New College Doncaster

the college actively promotes independence and individuality while also forcing students to set revision notes out in a specific way, despite the fact that they don't work, because they are ‘statistically proven to be effective’. coming from a non academy trust school the difference for me was shocking, each lesson (despite subject) is the same and the teachers are almost robotic and rely heavily on the textbook to teach. as i mentioned before students are forced to set out their revision in a specific way, getting told they NEED to or else it won’t work, and totally disregarding the fact that people revise in different ways. when i tried to use a method id used in gcse (which to me was very effective) i was told not to set it out like that and to use the teachers style of note taking. as well as this id find myself loathing certain subjects i used to love at gcse due to the controlling nature of some teachers. some teachers are nice but again are confined to a very strict structure in the way they set out lessons so much so that id find myself having to reteach myself certain parts during my frees. the difference between tutor in secondary and college is huge, instead of seeing your tutor every morning you see them once a week for about an hour, with many tutors having multiple forms, and this takes the more ‘personal’ aspect out of them. there is a heavy push on going to university (with the college having links to hull uni) however there is no real support for those who don’t want to, or cant afford, that path. multiple times while i was there i told friends- and teachers- that if my secondary had a sixth form i would have gone in a heartbeat and ,given the fact that i wasn’t the biggest fan of school, i think speaks volumes. the community at college is made out to be very close but by the end of my time there i only knew around 200 (out of 650) people in my year group, most of whom id known before. overall i wouldnt recommend the college unless you are a) academic and want to go to university and b) aren’t a visual learner

I heard it's terrible and they pay Hungerhill School tons of money to promote this college to their students they did to me when I was there. They barely have any students there anyway.

As a student of New College Doncaster I strongly recommend you do not send your child here unless you have no better option.

New college doncaster is undoubtedly a factory machine aimed to get good grades with little to no regard for student welfare whatsoever.
The “community” atmosphere is nonexistent and teachers talk about students with the vagueness of a fortune cookie. Compared to the “family” aspect of other schools, New College operates entirely as a business with no regard for the students. The entire system is empty and passionless. As a student with diagnosed clinical depression, I can say the support I’ve received from the Schools SLT and tutor system has been the definition of minimal and ineffective.

The school has the illusion of being aware of mental health whilst in actuality worsening students wellbeing. The sheer amount of pressure and workload placed on students is demonstrative of this and their inability to shift this for a life threatening mental illness is appalling. even if I was literally working 24/7 it would still never be enough for this School, nothing is enough there is always more work to be done.

Some of my darkest days have been here, which obviously cannot be blamed entirely on the school but the toxic environment they create does not help. The school is praised for its inclusivity especially in celebrating LGBTQ pupils but the phrase “bare minimum” comes to mind.
It is excellent that a school is accepting of any gender identity or sexuality but this should absolutely be the standard and not the exception.

Other than the lack of a uniform, I struggle to find any benefits for attending this school and I would recommend anywhere else before here as it was one of the biggest mistakes of my life.

I attended New College Doncaster for two years in an attempt to secure my further education. However, my time there was cut short, as I was driven away by the bullying I experienced.

At first, It was a great college. I made friends, and was doing well. Then I was held back a year (I am autistic and was not receiving help at all, so I didn’t pass) and I was in with the previous year. This meant all my friends graduated, I was left alone, I knew nobody in the year, and I was redoing topics I couldn’t understand, all while being bullied and called slurs on top of it.

Also, if you don’t want to go to university, that’s kind of tough. They push university shamelessly there, sending you on trips, having you attend countless talks, doesn’t matter if you say you can’t afford it, or you don’t want to go.

This college is good if you are not disabled, as the support for that is non existent. The study support they have makes you feel bad about your capabilities, and they don’t acknowledge any bullying. I dropped out, much to my mental health’s benefit, and moved elsewhere. I since have experienced less stress (the workload they put on you is ridiculous)… , less bullying, I have friends again.. and finally, I have time for other things, e.g. a part time job. I’m finally learning, and it’s not because of here.

However, because I left, they deleted my student account (fair) with all my coursework on it (not fair) so now I have no qualifications to show for my time there. Nothing. It’s all gone. My current educator wanted to see it as proof.

A newer, more fresh way to college life. And overall is a very relaxed and comfortable environment, with plenty of chances to socialise throughout the day. Likeable teachers and fun lessons make even the longest of days go quickly and with a decently friendly studentbase. The students amhave a council and a very strong community, and there's always ways to contact any teacher. I would recommend it a lot!