Making learning fun and inspirational

So what’s it like learning with the WEA East Midlands?

Well, it’s not like going back to school or college as our courses are for adults aged over 19.

You’ll learn in small, friendly groups of like-minded people, often at a community venue such as your local community centre or church hall or at a WEA branch office.

Learning with the WEA is also very hands-on and interactive and you won’t just be learning from a text book for example.

Each course is run by a course tutor, who’ll be experienced and very passionate about the subject they’re teaching. In a nutshell, we aim to bring learning to life!

Don’t just take our word for it – read what people who have enjoyed our courses say!

If you’re a WEA student why not get in touch with us to share your story for this website? Your experience could help someone else to learn and even transform their life!

Our course fees

Our courses cost the equivalent to £3.50 per Hour.

The WEA receives funding from the government to subsidise its courses which helps keep the fees as low as possible. Without this funding our fees would be considerably higher. The full fee in 2012/13 would be £7 per hour, but we are able to lower this charge providing we are able to collect a complete enrolment form from each Learner.

Support for students

We believe that every adult should have the opportunity to learn and enjoy our courses, which is why we provide a range of services to help you, from financial support to practical help for people with physical and learning disabilities.

Financial support

Most WEA courses are publicly funded but students usually contribute to their cost through a course fee.

A few of our publicly funded courses are completely free – for example, you may be entitled to develop your literacy and numeracy skills free of charge. To find out more about these courses and about taking a National Certificate in literacy or numeracy please contact the regional office on 0115 962 8400 or email eastmidlands@wea.org.uk

If you’re interested in a different course, you may still be able to get financial help with course fees if you are:

• A British or EU citizen or you have Right of Abode in the UK
• Or a migrant worker previously settled in the European Economic Area (EEA) which includes the EU plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland and their Overseas Territories
• Or a refugee or you have Leave to Remain or Humanitarian Protection
• Or you’ve lived legally in the UK for the past 3 years (but not as a full-time student)

And:

You’re on an eligible benefit (or the dependent of someone on an eligible benefit) – you’ll find details of eligible benefits on your Enrolment Form as they vary from course to course. For example, you may be entitled to financial help if you receive benefits such as Job Seeker’s Allowance, Housing Benefit, Council Tax Benefit, Working Tax Credit (if your household income is below £15,276 a year) and Pension Guarantee Credit.

Please note

You’ll need to declare your residency status and provide evidence of your benefit when you enrol on a course. If you’re not sure of your status we’d be happy to advise you.

Normally, you need to have been legally living in the UK for at least three years to be entitled to financial help, but there are exceptions so please contact us to find out your options.

You may also be entitled to financial support if you’re an asylum seeker.

Help with other costs

You may also be able to apply for Discretionary Learner Support if your financial situation is likely to prevent you from attending and completing your course. To be eligible, you’ll also need to meet the residency status requirements above.

The Student Support Fund can help you with the cost of:

• Travel to and from your course
• Essential books, equipment or field trips for your course
• Childcare (you must use an Ofsted registered childminder, creche, nursery or playgroup)
• Travel to and from your childcare provider
• Additional course costs such as exam fees, accreditation fees or professional membership fees – if these are an essential part of your course

You can apply for financial help towards three courses in each academic year but please apply early as funds are limited.

To find out more and to talk to us in confidence about any aspect of financial support please call the regional office on 0115 962 8400 or email eastmidlands@wea.org.uk or visit us in person at:

WEA East Midlands Regional Office
39 Mapperley Road
Nottingham
NG3 5AQ

Support with learning whilst on your course

If you have a physical or learning disability or difficulty, a health issue, or other support needs, we will do our best to provide specialist staff and resources to help you succeed on your course. Here are just a few examples of how we can help:

• Help getting round the course venue
• Extra help in the classroom e.g. someone to sign or take notes
• Extra time in assessments or exams
• Equipment such as hearing induction loops or magnifiers
• Extra help or tutorials for English, Maths or study skills

We are continuously learning about how to help our students – so please feel free to discuss your individual support needs with us at any time. You are very welcome to contact us before you join a course or alternatively please tick the box on your Enrolment Form to say you need additional support. We will do our very best to provide it. Going forward, you are also welcome to discuss your support needs with your tutor or us – throughout your course.

To find out more and to talk to us in confidence about any aspect of learning support please contact the regional office on 0115 962 8400 or email eastmidlands@wea.org.uk or visit us in person at:

WEA East Midlands Regional Office
39 Mapperley Road
Nottingham
NG3 5AQ

You can also find out more on our Nottingham WEA Community Involvement website.

More about learning with the WEA

We’re committed to ensuring that the WEA is a great place to learn, for all our students, tutors, staff, volunteers and partners.

We have a number of policies that set the standards for the way we operate. They cover everything from how we treat our tutors, staff and volunteers to the service we provide for our students.

To find out more about our policies including the Learner Code of Conduct please visit the national WEA website.

You can also find out more about our commitment to students’ safety and wellbeing on our Nottingham WEA Community Involvement website.

What next? Where could your WEA course take you?

There are all kinds of reasons to learn with the WEA from the buzz of learning something new and meeting like-minded people, to developing your skills, returning to work, getting a qualification, changing jobs or careers or volunteering.

If you’d like to know more about any of these things please feel free to talk to us or your tutor.

Alternatively, you can get free specialist advice and information from the national publicly-funded National Careers Service by calling 0800 100 900 or by visiting the National Careers Service website. The National Careers Service can help you if you want to go back to learning or work after a break, update your knowledge or skills, improve your work prospects or if you want a change of direction.

If you’re interested in volunteering with the WEA you can find out more on our Volunteering page.