University policy
The University has a policy on support for pregnant students and students with very young children. A draft policy on student parents has been developed by Leeds University Union and will shortly be being put forward for consideration by the University.
More general information about parenting issues is available here.
Childcare
There is on-site childcare at the University, which provides a pre-school nursery and a holiday playscheme for older children.
For other local childcare providers, see:
- Bradford
- Calderdale
- Kirklees
- Leeds
- North Yorkshire
- Wakefield
- For other areas, see:
Financial support
- Full-time Home/EU undergraduates may be eligible for support towards the costs of being a student parent
- Part-time Home/EU undergraduates may be eligible for support with childcare costs through the Access to Learning Fund
- You can check your eligibility for state benefits while you are a student
- Leeds University Union can also provide information and advice about money matters
Accommodation
- University accommodation suitable for families
- UNIPOL student homes family housing
Campus facilities
- Access: Buggy friendly routes around campus are signposted on the green and white signs. The University has also recently set up an access route on campus for students and staff who use wheelchairs or pushchairs. To see the route you can view this map, or for more information you can look at this PDF
- Toyboxes are available in:
- Lifelong Learning Centre in the Marjorie and Arnold Ziff Building
- International Student Office in the Marjorie and Arnold Ziff Building
- Leeds University Union on Lifton Place
- Emergency supplies: An ‘emergency kit’ with nappies, baby food etc is available on request from the Reception desk in the Union
- Nappy changing: Buildings which have nappy changing facilities are shown on the Campus Accessibility map. These include:
- Parkinson Building: Room B.35 (women’s toilet)
- Old Mining Building: Room 1.02
- Leeds Dental Institute, Clarendon Way: Room 5.070
- Marjorie and Arnold Ziff Building: Outside the café (unisex toilet) on Level 10
- Leeds University Union: In the women’s toilets near reception (ground floor), the women’s toilet in the Old Bar (basement) and in the unisex toilet in the Mine Bar (basement)
- Breastfeeding:
- The Union is breastfeeding-friendly throughout the building
- The Lifelong Learning Centre in the Marjorie and Arnold Ziff Building welcomes student parents and will make a quiet room available for their use if possible
- Other departments may also be able to make a room available on request
Meeting other student parents online
University of Leeds students can join the Student Parents group on the Portal where they can email other student parents and get involved with online discussions and share experiences, information and ideas (click ‘Groups’ in the top left hand corner, then ‘Groups Index’, ‘Student Support’, then ‘Student Parents’).
StudentParents.org is another website which you may find useful.
If you want to meet parents local to your area, try Mumsnet.
Meeting other student parents in person
- The Lifelong Learning Centre organises regular social events at which student parents are present, and also organises events specifically for student parents and their families. For upcoming news and events check our news and events pages
- The Lifelong Learning Centre welcomes friends and family to its welcome events for new students and also hosts a Freshers Week tea party in September specifically for student parents new to the University and their families
- Bright Beginnings Childcare Centre organises Stay and Play sessions for student parents and their children on Friday mornings during term time
NUS student parents website
These pages bring together NUS research, toolkits, briefings and information about campaigns, with links to external organisations and research carried out locally by students’ unions.
Click here to access the NUS student parents website. If you would like more information about the NUS’s work on student parents please e-mail leedsstudentparents@gmail.com.
