Student Manual
Principal’s message
Welcome to London Hotel School. I hope that your time with us will be a rewarding experience, which you will remember with pleasure in years to come. We will do all we can to ensure that you receive a high quality education in a college with a vision of encouraging a spirit of international co-operation friendliness and understanding.
Cordially,
Rod Hardingham
Principal
London Hotel School
Springvale Terrace
Kensington Olympia
London W14 0AE
Tel: 020 7665 0000
e-mail: registrar@londonhotelschool.com
Website: www.londonhotelschool.com
London Hotel School’s mission is to give you the skills and knowledge you need to manage a successful hospitality business in the twenty-first century.
Our courses are designed to cover the skills, knowledge and attitudes necessary to succeed in today’s hospitality business. We place emphasis on interpersonal and business skills because this is what the industry demands. We hope to provide every student with the foundations on which a successful career can be built. Our aim is to provide up to date training programmes and a high standard of personalised student interactions and support
We want to encourage both the personal development of each student and their full participation in all of the school activities. Towards the end of their course we will give you counselling to help you move on to the next stage of your career.
The success of you our students is our first objective and to achieve this we hope you can give us a positive attitude and the commitment to learning that we need to give you the best start in the hospitality business.
As a new student in the school, you will probably have a lot of questions about what happens next. Hopefully the information in this manual will answer many of them. Please keep this booklet as you will find it useful later on.
The Classes
Your classes start at 9 am or 1pm. don’t be late! We study one subject each month and on the third week of the unit you are currently studying you will make the choice about the next course you are studying. You must decide by the Friday of that week or you will not be registered for the following course
AHLA:You must complete a class assignment given to you by your subject lecturer and hand it in on or before the submission date if you want to sit the course exam. If you do not pass the assignment you will not be permitted to sit the exam.
HND: You will be given a course assignment at the start of the course unit and a submission date to upload it on the intranet. Failure to submit by the due date will result in a pass grade only being available to you.
Course Ordering Policy;
To join the course on the following month you must order a textbook. Please select your course making sure you choose the right subject and class (AHLA or HND) as you are not allowed to change your order. When you collect your book you will sign the form again opposite your name. If your name is not on the list there will be a late charge of £10.00 applied when you ask for your book. You must take responsibility for your book ordering, if you have home study or vacation you must still order.
Visa:
The first thing you have to do is to ensure that your have the correct visa. European Union students do not need a student visa but every other nationality needs one especially if they want to work part-time or do an internship. Please also make sure that your visa does not run out. We have visa renewal forms at reception or you can call the Home Office in Croydon on 08706 067766
Behaviour in School
London Hotel School treats all students as responsible adults until their behaviour shows that they are not. We need your co-operation to maintain the standards of the school. First three simple rules:
- No smoking in school If you smoke in the yard don’t stub out the cigarette on the ground but put it in the pot provided.
- LHS is an ENGLISH speaking zone and if you are caught speaking any other language you may be fined 50p.
- All mobile phones must be switched OFF while in class.
In addition be tidy, leave your desk and class as clean and tidy as it was when you arrived there and put your dirty tea/coffee cup IN the dishwasher not on the sink.
Student Card
London Hotel School does not issue a student card because most of the students prefer to get an international student card from STA travel (a chain of travel agents for students) as this gives you discount for airfares as well as cinemas etc. Fill in a student card letter request form in the letters book and take the letter and a passport photograph and five pounds fee to the travel agent. The closest one is in Victoria Railway station.
Travel Permission:
As a registered student at London Hotel School, if you wish to travel outside of the UK you need a letter of permission from the school, which you must show to the immigration officer when you leave the UK and when you return. You may also need to get a visa from the embassy of the country you intend to visit. See the Yellow pages for a list of Embassies and their telephone numbers. Please fill in the holiday letter in the Letters folder at the desk.
Computers
LHS has an online service with a permanent high‑speed internet connection. This service is free to students but we provide it for e‑mail and school research only. Please remember that other students want to use the service and to spend as short a time as possible checking, and sending your mail. If you need to print a document please copy onto a memory stick or e-mail it to registrar@londonhotelschool.com and bring the file to the reception for printing (cost 5p. per page or £1.00 for a project including the paper) We have provided plug‑in software to read Japanese, Chinese and Korean.
