How To Enrol
Some of our courses are very popular and fill up early, so please enrol well in advance to avoid disappointment!
By post:
Complete the booking form found in our brochure. Send it with a cheque or your card details to: Friends Centre, Brighton Junction, Isetta Square, 35 New England Street, Brighton BN1 4GQ. Once you are enrolled on our system we will send you your receipt and course outline.
In person:
You can enrol in person at our Brighton Junction reception, open Monday - Friday, 9.30am-3.00pm. You can pay by cash, cheque or with a debit or credit card.
By telephone:
01273 810210. If you wish to pay by debit or credit card, you can enrol over the telephone, open Monday - Friday, 9.30am-3.00pm.
Fees
We usually ask course fees to be paid in full on enrolment. In exceptional circumstances it can be arranged for you to pay in instalments, but we do ask that you pay half of the fee on enrolment. The remaining payment can be made with no more than two post-dated cheques for the remaining balance. All fees for the Autumn term must be paid in full by 1st December 2009.
Reduced Fees
We offer a 40% reduction on the full fee to people who are in receipt of one or more of the following benefits, or are the unwaged dependent of someone receiving these benefits:
- Income Support
- Job Seekers Allowance
- Housing or Council Tax Benefit
- Working Tax Credit
- Pension Credit (Guarantee Credit only)
We require proof of benefit before a concessionary fee can be made. The reduced fee is shown in brackets after the course fee. We also offer a 40% reduction on the full fee to residents of the Tarner Neighbourhood Renewal Area. Proof of residency (e.g. a utility bill) is required.
The Lynda Kinsella Student Hardship Fund
We have a small fund of money available to help students who have a problem paying fees. We prefer applications to be made in writing, however if there is a reason why this would be difficult, please contact us by telephone. The Lynda Kinsella Student Hardship Fund, Friends Centre, Brighton Junction, Isetta Square, 35 New England Street, Brighton BN1 4GQ. 01273 810210. All applications will be treated in complete confidence. We will contact you with our decision as soon as is possible before the start of the course. The Hardship Fund was founded to honour Lynda Kinsella, who was the Centre Manager at the Friends Centre from 1977 to the time of her death in October 2006. The amount of money we have is limited, and we welcome any donations.
Student Support
At the Friends Centre we want to support all our students. If you are disabled in some way, for example if you have problems with walking, seeing, or hearing, or if you have health problems such as diabetes or epilepsy, or a mental health difficulty such as depression, we want to do all we can to support your studying at the Friends Centre. We would also like to know if you are dyslexic, dyscalculic, or dyspraxic, or if you have any kind of learning difficulty. This way we can work with you to make sure you have the support you need while you are studying with us.
How to tell us about your support needs
We understand that some students may not want to talk about support needs when they first join a class. You can talk to us about what you need at any point while you are studying at the Friends Centre.
- You can contact our Advice and Guidance Officer if you have any questions or would like to discuss support before you join a class.
- There is a section on our Enrolment Forms for you to tell us in which way you are disabled and what support you need.
- If you need our support when your class has started, you can either talk to your tutor, or our Advice and Guidance Officer: Pat Rosine, p.rosine@friendscentre.org
The information you give us about your support needs will be passed on to Pat, who will contact you to arrange an informal interview to talk about what you need and what we can do to help. The information you give will not be passed on to any other staff or any other students in the meantime. At the interview we will talk about who else might need to know about your support needs. Once you begin studying, we will check with you to see how things are going and if we need to make any changes to the support provided.
More information
For more information on the support that is available we have a detailed information leaflet. This is available in standard size, large print and audio format. For a copy please come to our office or call us and we will send you one.
Closure of courses
All courses that do not enrol the minimum number of students will not run.
Refunds
Refunds are made automatically if the Centre cancels a course. Partial refunds are made if a course is closed before the end of term. In all other cases fees are not refunded except in very exceptional circumstances. If your attendance is prevented by illness we will be sympathetic but we will require a medical certificate. We prefer requests to be made in writing, however if there is a reason why this would be difficult, please contact us by telephone.
Personal Possessions
The Friends Centre accepts no responsibility for loss or damage to the personal possessions of any student, member of staff or visitor to our premises. Please be sure to keep your belongings with you at all times.
Other Information
Any student whose behaviour causes offence or disturbance to other students or to staff will be asked to leave their course and may be permanently barred from the Centre.
All information is correct at the time of going to press, but we reserve the right to cancel courses, alter arrangements, times, content or course tutor if circumstances make this necessary.
