Stockton Riverside College

Wonderful staff - committed and hardworking with good communication. The staff clearly go over and above on the acting for stage and screen course- the shows have been amazing- and to get the opportunity to go and perform at the Dorman Theatre in London is testament to the staff and learners' hard work!

Inadequate teaching, disorganised management, cancelled lessons & now they're cancelling subjects and making staff redundant. 39 hours of lessons cancelled because of "staffing issues". Their solution was to have one tutor teach two different classes, at the same time, in different rooms! I raised the staffing issue directly with the Curriculum Manager, Alex Thompson. I was told in March that it was in hand and they were trying to get a replacement member of staff. Four months have passed and we have finished the academic year without a tutor. As well all of the missed lessons, we have also received disgracefully inadequate teaching. The first tutor we had lacked the ability to contextualise course information, they were unable to adapt their language or expand on the information delivered if a student in the class did not understand. The teaching was unimaginative and did not inspire students to want to learn. Simply put, it was dull and boring. The tutor generally used one teaching method; standing at the front of the classroom and talking non stop while scribbling illegibly on the interactive board. My classmates and I completed student questionnaires. When it came to the questions about the quality of the teaching, most were honest and said it was poor. Alex Thimpson, admitted that Stockton Riverside College had had the same feedback in previous academic years. The same poor feedback last year, the year before and so on. I am struggling to understand why a system of managing this ineffective teaching was not put into place much earlier? At the beginning of the academic year, there were nineteen students starting the course. This number dropped dramatically and in February/March there was an average attendance of nine. The other staff in the electrical department were left to pick up the pieces. Steve and Gary went above and beyond to ensure that every remaining student got the quality teaching we should have got in first place. It was their hard work and additional input that ensured the remaining students passed their course. I realise that most courses will lose a handful of students over the course of the year, but an average weekly attendance of less than 50% should be a red flag. If you have a choice, go to a different college. I certainly am.

Another Thursday and another play. These shows are put on by the students and exemplify the quality of the teaching and learning they receive. The shows are fantastic. ( Take a cushion, the seats are uncomfortable!!)

Been to watch Grease. The most amazing show. The energy that came of these young people was amazing. The dancing superb. Well done to every one of them. I never expected it to be so fantastic. I'm still buzzing from it. It's a must go see.!!!

Very poor communication. Staff and other people on my course frequently lied or told me half truths. Some incredibly stubborn people as well, will give you forever and a day if you're going the way they want you. But if you have the sheer nerve to merely suggest a differing opinion then you'll get the cold shoulder. A waste of a year me going there.

Took 2 months to tell me that they couldn't accommodate my exams - Contacted via email at first, waited 10 days with no response, sent further email, again no reply. Attempted to call number on website to be told that the line is not taking calls and to email - which I'd already done. Sent a further email and then attempted to contact via Facebook to be told it would be chased up and I'd receive a phone call, contacted again a few days later after nothing to be told hasn't been chased. Waited a further nearly 2 weeks to then be told that they couldn't let me take the exam as not open to external candidates only internal with no expected date to be resumed. I'm now 2 months behind on my course and this could have been helped if I'd have been told this on the first contact. I understand things are more stretched during the pandemic however other exam providers re-opened on the same date I first contacted.

Barely any “teaching” going on in certain departments. A lot of students left to their own devices for hours at a time. Poor communication from staff. Sad to see so many students slipping through the cracks. Sorry to anyone else feeling letdown right now too

I attended this college around 4 weeks ago. I initially applied for a Case worker/Administrator role through Gov.uk and was then told 2 weeks later I needed to attend here and to bring my documents, CV etc etc. In the email it also said I would be seeing a person for interview/a test which had no pass or fail involved. When I arrived at the college it was pretty busy and I waited for awhile, then the person I was due to see arrived 10 minutes late and then she told us all to come through to a room. The woman did not introduce herself and said we had to do a basic maths/english test which was a no pass/fail test. After the test was done, the woman then asked whoever was finished to come over one by one. There was no privacy with the interview and everyone could hear what everybody was saying. She asked me five basic questions and then I was told the process was done. I asked her about my CV and documents but she said she didn't need them. I found the whole process to be strange and very cold. And why ask us to bring things if they are not required?. In the end I got an interview with the company I initially applied for but didn't get the position because they found someone more experienced which I find strange as I had over 10 years experience in similar roles. I do commend them for at least telling me though by email. Not many companies/colleges do that now. In summary, the communication and how the college does things needs to be better. They should have said in the initial email "This will be a group interview/test and you don't need to bring anything. There also is no formal dress code as this is not an actual interview for the job, it is just a registration".