It is forbidden to download any software and students caught doing so will be banned from using the PC LHS is a wireless building in every area and we recommend that you have your own PC with wireless when you come to study here.
Registering with the Police:
Some nationalities are told at immigration that they must register with the police as soon as possible. To register with the UK police you must take your passport, two passport size photographs and £30,00 registration fee to the Registration office in Borough High street London SE1. The office is open from 9.00 a.m. to 4.45 p.m. Monday to Friday
Lost Property: Please take care of your own property but in the event of you leaving any item behind or if you find any item please give them to the registrar for safe keeping. Please in particular remember to take your memory stick from any LHS PC you use.
Fees:
Fees are payable either in full or by instalment (see application form). If you pay by instalment you must pay the full course unit fee in advance to be admitted into the class. If you are in financial difficulty contact the registrar who will give you information about what LHS can do to assist you. All fees for your course are detailed on your application form. HND registration fees are however not included and must be paid through LHS to Edexcel during the first three months of your course. Additional supplementary courses which are voluntary in attendance will have fees to pay also.
Health and Safety:
While LHS has completed a risk assessment for the whole building it is up to you to inform us of any area or equipment you believe presents a new danger. Please also consider others health if you are sick. If you have an illness that can be spread to others please stay at home rather than spread infection and telephone to tell us and to discuss your coursework.
Health matters:
Medical treatment in the UK is free to full-time students but you must register.
If you are planning to stay in the UK for more than three months you should register with a doctor. Do it now, not when you are sick as then you won’t want to wait. Register with a doctor nearest to your place of residence. This information is available from the post office. If you don’t register with a doctor you can be treated at a hospital accident and emergency unit but you will probably have to sit in a queue for five to ten hours. It is nice to know that if you have any health problem you will be treated. Dental treatment in the UK is expensive, try to always go to the dentist when you go home and ask at reception for a local dentist if you have a toothache. When you are sick for more than two days it is essential that you call the school to inform us of the reason for your absence.
Accommodation:
We can help you with your accommodation needs in London. First, check the school notice‑board to see if any other students are looking for flat‑shares, buy Loot, (published daily) which has many apartments to let advertised, and visit the LHS office where we often have details of rooms to let in the local area. Capital Radio offices in Leicester Square have a free flat‑share list which you can collect from their offices. It is updated every Thursday Ask at LHS reception desk if you want to book our hostel rooms
Diversity/Disability:
London Hotel School has students from many countries around the world and we try to accommodate all of their needs. We do want everyone to speak in English while in the school premises as this is the language everyone understands and also the language we study in. We commit to give every student equal treatment and equal education and marking. If you have any complaint or issue in this area with staff or fellow students please contact the principal directly to resolve the matter. Please contact the registrar or principal too if you have special needs due to your religious beliefs such as fasting or a quiet area to pray.
LHS is a disabled friendly building and if you have any temporary disability please contact the registrar for advice (but speak up because she is deaf!)
Bank Account:
If you want to open a bank account LHS will give you a letter to enable you to open a UK savings account at HSBC Bank in Hammersmith King Street. If you want a current account then you must have evidence of having a current account in your home country or have a credit card. You can usually only open an account at a bank where LHS has an arrangement. The Bank is open from 9.30AM to 4.30PM every weekday. Please be aware that the safest way to get large sums of money in and out of your account is by bank transfer. You can transfer fees to LHS by asking them to be sent to Sort Code: 40 03 21 Account Number 61565168
London Underground:
London has many forms of public transport but most don't keep to any timetable and are usually very crowded. If you are aged less than 24 you can apply for a London Transport Discount card (ask at reception for the application form or how to apply online) It is cheaper to buy either a weekly or monthly travel card for either the bus system only (cheaper) or, for underground and buses. You can make as many journeys as you want during the day with a travel card with a fixed maximum fee.
Parking:
The carpark at LHS is small and operates on a first come first parked basis . Street parking is available in Springvale Terrace and Masbro Road. If you park your car so others cannot leave the carpark without you moving the car please do not leave the school building.
Fire Drills:
LHS is has signs in every room and fire equipment in strategic locations. We conduct a fire drill every month and ask that you co-operate fully with the evacuation process. Leave the building by the indicated exit calmly and go to the assembly point (outside the school gates in Springvale Terrace.)
