can be contacted on
T: 01904 876477
or E: studentadviceteam@yorksj.ac.uk
Student Finance & Welfare
In addition to the advice offered by the Students’ Union, we
have a Student Finance & Welfare
Team. The advisers are available to provide you with impartial
advice on a wide range of issues including student funding, welfare
benefits, debt, housing, employment, stress, insurance, health,
consumer rights and legal advice. The team can also provide
information on the different scholarships and bursaries that you
may be eligible for.
T: 01904 876400
E: money@yorksj.ac.uk