Admissions & fees
The main criteria for any young person joining us are - does the person want to be with us – are they keen to be part of our learning community - and are they likely to benefit from being with us? If these criteria are satisfied after an initial meeting, we invite prospective students to join us for a trial week at the College. This allows them to experience SML first-hand and helps everyone to know if it's the right choice for the student.
Morning or Afternoon Sessions
We operate two sessions for two different communities of students. Students can either choose to attend morning sessions or afternoons.
Morning Sessions run 09:15am to 12:45pm
Afternoon Sessions run 1:30pm to 4:30pm
Trial Weeks for Students
We run trial weeks for up to three students at a time most term-time weeks only. These weeks are free and without obligation on either side.
Once an application has been accepted the student may join us at the start of the next new term.
Fees
We believe that all children, irrespective of parents’ means, should be able to access the opportunities of our Self Managed Learning College and if parents are not able to afford the fees there are possibilities to get assistance either from a local charity or from the College’s Hardship Fund, providing up to 75% fee reduction respectively. If you’d like to know more about these please get in touch.
Fees from Jan 2025
Registration fees are £50.00
Where the parent is paying the College directly, there is a reduction in fees. However, if a parent is asking a Local Council, Trust or a local school to pay, it is their responsibility to make sure they cite the full price.
The reduced fees for parents who are paying directly is outlined below:
Fees for morning sessions
Full academic year (3 terms) of September to July:
£1,815 per term in advance, or 11 monthly payments equivalent to £1,848 per term
Fees for afternoon sessions
Full academic year (3 terms) of September to July:
£1,595 per term in advance, or 11 monthly payments equivalent to £1,628 per term
An hourly rate of £80.00 will be charged for extra admin services, such as reports and assessments (please contact us with a week in advance to see if we are able to take a task).
Principles, Rules & Procedures
A returnable deposit of £750 is required, which is held by the College until the student leaves . It is separate from the fees. It is either refunded, if there are no debts to the College, or it can be donated to the hardship fund for bursaries.
Invoices for termly fees are issued in advance and must be settled in full by required payment date.
Invoices for annual fees need to be settled before the start of the academic year in September.
Unpaid invoices will attract a ‘warning letter’ and 8% interest per month may be charged. If no attempt to respond to the warning letter is made within 10 days your child’s place could be offered to another interested parent. Where there is no response or payment, the finance team will follow procedures for debt collection which may be via a debt collection agency or solicitor’s action.
Parents who have registered with the Local Council, Trust or a local school for payment of fees – please note that we can invoice the Council, Trust or the school for you, but that you remain responsible for fee payment.
Having a full intake of students is essential for keeping costs to a minimum as the College runs at a loss if all places are not filled. For this reason we require one full term’s notice in writing for ALL students should you decide to withdraw. If this is not received you will be charged for the next full term even if your child is not attending.
There may be a need for additional expenditure if, for example, your child wishes to participate in trips or access extra learning resources. Enrolment onto accredited courses such as GCSEs and Arts Awards will also incur extra cost. All additional costs are optional.