Information for students on the closure of courses at Schumacher College
This page provides information for students affected by the closure of courses at Schumacher College.
We will update the page with more information as it becomes available.
Information for students
Students at Schumacher College have been informed that their courses will be closing, following a decision by Dartington Hall Trust to withdraw financial support for the provision.
This means that, with immediate effect, Dartington Hall Trust will be closing higher education courses offered at Schumacher College.
What can students expect?
In this situation, all students at Schumacher College must be given the opportunity:
- to continue with their studies at another university or college
- or choose to end their studies and receive credit for their academic attainment to date.
Students may also be entitled to compensation for the disruption and associated costs.
The University of Plymouth validates the programmes offered by Dartington Hall Trust, and as such has resources available to support the college’s students.
We are working alongside the university to ensure the trust does everything it can to enable students to find an acceptable alternative, and provides them with appropriate compensation.
Dartington Hall Trust is registered with the OfS. This means it has obligations under its student protection plan, to support all students.
Contact with Dartington
Students have been contacted via a dedicated email channel and Dartington has committed to approach them individually as early as possible in w/c 2 September to discuss courses of action case-by-case.
Any students who, for whatever reason, may not have received a direct communication are urged to make contact with Dartington immediately for further guidance on next steps by emailing [email protected].
If you have a complaint that relates to the closure of courses at Schumacher College, you should:
- Start by raising your concern directly with Dartington Hall Trust.
- If this doesn’t resolve the issue, you can raise the matter with the Office of the Independent Adjudicator for Higher Education (OIA). The OIA is an independent body that reviews student complaints about higher education providers in England and Wales. Their service is free for students.
Support and advice is available if you are concerned about your mental health or wellbeing at this time.
You can contact:
- Student Minds the UK’s student mental health charity, offers lots of information on the support available for students.
If you need urgent support for yourself or a friend, there are services that can help:
- The Samaritans are open every day of the year
- Mind, the mental health charity offers support by phone or online
- Papyrus will provide confidential help and advice to young people thinking about suicide and anyone worried about a young person.
We recognise that this situation is difficult for international students, but you may still have opportunities to continue to study in the UK. You also do not need to leave the UK immediately.
As an international student, your permission to stay in the UK is based on Dartington Hall Trust holding a sponsor licence.
After Dartington Hall Trust’s licence to sponsor international students ends, UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) will review your permission and contact you with a new, shorter visa expiry date.
You will usually have 60 days’ permission to remain in the UK from the date that UKVI contact you with a new expiry date, unless there is less than 60 days left on your current permission.
Until you are contacted by UKVI, your current permission expiry date remains in place.
You can apply for permission to stay in the UK to study on a new course as long as the new course starts no more than 28 days after the expiry date of your permission – depending on when you apply, this may be your current expiry date, or the new expiry date given by UKVI.
The UK Council for International Student Affairs can provide advice and support for international students.
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