Food and Drink:
LHS provides free tea and coffee which you make yourself in the galley kitchen and expects you to put your dirty cups in the dishwasher. No food is available on the premises but there are two good cafes in Blythe Road where sandwiches salads and soup are available at a reasonable cost. Please only eat or drink on the ground floor and we prefer if you use the café area for eating and drinking rather than the classrooms.
Feedback:
Every business needs feedback from its customers to establish if the customer is satisfied with the product. You are our customers and so we will sometimes ask you to complete a lecturer evaluation form to find out what you think about the lecturer and the classes. Please treat this seriously and provide us with the information that will help us to make our “product” better for future students.
School letters:
If you require a school letter for visa extension, to open a bank account, to go on holiday, for a student card, for council tax exemption or simply as a reference please complete the section of the letters folder opposite reception. We always try to get your letter to you within 24 hours. Go to the reception area and on the bookshelf opposite the desk is a folder where you must fill in a form to request the letter. Please complete all sections of the form as we need the information to prepare your letter so it is acceptable to the bank/council etc.
Learning Support:
London Hotel School is committed to supporting your learning in whatever way you need. The first step is to contact your class lecturer or the Registrar and explain the problem. If it is your understanding of English we can either arrange for some one to one coaching with your lecturer or recommend an English college for further tuition. Problems with computing can also be resolved by simple request to your lecturer or the registrar. Please note that LHS is a MS office environment and our support for Macintosh PCs is therefore limited.
We strongly recommend that you take advantage of the induction classes and instruction how to use the LHS intranet.
London Hotel school has an open door policy and any student may at any time approach any lecturer and request assistance with their learning.
Resources:
Each month you receive a textbook included in the cost of your course and LHS also operates a reference library which is in the staffroom. See the Files manager for a list of the books it contains and then contact your lecturer to obtain a copy. We also have an extensive collection of video and DVD products all related to the hospitality industry and also manuals covering the job descriptions and task breakdowns for every job encountered in the hotel business. These are held in the HND study room and may also be used as reference materials. Online documents will also provide you with the information you need to complete your assignment work see student files on the intranet
Exams
American Hotel & Lodging Association Students and HND students who want to take the exam must confirm their attendance by registering for the exam on the notice board no later than three days before the exam date (the last Friday of the course will usually be the registration cut off date).Students who do not register may NOT sit the exam unless they pay a £50.00 late registration fee.
The AHLA exam will now be held on a Friday at 9.00am. students who cannot sit the exam on that date must make arrangements with the registrar before the exam day (No permission for late exam sitting will be given to students who have not arranged their work schedule to give themselves time off to sit the exam).
Those who have had permission to sit the exam on other than the exam date will be allocated a date and time for their exam along with re-sit students.
- Fails on the exam must be re-sat within fourteen days of fail notification at a fee of £50.00.
- Students who do not re-sit within the fourteen days will be able to re-sit at a fee of £100.00 at a later date no longer than 30 days after result notification.
- People who do not take the re-sit within one month may repeat the course at full cost.
Students who have three outstanding re-sits will not be allowed to continue on the course until the re-sits have been passed.
All appeals against this procedure can only be lodged with Rod Hardingham personally. Please make an appointment to do so.
(AHLA) Exams will be sent to the Educational Institute of the American Hotel and Lodging Association for marking and results should be available in three weeks. Students who pass (over 69%) will receive a certificate, which is handed out on the following exam day. Students who fail will have to complete a re-sit exam.
- If you have a re-sit the fee is £50.00 and once you have paid the fee you can take the re-sit any Monday from 9.00am till 11am. (You must book the date with reception)
- If you fail the re-sit then you can take the course again the next time it runs and the fee for this will be £200.00
- Anyone caught cheating in the exam will be failed in the exam and expelled from London Hotel School and their fees forfeited.
Any appeal against these rules or the application of them should be directed to the Principal whose decision is final.
Higher National Diploma students.
Your assignment should be submitted by the deadline and will be marked pass, merit or distinction by your lecturer. If you pass the assignment must then be verified (Checked) before we can confirm a pass. If your assignment does not meet the pass criteria, you will be asked to resubmit within one week and only a pass mark is available. You may resubmit no more than two times.
