Nottingham College Avis 

Great experience! Very lovely and helpful

I have not long finished my dental nursing apprenticeship course at Nottingham college. My tutor Christine and assessor Natalie were incredible, they were extremely helpful and efficient in helping me complete my course over the space of just over a year. I was given plenty of support and encouragement throughout and felt that the course was well thought out and it flowed great alongside working in practice.

Nottingham College’s decision to ban 19 year olds from taking A-Levels is not just unfair. it’s deeply short-sighted. Education is not a one size fits all journey, and many students take alternative paths before realising they need A-Levels to progress. By enforcing this rule, you’re not just turning students away; you’re actively blocking their future opportunities.

What happens to students who faced personal struggles, illness, or financial hardship that delayed their studies? What about those who simply realized later that A-Levels were the right path for them? Instead of supporting lifelong learning, this policy punishes ambition and determination.

If education is truly about growth and second chances, Nottingham College needs to rethink this restrictive rule. Otherwise, you’re not an institution that supports students—you’re one that limits them.

Got a place for a level 3 and the teaching was non existent, all you did when you went in was mock exam papers and had an exam just 4 weeks after the start of the course. I have special education needs due to adhd and an exam after 4 weeks was not expected and so I failed as I was meant to have special arrangements for the exam which I never had except extra time but I was supposed to have my own room to do the exam and breaks in the exam yet didn’t get. This caused me to fail and was kicked from the course and was told I could do level 2 instead that started in January and I’d be contacted. I wasn’t contacted and then when I got in touch they blocked access to my account so I’m now stuck waiting to know what’s what and it really doesn’t look like I’ll be starting this course now as it’s already started. I have a degree in which most of the content was in level 5 of my degree so I don’t understand why I couldn’t have done level 3 and have to start from the bottom despite having most of the knowledge but the teaching was abysmal. I’d avoid this place altogether and go elsewhere as they don’t care about the students on the course.

Positives: The college is making a genuine effort to improve despite working with a limited budget. The teaching staff are mostly competent and do their best with minimal resources. The college has significant potential, but it is currently falling behind other institutions in Nottingham and the surrounding area. The creative courses could benefit from a major overhaul, which could be achievable if the college becomes more receptive to student feedback and more proactive in engaging with students. The campus itself is a modern, vibrant hub with excellent transport links and a prime location within the city.

Negatives: Safety is a major concern. There have been incidents involving students carrying weapons, as well as reports of inappropriate behavior, such as “dogging,” when leaving campus in the evenings. There are also students who appear to be under the influence of drugs or involved in drug-related activities. Sexual harassment has been a recurring issue with certain students too. Teaching standards need to be assessed and improved; more training is required for staff, and teachers should engage more actively with students. While learning support is improving, it is still not up to an acceptable standard. Staff try to assist students with learning difficulties, but they often seem unsure how to effectively help them progress. Management is another significant problem, with a clear divide between staff at different levels. There is also frequent confusion regarding lesson planning, with many teachers citing miscommunication from higher management as the cause. Lessons can be overly focused on political issues, distracting from the core content of the courses.

Conclusion: The college has considerable potential and could achieve great things, but it is resistant to change. There needs to be improved security and stricter safety measures. The creative courses require urgent reform, as they seem neglected and often lack confident teaching. Better communication and collaboration are needed between staff and management to resolve existing issues. More training should be provided for both teachers and learning support staff, possibly through external expertise to assess and improve student support. The college should embrace modern technology and innovation to move forward, taking inspiration from successful institutions to learn what works. Finally, there should be a shift away from enforcing political ideologies in lessons, allowing for a more neutral environment where students feel free to express themselves without being alienated or frustrated by the imposition of certain agendas.

I completed my Dental nurse qualification at nottingham college. Christine was my tutor and Natalie was my assesor. Both were so supportive throughout, any questions were answered, even out of their normal working hours. Chirstine was an amazing tutor during lessons and always there to give you a hand with your work or explain a question in a different way for you to understand. Natalie was always on hand to answer any questions, and during any assessments made me feel calm, always gave me helpful feedback and very supportive through my time there. I can not thank them enough for their support and wisdom, I do not think I could have done so well without them!

I had an amazing experience during my time at Nottingham College for the Dental Nurse Apprenticeship. The program was really well-organised and gave me a strong foundation in dental nursing. Both my tutor christene and Natalie were super supportive and knowledgeable, always there to help with any questions I had. The hands-on training was so valuable, and I felt really prepared for my role in the clinic. Overall, it was a fantastic experience that I would definitely recommend to anyone looking to start a career in dental nursing!

Christine was lovely. Always helping out when I struggled. When I had an emergency and had to leave she didn’t even try and stop me and was really supportive. She gave me the work a few days later and I got it done relatively quick.

