Your Students Union

How can we work together?

We can work together by ensuring that every group has an elected School Representative. We can work together to ensure that they have the ability and confidence to address issues within their classes and within their school. We can work together by ensuring students are well-informed about the actions of the Students’ Union, and about how to get involved through our elections we hold every year. Supporting School Reps with studies or extra tuition if needs be, as they will need support from both the Union and the College if they are to succeed in being a School Rep. By being a conscientious advocate for the Student Voice and by meeting with student reps regularly

What is the Students’ Union?

We are a charitable organisation of which membership is provided to all students who enrol on a course at the college, making a real difference to the lives of students. We represent all students at City College Norwich through both our executive committee and through our school representative system (School Councils, Student Parliament, Student Involvement Groups etc.) We're run by two sabbatical officers (President and Deputy President) and eighteen executive officers, all who are bound by the Students’ Union Constitution. We are ultimately held to account through all of our representative forums.

What is the Executive Committee?

The Executive Committee are a group of officers who represent different areas of the student experience, including Welfare, Equality and Diversity, and Student Activities and Community. They also represent specific academic areas, including Further Education, Higher Education and 14-16 students. These officers are voted into the roles every year via our Students’ Union Elections and work in a voluntary capacity to represent the students of the college. The Sabbatical President (Tom Hollick) will chair this meeting, making sure the work of the executive is focused on the views of all our students.

What is a School Representative?

A school representative (School Rep) represents a class in various different ways by listening to their peers and then participating in meetings such as School Council, Student Parliament and Student Involvement Groups. School Reps need to have at least 15 minutes during one lesson/tutorial a week in order to catch up on any feedback from students about their experience at the college. School reps will be elected during the first term (normally the 4th week of September) and will be trained soon after their election in order to fulfill their role.

What is a School Council?

School Councils are the school-focused meetings held between the School Rep, the Students’ Union and the Head of School in that area. This forum is to be used for raising issues within that school, which again can vary from issues around social space, courses, or support; anything that has a direct impact upon that student experience within the school. This is also the opportunity for schools to show what they are doing to improve the Student Voice and ingratiate it within the School.

What are the School Councils and what is Student Parliament?

Student Parliament is the “Supreme Decision making body of the Students’ Union”. This means that Students’ Union policy, legislation, campaigns and actions all stem from the wishes of Student Parliament which is representative of the Student Voice. Parliament is open to all elected School Reps. Student Parliament will be lead by the Chair and Deputy Chair of the School Councils. Parliament is also used to hold the Executive Committee to account. They will present reports, showcase work and have an open discussion about the work of the Students’ Union as a whole. It also has the responsibility and power to make decisions that will drive forward the Union as a whole. All Students at the college have the ability and opportunity to bring forward motions and matters for discussion to Student Parliament, raising anything from a particular campaign they think the Students’ Union should run, to addressing academic issues. Once tabled, these matters are discussed and voted upon by the members of Student Parliament.

What is the Student Voice?

The Student Voice is the collective voice of all of the students at City College Norwich. The Voice is what drives the SU in its daily work, channelled through Student Parliament and the School Councils. The Voice is gathered through our school representative system and via the Students’ Union executive. This is then fed back to the appropriate tutors, managers and the senior management groups (SLT and Principalship) to work together to address the issues raised. We actively recruit School Representatives, Student Involvement Groups and executive officers in order to enhance and defend the Student Voice and experience.

What is a Constitution?

The Constitution is the legal document of the Students’ Union in which all members of the Students’ Union need to abide to. This particularly applies to the executive committee. It includes the “Aims and Objectives” of the Students’ Union, which set out the work of the Students’ Union and the rules it must adhere to. The Constitution has been created by both the Students’ Union and ratified by the Corporation. The Students’ Union has its own disciplinary procedure which will be used if an officer is found to be in contempt of the Rules and Regulations.

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