London Hotel School commits to mark all submitted assignments within fourteen days of initial submission. If your assignment is referred to you for more work you have fourteen days to re-submit. Failure to re-submit within fourteen days or any late submission with no previous extension permission from your lecturer will result in a marking fee of £50.00 being charged if you wish it marked. If your assignment is referred to you a second time for more work it will also have a marking fee of £50.00 applied.
All appeals against this procedure can only be lodged with Rod Hardingham personally. Please make an appointment to do so. If you consider there are special circumstances that we should take into consideration before marking your assignment (illness or family problems etc.) please inform us as you submit the assignment.
Copying of Work
Copying another student’s work is strictly forbidden and will not help you achieve your learning objectives either. All assignments are regularly changed to reduce the possibilities of copying and markers frequently compare new assignments with previous work to confirm your work is original. Copy paste work from the internet or brochures is also forbidden unless properly referenced as such. The penalty for producing such work is to be asked to represent your work again and to disqualify your new work from any higher mark than a pass.
Assessment
As a student your coursework is assessed towards your final mark. The HND has sixteen units that are marked at four levels
Re-present: this means you have not met the pass criteria and must rewrite the assignment
Pass: this means you have successfully met the pass criteria
Merit: you have met the pass and the merit criteria
Distinction: You have met all the criteria
Each Month of the first year course you complete an assignment and this is retained as a contribution to your final HND mark. 12 months study actually yields 13 units of credit in the LHS system as some of the marking criteria are covered in several assignments. In the second year you have a Work placement and research project to complete BEFORE you complete your work placement and this carries TWO credit units, and you will complete the research for the final Diversity assignment while on your placement but then write the assignment in your final month’s study at LHS at the end of the placement year.
Portfolio:
While the LHS electronic system retains copies of all of your assignments it is also important that you retain your own copy also. Please make a CD Rom of your assignments as you progress through your course. At the end of the first year theory course LHS requires that you submit the CD of all of your first year’s passed assignment work before we will permit you to start the work experience year. Any subjects missing from this will have to be resubmitted if LHS has no backup file.
Marking
The system used for marking of your work is that it goes through four levels of marking.
- You complete the assessment form and confirm you have met all the marking criteria.
- Your lecturer marks your assignment using the same marking criteria that you did and confirming you did meet the pass criteria
- The Internal verifier checks you lecturers marking and it is not until this stage that you receive a grade for your work
- An external Verifier appointed by Edexcel confirms the standard of marking in relation to the work produced by students of other colleges and other internal students.
Appeals:
This marking system ensures fairness and minimises the possibility of unfair marking. However should you have any comment or complaint please raise the matter directly with firstly your lecturer and if you receive no satisfaction then with the principal. Should you consider that there are particular circumstances which we should take into consideration regarding your marks such as illness or family problems please inform us when you submit the assignment not after it has been marked.
Grievance Procedure:
The School operates an “Open Door Policy” to all students who have a grievance (this could be with another student or a member of staff) We encourage any student to discuss the matter with any member of staff or the principal. If however you feel the need to make a more formal complaint this is the procedure you should take:
1. First discuss the problem with your student representative. They have a duty to listen to your problem and to possibly raise the matter with the member of staff.
2. If the issue is not resolved at this stage the student and the student representative may take the matter further by requesting an meeting with the Principal.
3. At the meeting notes will be taken and a course of action to resolve the grievance will be agreed.
4. If the course of action fails further meetings may be scheduled in an effort to resolve the issue.
5. The Principal’s decision is final and will be held on file whatever the appropriate action is that is taken.
Counselling:
Your class lecturer is the first person you should ask about any school issue or about any career or personal advice. You can also ask the Registrar or the Principal for an appointment if you need further advice. We can arrange a private appointment if you require it.
If you decide to terminate your studies at London Hotel School you must inform the school in writing and we will inform the home office that you are no longer student here. Fee refunds will be made at the discretion of the Principal but there are no refunds for textbooks.
Work Placements:
You can join this programme after completing the first year of the HND course. It gives students the opportunity to have a one-year supervised paid full‑time work experience placement in a hotel (work permission is arranged). This programme requires the acceptance of your application by the Principal (based on attendance of 80% PLUS and course marks) and passing an interview with the employing hotel. HND students must have completed all assignments but for the two designated Work Placement assignments before starting internship. The placement is for no less and no more than one year it cannot be extended. You must pay the full fee when you apply for the work placement programme. It will be fully refunded if you do not get offered or accept a placement. Your placement is arranged on condition that you satisfy the demands of the employing hotel. Please ask for an application form if you want to join this course at least two months before you want to start.
