Frequently asked questions

All students are expected to attend 100% of timetabled sessions, which includes lessons, tutorials, core programmes and work placements. All absence is unauthorised until appropriate evidence is provided to Student Services; it is the responsibility of the student to provide this evidence.

Authorised absences include: short illness; hospital appointment; funeral of a close family relative; an interview for a permanent job or university place; emergency medical or dental treatment; court attendance; driving test; educational visit or fieldwork; work experience placement; or approved study leave.

You must telephone the college on 01482 711688, or email student.services@wilberforce.ac.uk, preferably before 10:30am on the first day of absence. Your son or daughter can do this initially if you are busy, but you will be required to call later to confirm the absence.

At the beginning of the year, the student will be given a formula grade for each subject - this is calucated from their GCSE scores and is the lowest grade we would expect the student to achieve. We expect students to achieve above this grade. Every student is allocated a personal tutor who they will have regular meetings with, and the tutor will assess their progress against the formula grade every half-term.

Twice a year (autumn and spring), we will formally assess the student's progress, looking at commitment, completion of work, classroom contribution and attendance, as well as their grades.

Unfortunately, EMA has been fully withdrawn by the government to new students, so this is no longer available. For students who need financial help in order continue with their studies, a College Bursary is available.

All students have access to the dedicated Study Support centre, with provides 1-2-1 and group support with essay writing, planning, and revision & exam techniques.

Changing course is a big decision, and the student should discuss the reasons behind the decision with their personal tutor and subject teachers. If they decide that changing course is the best option, they should contact Student Services. Changing course is not always possible after the first few weeks of the autumn term.

You need to make the college aware of changes of address or personal circumstances immediately. Your son or daughter will need to collect a change of address and personal details form from Student Services.

Students will be given lots of support to help them make applications to universities, or pursue a career after college. We have special programmes running to support students pursuing certain career paths, such as medicine and teaching, to help them get the experience they need to get on the courses they want at university.

The earliest lesson start time is 8.45am and the latest finish time is 4.10pm. All students have a morning break. Lunchtimes vary as students have their own individual timetable subject to the level and choice of course(s). Parents may request a copy of their son/daughter’s timetable by contacting Student Services.

Yes. ‘Consultation Evenings’ currently take place twice during the academic year. Parents are encouraged to attend these evenings with students to discuss their son/daughter’s progress at college with teaching staff.

Student Services sell Megariders everyday between 10am and 12.30pm and they cost £5.

If you have any queries relating to finance, you should see a member of Student Services, located at the entrance to the college.

The Student Force is made up of current students at the college, who act as our representatives and work with our marketing department.  They might attend external events, promote Wilberforce in the local community, or help out at our Open Evenings.  If you are interested in joining, please contact are@wilberforce.ac.uk

Occasionally there are times when lots of people are trying to contact the college (results days, enrolment, etc), and on these days you may struggle to get through via the telephone.  If this is the case, there are many other ways to contact us.  You can email enquiry@wilberforce.ac.uk, you can fill in the contact form on our website, or you can send us a message on Facebook or Twitter.  We aim to answer your queries as soon as possible, but please be aware that at busy periods, it may take us slightly longer.

When you are in the second year of your level 3 course at Wilberforce, we will provide you with support with your application through UCAS.  Your tutor will help you write your personal statement, and our UCAS administrator will ensure your application is sent off correctly to the universities of your choice.  If you need help choosing courses and where to study, our Careers Progression Officer can help and give all the advice you need.

For those who are interested in applying to Oxford and Cambridge, we have the Aspire programme, which includes visits to the universities, counselling from Oxbridge graduates and interview coaching.

Please ensure you have returned your locker key and claimed your £5 deposit, returned any items you have borrowed from the library and paid any outstanding fines.  It would also be a good idea for you to collect any outstanding results/certificates from Student Services, which will save you having to return at a later date.

If you do not re-enrol at Wilberforce, it is college policy to disable your account, as we cannot leave them accessible indefinitely.  Therefore, you should forward any emails that you need to keep to a personal account before the end of term.  If after you leave, you still need urgent access to something, please contact IT Services on 01482 711688 and they should be able to help you.

All our results days will be available for collection in August.  We will publicise exact days and times during the Summer holidays on our website and on Facebook, so please check regularly.  If you are unable to attend results day, you can check your grades on Columbus or collect them in person from Student Services in the new term.

Yes, you need to contact Student Services on 01482 711688.  They can arrange a reference for you and keep track of its completion.

Each October we open applications for the following year, along with the launch of our new prospectus. 

You can either fill in an application form in the back of our prospectus, apply online on our website or, if you are in Year 11, you will apply via the CAP process in your tutor group.

We take students aged between 16-19.  If you are aged over 19 years old, please contact us to discuss the possibility of a place.

BTEC Level 1 – Mainly E, F and G grades at GCSE.

BTEC Level 2 – At least two D grades at GCSE

BTEC Level 3 – At least four C grades at GCSE, in three or more subjects, plus a D grade in English Language.

A level – A least five C grades at GCSE, in three or more subjects, plus a grade C in English Language and Maths.

You can order a hard copy of our prospectus via our website here, or you can view it online here.

Once we have received your application we will hold it until we open our interview stage in February.  If you are in Year 11 at one of our Hull partner schools (Malet Lambert, Andrew Marvell, Winifred Holtby, Kingswood, Trinity House, Newland Girls, Archbishop Sentamu), we will come into your school to conduct your interview.  If you are in year 11 at another school in the area, or not currently a school pupil, we will contact you in March to arrange an interview in college.  If you are successful in your interview, you will receive a letter of acceptance and can look forward to Welcome Day in June, and starting college in September!

Your interview is nothing to worry about.  We check your contact details, log your predicted/achieved grades and talk to you about the courses you would like to take.  This is your chance to discuss your career ambitions with us, to ask any questions about college and get some advice about course choice.

Nothing!  Although if you have any information about your predicted/achieved grades, that will always be useful.

Wilberforce Welcome takes place at the end of June, after your exams and before the Summer holiday starts.  It is a chance to meet other students in your year, explore the college campus and experience some of activities you’ll be tasked with on your new courses.  There is also music, food and some free stuff to whet your appetite for things to come.

Usually around the end of June.  We release the date for Wilberforce Welcome in the prospectus every October, but we’ll send you a personal invitation for the event nearer the time.

Wilberforce Welcome is exclusively for new students of the college.  If any of your friends want to come along, they’ll need to apply to be a student of the college.  But don’t worry if you’re coming on your own, they are plenty of social activities and chances to make new friends.

Enrolment is usually after the August bank holiday, although the dates can be subject to change.  We send new and returning students a letter in the Summer holidays which gives them an exact time and date to attend for enrolment.

Along with your appointment letter, we also send you a pack of enrolment information.  This lets you know exactly what to bring and gives you information on transport, finance and enrolment procedures.

Yes.  If you would like to bring your parents or a friend for moral support, that is fine.

You can view our term time dates here.  We will let you know your start date at enrolment too.

Students Services hire out lockers.  They cost £5, which you receive back when you return your key at the end of the year.  You will need your ID card, and it may be a good idea to think about where you would like your locker to be.

Our IT Helpdesk is located in room A101 and they can help you with your account and password.

A good rule of thumb is that if your question is IT related, go to the IT Helpdesk.  If it is about anything else, go and see Student Services.  They are there to support you through college and if they can’t help, they will be able to find the person who can.