Access Creative College is committed to keeping parents of our learners in the know throughout their time with us. We want you to feel comfortable, assured and at ease that your child is in the best hands for the start of their creative careers.
As the UK’s largest independent, government-funded further education provider, with 30 years of experience, Access Creative College specialises in preparing young people for the creative and technology industries.
You can rest assured that your
child is in safe hands; We’re graded
‘Good’ by Ofsted (2022) and
‘Outstanding’ by the Independent
Schools Inspectorate (2017).
Success Stories
Many of our alumni forge successful careers in the creative and tech industries.
Ed Sheeran
Global superstar Ed Sheeran studied music with us and continues to be a fantastic alumni to the college.
Nilüfer Yanya
Singer, songwriter and musician, Nilüfer Yanya, who performed at Coachella 2022 and released Painless, awarded The Guardian’s 10th best album on their ‘50 best albums of 2022’ lis
Josh Weller
Comedian, musician, comic-book writer and podcast host.
Laura Wheale
Currently collaborating on a project with Netflix.
Students will learn the theory behind their chosen industry and then have the opportunity to put it into practice with our enrichment and
work experience programme, GoLive.
GoLive is a core part of ACC student’s study programme, developing their wider skills for work and life. Built around personal and professional skills, empowering students for future success, students will be given exposure opportunities with employers and
universities, as well as work experience opportunities and creative projects in collaboration with industry.
GoLive is also about showcasing and celebrating talent. The GoLive Awards and Showcases at the end of the year give students the chance to be selected for an award. These national, industry awards place student’s work in front of leading professional organisations, companies and people.
Piece of Mind
We want your child to build their con dence alongside their abilities and knowledge while studying with us. To ensure that happens, we offer a safe, welcoming and friendly environment, with a close family feel for your child to learn and develop.
ACC believes that the welfare of our students is paramount. We recognise our duty and responsibility to protect them when there is a cause for concern. We are committed to the safe recruitment, selection and vetting of all staff. Find more information about our safeguarding policy here.
A lot of our students need extra support in their studies. We have a friendly and experienced team of Learning Support Managers and Pastoral Managers at every campus to work with you to support your child during their time with us. Our team focuses on supporting academic learning, mental health and wellbeing to ensure students can perform to the best of their abilities. We provide a student counselling service offering additional mental health and wellbeing support to our learners. To find out more about the support available, contact our admissions team on 0800 28 18 42 or email [email protected].
If your child is aged 16-18, our courses are FREE. If they’re aged 19-23 our courses may still be free, but terms and conditions apply. If your child is aged 19+, they may not be eligible for a free or subsidised place, but we can still offer financial support by way of Advanced Learner Loans:
- These loans cover the cost of the course at Levels 3 and 4 and are available for students aged 19+.
- There are no upfront costs.
- Repayments start from the April after finishing one of our courses, but only if your child is earning over £25k/year.
- Loans not repaid within 30 years are written off.
- If your child is taking an Access to HE course and is 19+, their Advanced Learner Loan will be written off upon completion of their Degree.
Bursary funds are also available. These funds are means-tested and intended to assist learners with some of the costs associated with studying, such as travel and meals. Please
note that the bursary cannot be used to pay course fees.
ACC students are given a learner report which is sent to parents. The report informs parents or guardians about how your child is progressing on the course. The report includes information about your child’s progress such as coursework, target grades, attendance, any work experience opportunities, intended progression and next steps. Following the learner report, parents are invited to parents evenings. In the event of a student falling behind or issues with attendance or engagement, parents will always be contacted.
For full details around Access Creative College’s term dates, click here.
British Values are defined as ‘Democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and the mutual respect and tolerance for those with different faiths and beliefs’. All of our staff receive training to ensure that these values are upheld in their behaviours and embedded in their work. Our learners’ understanding of British Values and the relevance to their own lives is developed throughout all aspects of learning experience at Access Creative College.
ACC has clear and understandable expectations around attendance. As with any activity, the most important part is showing up and doing. That’s why we always ask our learners to set 100% attendance as one of their targets. This counts for all areas of study, from your main qualification to work experience or employability sessions. Attending all sessions means that learners don’t miss any important information and it also supports other learners and staff by minimising disruptions. Punctuality is a vital part of any career.
Access Creative College aims to provide learners with an engaging and stimulating experience. Our friendly and supportive college community is one of our best assets, and we aim to keep it that way. We have strict rules around conduct and behaviour that are designed to safeguard all individuals at ACC.
We do not accept bullying, harassment or racial discrimination of any kind. We want learners to feel safe knowing that violent behaviour, victimisation and bullying are disciplinary offences that are taken very seriously. This includes bullying via the internet, social media and/or mobile phones. ACC has a zero tolerance policy to the use of drugs and alcohol on our premises.
Access Creative College is committed to providing the best possible service for all of its learners (as well as visitors and partners). We do however acknowledge that learners can at times feel dissatisfied and are entitled to have their concerns listened to and addressed. In such cases, the college aims to respond quickly and effectively. You can view our full Complaints, Comments and Compliments policy here
Access Creative College is committed to being fully compliant with JCQ rules and regulations to ensure an excellent exam experience for our learners who need to do GCSE Maths and/or English (ME).
We train all our invigilators in-house and ensure all our rooms and equipment for exams are fit for purposes.
We ensure that all our learners are given their approved exam access arrangements e.g. extra time to complete their examinations with us.
Each campus has their own Exams Officer and a National Examinations Manager. ACC ensures that learners receive timely results and information on how to apply for post results services such as Access to Scripts and appeals.
Do you need ME?
Maths and English (ME) qualifications are usually required to go to university and for most career paths. Regardless of where your child chooses to study, if they don’t already have the Maths and English grade required (GCSE Grade 4 or above in Mathematics and English Literature/Language), it will be compulsory for them to do a maths and/or English course alongside their studies.
At ACC we run GCSE Maths and English courses that are tailored to our learners’ levels of ability, offering smaller classes and 1:1 support to help them achieve the ME grade they need for their chosen next steps.
GET TO KNOW THE INDUSTRY THAT YOUR CHILD IS STUDYING
As parents, we want the best for our child and their future. We know that the creative and digital industries can be a mine eld for some parents. The creative and digital industries are extremely resilient. They have, and continue to bounce back with force in the post-pandemic world. We have seen just how vital these industries are for our evolution and there will be job opportunities for your child that don’t even exist yet.
At ACC, we make sure that we constantly keep up to date with industry to ensure that what we offer prepares the next generation for a stable, successful and progressive career.