WELFARE, ACCESS & SUPPORT

Mountview places great emphasis on pastoral care, along with the mental and physical health of our students. Our welfare initiatives include: 

• All students are assigned a personal tutor who advises them throughout their time at Mountview and acts as an important point of contact
• Our dedicated Student Welfare Manager works alongside the personal tutors, providing support and guidance to students with disabilities, mental health difficulties and specific learning difficulties. Advice and support is available to both prospective and current students.
• First years are teamed up with a second year “buddy” to provide support through their first terms with us, forming a de facto “family” to make you feel at home 
• A dedicated Wellbeing Suite offers a safe space for counselling and 1-2-1 support

We understand that the training at Mountview is intense and demanding, and it is completely natural for students to find things challenging. The Student Welfare Manager and wider support team can provide pastoral support as well as advice on external support networks as needed.

Our Student Welfare Manager is available for one-to-one meetings throughout the academic year, and can provide advice and signposting on avenues of support for your mental health and wellbeing. These include:

• Reasonable Adjustments for students with mental health conditions are available and considered on a case-by-case basis. These can be implemented upon receipt of medical evidence
• All students can access up to twelve free short-term counselling sessions. All counsellors are all fully qualified and registered with the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP)
• Free access to TalkCampus, an anonymous peer-to-peer support app
• Trained Mental Health First Aiders who are on hand to provide assistance during a mental health crisis, and signposting for ongoing support

Mountview is committed to creating neurodiverse-friendly learning environments where students are supported to find learning strategies that work best for them. Specific Learning Differences (SpLDs) are conditions which affect the way information is learned and processed – they are also commonly referred to as ‘neurodivergent’ conditions. These include but are not limited to Dyslexia, Dyscalculia, Dyspraxia or Developmental Coordination Disorder, Dysgraphia, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD).

Students with an SpLD are entitled to reasonable adjustments in the form of a Summary of Reasonable Adjustments (SRA).

Reasonable Adjustments aim to ensure that no student with a disability is placed at a substantial disadvantage compared with non-disabled students. A Summary of Reasonable Adjustments (SRA) is a document that outlines the reasonable adjustments that Mountview will implement for students with physical, mobility, sensory, neurological, or mental health-related disabilities. An SRA is created by Mountview’s Student Welfare Manager once a student has provided medical evidence, and the SRA is shared with all relevant staff to ensure awareness of the student’s adjustments.

Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA) is financial support to cover the study-related costs you have because of a mental health problem, long-term illness or any other disability. This can be on its own or in addition to any student finance you receive. The type of support, and how much you get, depends on your individual needs and is not based on your household income. DSA does not have to be repaid.

DSA support might include assistive specialist equipment or software, extra travel costs that occur as a result of your disability and non-medical helpers (e.g: one-to-one Study Skills tutors).

Incoming students are encouraged to apply for DSA prior to starting their course, in order to ensure that any necessary support is in place from the beginning of the training.

More information can be found at Gov.uk.

Mountview is a fully accessible building and is equipped with lift access to all floors. Gender-neutral and accessible toilets are located on all floors.

We encourage applications from everyone, no matter their background. We hold auditions across the UK and internationally, and offer free auditions to young people from low-income families. Our admissions department works with students to access grants and financial assistance to support training.

Our auditions include workshop classes and meet-and-greet sessions with current students to ensure that candidates can get a feel for life and training at Mountview and so we can see them at their relaxed best.

Read more about access at Mountview in our Statement of Access, Participation and Public Good.