Student Support

The internal Non-Medical Helper Provision at the University of Derby.

Who We Are

The Student Support service is an in-house NMH (Non-Medical Helper) provision at the University of Derby. The provision is provided by a team of highly skilled, qualified, and registered professionals who are experienced at providing specialist support to students. Our focus is on the academic experience and achievement of students, which is ensured through a comprehensive quality assurance framework.

Our in-house NMH (Non-Medical Helper) provision is open for the 24/25 academic year. 

Our Services

Open the dropdowns below to find out more about the Non-Medical Helper provision that Student Support may be able to provide, if the University of Derby is listed on your DSA2 letter.

A Sighted Guide may be able to help you if you have a visual impairment navigate the campus to allow you to attend university. The aim of the support is to help your physical attendance at lectures, tutorials, or workshops.

A Practical Assistant may be able to help you physically attend your lectures, tutorials, and workshops. If you use a wheelchair, they may be able to support you around the University of Derby sites.

A Library Support Assistant may be able to help you search through the Library Search catalogue and help you to locate and retrieve books. They may also be able to read aloud materials, including academic text, journal articles, handouts, and exam papers.

A Scribe may be able to help you by writing down or typing the information that you say to them to help you with your academic studies.

A Notetaker may be able to help you by producing a record of lectures, seminars, discussions, or diagrams from teaching in your preferred style and format.

An Examination Support Worker may be able to help you by reading aloud the information in an examination paper by writing down your spoken answers in an exam situation.

A Specialist Notetaker may be able to help you if you are Deaf or have a vision impairment. They can help you by providing a comprehensive set of notes in an accessible format for you to review and use for revision purposes.

A Specialist Mentor (Mental Health) may be able to support you in accessing your studies.

A Specialist Mentor (Autism Spectrum Conditions) may be recommended if you have Autism, Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).

They can both help you identify any barriers to your learning, help you to develop effective organisation and time management skills. They can also help you in producing goal setting and producing plans of work and targets.

A Specialist Study Skills Tutor (Autism Spectrum Conditions) may be recommended if you have Autism, Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). 

A Specialist Study Skills Tutor (Specific Learning Differences) may be recommended if you have a Specific Learning Difference (SpLD) or another similar impact on their learning like that of a SpLD (e.g. a brain injury).

They can help you to develop study skills and strategies tailored to your needs.

Cost of support for DSA Assessors:

Band 1 - Support Assistants

Role Standard rate (in-person)
Sighted Guide £23.83
Practical Support Assistant £23.83
Library Support Assistant  £23.83
Reader £23.83
Scribe £23.83
Workshop/Laboratory Assistant £23.83
Proof-reader/Text Checker £23.83

Band 2 - Enhanced Support Assistants

Role Standard rate (in-person)
Notetaker £28.48
Study Assistant £28.48
Examination Support Worker £28.48

Band 3 - Specialist Enabling Support

Role Standard rate (in-person)
Specialist Notetaker for Deaf/Hard of Hearing students - includes electronic note-taking £40.00
Specialist Notetaker for Visually Impaired (VI) students - including Braille £40.00

Band 4 - Specialist Access and Learning Facilitators

*Band 4 roles can be delivered remotely e.g. via video call - FaceTime, Skype or similar. The remote delivery rate is the same as the standard rate of £59.00

Role Standard rate (in-person) 
Specialist Mentor - Mental Health Difficulties (MH) £59.00
Specialist Mentor - Autism Spectrum Conditions (ASC) £59.00
Specialist one-to-one Study Skills and Strategy Support - Specific Learning Difficulties (SpLD) £59.00
Specialist one-to-one Study Skills and Strategy Support - Autism Spectrum Conditions (ASC) £59.00
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Get in Touch

To contact Student Services, you can call, email, or speak to a colleague in the Student Hub. The Student Support direct email address is nmh@derby.ac.uk

Find our contact details and opening hours hereFind our contact details and opening hours here

Meet the Team

Meet the Student Support team who can help you with a question or query about your support throughout your academic journey.

Name Title
Charlotte Wisson Student Support Manager
Nicki Browne Student Support Administrator
Sam Hutchby Student Support Administrator
Jess Illsley Student Support Administrator

Useful Info

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Out of Hours Support

Find out where to get emergency support outside of Student Services' opening hours

University campus at Kedleston Road
StudentHub@Derby

The StudentHub@Derby has a whole host of services that support you in every aspect of your student life, including enrolment, assignment hand-ins, student fees and much more.

Disability Support

Our Disability team provides a wide range of support for students with long term conditions, from mental and physical health, specific learning differences and much more.