As a prospective FE College of Sanctuary, we support the ‘City of Sanctuary’ vision that the UK will be a welcoming place of safety for all, offering sanctuary to people fleeing violence and persecution. We endorse the City of Sanctuary Charter and agree to act in accordance with City of Sanctuary values and apply the network principles within our work.
As part of our commitment to this vision we:
- Ensure our staff are effectively equipped and trained to understand and meet the needs of students from forced migration backgrounds and understand how we can maintain a culture where everyone feels safe, a sense of belonging and that they can succeed;
- Identify and overcome barriers to educational access and progression for students seeking sanctuary;
- Listen to the voices of students with lived experience of (forced) migration to learn how we can improve our practice and provision and enable them to lead sanctuary related activities, where relevant;
- Raise awareness about the experiences of people seeking sanctuary with everyone in our college community, challenging misconceptions and recognising how new arrivals enrich our community and the UK more widely;
- Connect and collaborate with other organisations and institutions working to support people seeking sanctuary;
- And recognise we all have a role to play in building a culture of understanding, kindness and compassion both in college and beyond.
This page also lists relevant information, support and opportunities available for students seeking sanctuary (including refugees and asylum seekers) to help address barriers to access.
If you are a refugee or asylum-seeking student and have a question, please contact: esol@chesterfield.ac.uk
Course opportunities
Chesterfield College offers a wide range of courses. Many sanctuary-seeking students enrol onto our ESOL courses. Click here for more information.
Each course on the Chesterfield College website gives details about any course fees and funding opportunities. For more information, please contact admissions@chesterfield.ac.uk who will be able to provide further information.
Enrolment paperwork
Please bring the following documents when you are invited in to enrol for a course:
Proof of residency
We accept the following forms of ID and proof of residency:
- e-Visa
- ARC Card
- BAIL Letter of Support from Solicitor with a Passport photo
- A provisional or full driving license alongside your Home Office documents proving that the prospective student asylum application is in the process – dated 6 months ago.
- For those with entry clearance visas in their passport e.g. those on family reunification or resettlement visas, your visas will be considered as proof of residency
Proof of support
If you are seeking asylum and or receiving asylum support (NASS Section 95 or Section 4) and/or subsistence support, you should take:
- Asylum support agreement letter – Ideally outlining the remit of your support.
- Tenancy agreement – confirming student address
- ASPEN Card / Subsistence support letter – ideally with ASPEN card.
If you are under the care of the local authority (regardless of your immigration status) you should take:
- A letter from your social worker or personal advisor confirming support from social services – whether in care of local authority or a care leaver and the type of support provided (e.g. accommodation and subsistence etc.) is helpful.
If you receive public funds including section 95 and section 4 (NASS), a recently dated letter confirming the relevant support is needed – especially universal credit (UC), job seekers’ allowance, housing benefit, and child tax credit.
Proof of previous qualifications
If you have certificates of your previous qualifications from your home country, it is important to bring them to your enrolment appointment. This will help the college admissions team to make a good assessment of your current academic skills, saving you from having to study at a lower level of education than your ability warrants. UK NARIC is the National Agency responsible for the recognition and comparison of international qualifications and skills. They provide statements of comparability for people who have international qualifications and want to study in the UK. You can apply for this through their website, but please note there is a cost for this.
If you have have qualifications from your home country, but do not have (and cannot retrieve) the certificates or transcripts, contact Admissions (admissions@chesterfield.ac.uk) to discuss alternative ways of assessing your academic level and recommend the level of education that you can enrol on to in line with your core interest. We understand that many students from a forced migration background are unable to prove the qualification that they achieved in their home country because their certificates or transcripts have been lost or destroyed, and we will work to help this not be a barrier to accessing a suitable course.
Financial assistance
You may be entitled to financial assistance for travel and childcare costs. For more information, please see the Bursary and Finance Support page: Bursary/Financial Support – Chesterfield College
Other support