What are Student Progression Assistants?
Who are they?
You may be familiar with the term Student Progression Assistants, otherwise known as SPA’s.
If not, SPA’s are the members of staff who are allocated to each school of the University.
How can they help you?
They are your “Go To” person within your school should you be experiencing any issues which may be affecting your academic progression!
SPA’s are therefore one of your first ports of call within your School. They are an integral part of your student journey. They are friendly, helpful, knowledgeable and are experts in the University’s Policies and Procedures.
Most importantly, SPA’s are employed to help YOU!
Although the list is not exhaustive, the unexpected often happens when we least expect it to (Personal Mitigating Circumstances), whether it be;
- Health issues
- Family issues
- Personal issues
- Accommodation issues
- Any issues which may affect your academic progression
Personal Mitigating Circumstances (PMC's)
Should you be experiencing Personal Mitigating Circumstances which seriously affect your ability to complete an assessment over which you have no control, and have the need to submit a PMC but are unable to do so, School Office staff and SPA’s can submit PMC’s by proxy (as long as there is good reason for them to do this). This could include you not being able to access the PMC system and are waiting for DIT to resolve those issues.
SPA’s also need your permission to submit your PMC via your University or registered personal email outlining the reasons for the PMC, which assessments are affected and what type of PMC you choose – Late Submission or Non Submission.
You may also wish to reach out to your SPA should you;
- Require information relating to registration
- Require information relating to your examination results, your studies and dates for submission of your work.
Your SPA will do their utmost to help you and make you feel supported. For whatever reason, please do not feel that you must suffer in silence; instead, seek help from your SPA in the first instance.
Please see below, a list of SPA’s and their email addresses for each School.
- Arts and Media; AM-SPA@salford.ac.uk
- Business; SBS-SPA@salford.ac.uk
- Health and Society; HS-SPA@salford.ac.uk
- Science and Engineering; SEE-SPA@salford.ac.uk
Finally, SPA’s will often provide signposting to other University Departments where you may seek information for pastoral care and support services, e.g. askUS (askUS@salford.ac.uk, 0161 205 0023), Wellbeing (wellbeing@salford.ac.uk, 0161 295 0023), Disability and Learner Support (disabilities@salford.ac.uk, 0161 295 0023), and us, your Students' Union.
Please remember - there is never a silly question. All staff of the University and the Students' Union are here to help you succeed with your studies. And with that, we would like to take this opportunity to wish you a happy and successful student journey!
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