New City College, Tower Hamlets - London

Sharfan Chowdhury

Having recently completed a short DLR training course on the Poplar campus, I am pleased to say that the New City College Poplar campus has more to offer than meets the unsuspecting eye!

From the direct and considerate service of the staff to the instalment of a Subway in the canteen, the college is in no shortage of meeting the needs of the students.

Staff work together well and have developed good networking amongst eachother. The facilities are abundant and classrooms are well-maintained.

As far as an educational building goes, this campus is good. However, I do feel that stricter guidelines should be taught to students regarding the respectful use of the toilet facilities.

Security is heavily emphasised through regulations that prohibit unwarranted covering of the head or face and the mandatory display of lanyards around the neck of staff and students alike, keeping everyone documented and accounted for.

The location of the fire-escape gathering point is relatively close to the campus, which aids in speeding up the evacuation process in cases of emergency.

I strongly recommend people searching for short courses or career-related qualifications to consider attending this college as an option!

Claire Meysam

I have been attending this college for only three weeks as an adult learner. I do not recommend this college for adults at all, as previous reviewers have mentioned, management will speak to you as if you are a child and will not give straight answers to direct questions, or assist you with any queries or concerns.

I enrolled on a specific course but was also enrolled on a completely separate course without my knowledge. This course just appeared on my timetable. When I asked my teacher he had no idea what that was about, and when I asked the manager I was told that the courses were integrated. This doesn’t make any sense because the qualification from my course is awarded by a completely separate awarding body. When I asked the manager about this she just repeated that they are integrated and attendance is mandatory, and offered no other explanation.

I have asked several staff members who I can speak to about this, and no one knows.

This course was never mentioned or offered to me during enrolment at all, and other class members have said the same.

Attending this course will get in the way of my plans to take another course in January that is actually related and relevant to my chosen course. It is also taking time away from me that I should be using to study my original course, that needs all my focus.

I will be bringing this up if I have a chance to speak to inspectors during the upcoming offsted inspection, as I suspect that the college is forcing students to enrol on courses to get their numbers up and this isn't fair.

I also only discovered today that you need a special pass to use the lift! It seems only staff and disabled students have this pass. I actually have an issue with my foot and didn't feel i could manage the stairs today, but was refused entry to an empty lift that wasnt needed by anyone and forced to walk up a load of stairs because “sorry but you still need a pass”. I dont feel like anyone should have to provide private medical information just to use such a basic facility as a lift in a building that has so many stairs.

Positives: My teacher is very kind, professional and makes learning enjoyable.

The library is clean, well stocked and has helpful staff.

Lina Noor

I am writing to express my disappointment with the customer service I received recently. When I inquired about information regarding your childcare apprenticeships, the representative I spoke with was unhelpful and dismissive. She repeatedly said “no” without providing any useful information and seemed to find the situation amusing, which I found quite frustrating and unprofessional.
I hope this feedback will be taken seriously and lead to improvements in your customer service. I believe that prospective students deserve respectful and informative interactions.
Thank you for your attention to this matter

Jahnessa Francis

Dr.Samuel and the rest staff are the most helpful and caring people I ever encountered.
Dr.Samuel especially is one of the bubbly and joyful spirited person I ever met is because with his help in his class the way he comes to each individual students is one of the most remarkable thing I ever seen he encourage us in our work and always tells us with the good grades and the right attitude we will always make it ahead in life and I will forever cherish these knowledgeable words of wisdom thank you Dr.Samuel for being a kind heart person and for these words of wisdom.

Nikki Ranson The Empress Lifestyle

Disgusting behaviour from the management here. The college is very out dated and out dated, unhelpful attitudes from management. Avoid at all costs!

Artem Kolotov

I would advise anyone looking to enroll at New City College, Tower Hamlets to reconsider their options. This institution is far from being a suitable learning environment. The security personnel are impolite and appear to be ill-prepared for their roles. The college is old, and it shows in its poor maintenance and unclean facilities. To make matters worse, the academic staff seems to underestimate the capabilities of their students, leading to a lack of encouragement and support. It's no exaggeration to say that attending this college may negatively affect your mental health. In conclusion, I strongly advise avoiding New City College, Tower Hamlets at all costs.

Sam

I studied Science at this college and it is one of the best college for students coming from abroad. This college helped me to go into higher education. My commitments and the support from teachers pushed me to achieve higher grades. The teachers will support everyone but it really depends on the students on how they are willing to study and put their effort in. This is how you will succeed into your career.
However, this college have many ways to support the students. The teachers are always available to help you whenever they can. There is also help available in the learning zone and the library, if you need any extra support in your studies.
Also, the college offers you a chance to improve your professionals skills by joining the ambassador program, this will help you to gain work experience and add into your CV.
During this pandemic, the teachers and the college are trying their best to help the students to be safe and achieve well in their studies.
I am giving this college 5 stars because it helped myself and other students to achieve our goals.

Mayah Larab

Where do I even begin?

I completed my A-levels here and this is honestly one of the most disorganised institutions I've ever had the displeasure of attending. It's an extremely laid back atmosphere, which seems like a good thing at first but actually fosters a lazy and sluggish environment and attitude towards EVERYTHING.
The Science department is an absolute shambles. The teachers are average plus unprofessional and refuse to fully admit when they're wrong (they're very stubborn). They've convinced themselves that they're doing a fantastic job to avoid the fact that may not actually be doing so. The Chemistry teacher in particular, (also the head of A-level Maths/Science) is one of the most rude, condescending and cold people I've ever met. Avoid her at all costs. My mental health evaporated from my brain because of her and the rest of the dysfunctional crew. And, you can bet they are not considerate when it comes to the way mental health affects work performance. And, you can bet your bottom dollar again that they take no responsibility over the deteriorating mental health that they have caused as they don't see themselves as having caused any problems in the first place.
Only positive is that the A-level history teacher is amazing. You will love him.
My advice is to run for the hills if you care about yourself.
Wish I could give -5 stars.