Many of our students have children or other dependents to care for whilst studying with us, and we understand it can be a juggling act. That’s why we offer support and advice to help you balance your home commitments with studying.
Academic Support
It's important that student parents can access academic support and resources easily around their full schedules - whenever and wherever they need them:
- Your Digital Library is your gateway to a wide range of online learning resources, accessible anytime, anywhere.
- Your Learning Skills Hub offers online modules to help you develop your academic skills—including a useful module on time management.
- Student Peer Mentors are current students, trained to provide a safe and confidential space for you to talk freely and ask questions. They can provide reassurance and guidance to help you succeed in your studies, build support networks and feel connected to the wider University community
If you have any concerns about your studies or meeting deadlines, remember, don’t hesitate to reach out to your Personal Academic Tutor.
Financial support
If you’re a full-time student and you’ve got children or an adult who depend on you, you might be able to get extra help on top of your main student finance.
The amount you get depends on your household income and doesn’t usually have to be paid back.
This can include:
- Childcare Grant - You can apply for a Childcare Grant to help pay for your childcare costs for children in approved or registered childcare. You could get up to 85% of your childcare costs.
- Parents’ Learning Allowance - If you’ve got dependent children, you can apply for a Parents’ Learning Allowance to help with course-related costs such as books and travel.
- Adult Dependents’ Grant - If you’ve got a partner or another adult who depends on you financially, you can apply for an Adult Dependents’ Grant.
- Child Tax Credit - You can apply for Child Tax Credit if you're responsible for one child or more.
For further financial advice, you can chat to our Student Support Advisers.
Childcare
There’s a range of childcare available in and around Canterbury and Medway.
If you’re paying for childcare you may be eligible for a contribution towards your costs through the Government’s tax-free childcare scheme.
Family-friendly facilities
For the convenience and comfort of parents and babies, there are baby feeding and changing rooms at our Canterbury, Medway, and Tunbridge Wells campuses.
Find our baby care and feeding facilities on the interactive campus map.
- Ground floor in Laud, room Lg03.
- Ground floor in Augustine House (behind the Library Point), room AHg03.
- Ground floor in Verena Holmes, rooms VH0.10 baby changing room and VH0.19 new parent and expectant mothers' room.
Students who are pregnant
At Canterbury Christ Church University, we know that pregnancy and becoming a parent can feel like a mix of excitement and uncertainty. While your medical care will come from professionals outside the University, we want to make sure you also feel fully supported here.
We've put together this information sheet to help you explore the support that’s available to you, so you can choose what feels right and know where to turn when you need a hand.
Hopefully, it answers most of your questions—but if there’s anything you're unsure about or you'd just like to chat things through, our Student Support Advisers are always here for you.
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Student Wellbeing Advisers
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