To start the process fill in the application form available from reception and prepare your CV, once you pay the fees you will be scheduled for an interview with the Principal to consider job possibilities and discuss the internship. Before the interview think about the job function you would like to work in and possibly if you want to work in a chain or independent hotel.
At the interview your attendance, behaviour and marks will be considered and you must also bring a copy of ALL of your assignments (on CD or memory) to the interview as we will archive all of your work to date before you start your internship. The interview consists of career counselling and discussion of job opportunities and interview techniques. Please think carefully before you come to the interview about the job you want to do and your capacity to do it. Also consider the type of hotel you want to work in (location and star level and chain or independent) and what your learning objectives are with this work experience.
London Hotel School has close contacts with a number of hotels and we send out the CV’s of intern candidates one a month to these hotels. However you should also make your own efforts to contact hotels and ask about the possibility of working there on internship.
Once you are offered the job you should confirm your start date with the school. Once in employment we will visit you every twelve weeks but if you have any problems between these times please contact the school. Remember that your fees are non-refundable and you cannot change your place of employment so it is your responsibility to make a success of your internship
Termination/withdrawal:
In the event that you decide not to complete your course at LHS you must notify the school in writing or e-mail. Please be specific about the reasons for your decision to finish your studies here as we inform the Home Office of any student who obtained a visa to study at LHS and then did not attend or complete the course. Failure to keep us informed of your circumstances can lead to us requesting that your visa be cancelled if we have not heard anything from you for more than eight weeks.
LHS policies and procedures:
We commit to the following:
Provide fair and equal admission for all applicants
Provide clear and comprehensive course information and fee information
Provide high quality learning opportunities for you
Provide you with any support we can that you may need in your personal or academic life
Provide you with the opportunity to express your own views and opinions in a non judgemental atmosphere.
You should commit to:
Give us accurate personal information re academic standards and work experience
Give care to your fellow students and teaching staff
Give due attention to your academic work
Give attention to the college rules.
London Hotel School has a close relationship with several of the best hotels in the UK and we seek to maintain that relationship and trust that you will do all you can to maintain the reputation of the school in the eyes of these hotels. You can do this by following the procedures written in the student files on the intranet. Dress smartly and behave politely when visiting such a hotel or meeting their staff or guests. During work experience remember that your performance may help other students to get work experience placements in that hotel and perform to your highest standard.
The Rules: to summarise:
No chewing gum
No smoking in the building
Speak English at all times
No live mobile phones in class
Attend for 80% of all classes
If you are sick call to let us know after two days
Hand in assignments on time
Do not always be late for class
Gross misconduct which can result in expulsion includes:
Theft, bullying, harassment, of other students
Using Drugs in school
Copying other students work
Non payment of fees
You also have agreed to the flowing terms when you signed your application form:
CONDITIONS OF ENROLMENT
Students are required to attend 80% or more of their classes You must telephone to inform the school if you are absent for more than three days.
Holders of student Visas are advised that a minimum of 15 hours attendance a week is required.
All fees due must be paid before students will be admitted to any class.
Enrolment on a course together with payment of the deposit or fees creates a binding agreement.
The Board of Management reserves the right to expel a student for disruptive behaviour or for failing to meet the course requirements. Fees will not be refunded in these cases.
Cancellations must be made in writing
Overseas students must comply with the rules and regulations on immigration as detailed by the Home Office.
Work placements are subject to the availability of host hotels and the acceptance of the student by the hotel. London Hotel School does not guarantee a specific hotel or job placement.
London Hotel School operates a no smoking and no chewing gum policy. All students are required to comply with this rule.
Students are expected to comply completely with the rules and regulations of any host hotel in which they are working for training experience.
If you break these rules we will follow this procedure if you persist in breaking the same rule. Gross misconduct will start the procedure at number 3.
1 Verbal warning from your lecturer
2 Verbal warning from the principal
3 Written warning
4 Suspension for one course
5 Expulsion
You have the right to appeal in writing between any of these stages or against any of the decisions made to the principal.
Schedule of courses 2008
Start & Finish Dates |
Morning
HND 9-12
|
Morning
AH& LA 9-12
|
Afternoon
| | 