The 01/10/2024 I had an interview for an automotive Lecturer position at the London's road facilities, within the panel interviewing me, there was the Assistant principal, which at the end of the process gave me and asked the mobile number, for future communications.
The 03/10/2024 at 16.36 Assistant principal called to inform me that I was successful and I have got offered a position at the Hayfields campus, we spoken about the salary and I agreed.
I couple of days later, as I haven't received any offer letter, I sent a message to the same person, asking if would be possible for the HR, to make contact with me, no answer given. The day after, I called the same person, which didn't pick up the phone call, neither returned it. The day after I have sent an email, asking the same thing I asked by message, and until today, no answer were given, and anyone contacted me at all.
I find your behavior as a college and Educational institute, very unprofessional and unpolite. The assistant principal, which I cannot nominate in this instance, didn't show any respect whatsoever toward myself and my family. Offer a position and disappear thereafter, is not acceptable in any possible way.
I'm not here to beg for the position, but I demand to have a formal apologie by email or by phone, for your disgraceful treatment.

Emailed and phoned them on multiple occasions, still no reply

Christine and Natalie were very supportive and helpful throughout my course and were always there when I need extra help or needed to ask any questions

I haven’t attended their sixth form college, as I am attending another one, but I did go to their taster day and I applied for the college.
The taster day was fine, although very disorganised, which makes me wonder how it is to attend this school full-time.
My issue is the spamming. They act like an online magazine that I subscribed to years ago, and won’t stop contacting me, no matter what I do:
1) They barely contacted me before results and enrolement day, but now they are suddenly REALLY interested, begging me to come even though they have not been interested in me before.
2) They messaged me on Whatsapp to ask if I was enrolling in this college. I clearly stated NO.
3) They send me stuff through the post.
4) They constantly email me and my friends, even though we’ve told them to stop and we’ve blocked them.
5) Same with SMS messages, they keep spamming us.
6) They make enrolment appointments FOR US, even though we told them that we are not enrolling
7) They’ve even called us!

I’m absolutely sick of it, they are practically begging people to attend their school, and are possibly making so many people confused. Imagine that they have already applied to another sixth form/college, then see that they’ve got an email telling them that they are enrolling at High Pavement, then they enrol here instead at the college they want to go to, because they are confused? Absolutely disgusting. My friends and I have applied to several schools, and we haven’t had any others that spam us messages like this.

Moral of the story: unless you are CERTAIN that you want to come here, don’t apply for this sixth form college. Do not think “oo, I want to go to Carlton Academy (e.g.) but I’ll put High Pavement as an option, even though I’m not coming here” because they WILL pester you

Had lots of support from the tutor and assessor, (Natalie and Christine) I feel they went above and beyond, they saw potential in me. My work was marked efficiently, they made the college time suit my way of learning. Overall, down to them, my journey to the qualification dental nursing went with ease.

Did an apprenticeship in dental nursing, there was alot of coursework alongside working in practice. Christine and Natalie were a great help and motivated me throughout the duration of my course and helped me pass and qualify!!

I completed the Level 3 Dental Nursing Apprenticeship with Christine Wood and Natalie Walters. I had extra support whenever it was required and they both communicated well with me throughout the course to ensure I was coping well and keeping on track. I had a great experience and would recommend the college for this course.

This only gets a 5 star due to having a the best tutor to finish off my dental nursing apprenticeship Christine!!! without her i would still have uncompleted course work and have no idea what to expect for my exam, the start of my apprenticeship wasn’t so good due to staff leaving and having a tutor that wasn’t good at all but Christine is the best and i will miss her dearly

I completed my dental nurse apprenticeship at nottingham college. I received so much support and guidance during my year, and without it i wouldn’t have been able to come as far as i have. Christine was my tutor and she was so helpful and supportive and always kept lessons engaging and interactive. She always provided support and help when we needed it, especially coming towards the end of our time leading up to our final exams. Natalie was my assessor and was amazing, she’d always check up on me during my placement, and provide support when i needed it. She helped me so much and got me so far with my confidence. Both Christine and Natalie were amazing and helped me get as far as i have, and helped me gain confidence and my qualification!

I started my dental nurse apprenticeship in November 2022 and qualified in March 2024. My teacher Christine and assessor Natalie were both amazing. The lessons were interesting and were engaging and you were always given feedback from coursework and observations to help you improve and be the best you possibly could be. If you ever needed any help they were very supportive and guided you to the correct outcome. Overall, the course was great and both Christine and Natalie are lovely :)

Without Christine, I would never have qualified. She made my experience and course so much easier and quicker. I can’t thank her enough!

I hope every trainee Dental Nurse gets to be with Natalie and Christine, i had their immeasurable support throughout the course and they always pushed me to my best potential! even after qualifying they were there to answer any questions and support me in anyway, i still think about them both and how great they were with me even a year after qualifying.I honestly wish i could take them through every walks of life with me!