Student Parents

If you are currently living outside of Norwich, whether elsewhere in the UK or abroad, we advise that you come to Norwich on your own initially. This will allow you time to settle into university life, explore the local area and find somewhere suitable for you and your family to live.

Before you start the process of arranging your accommodation, we strongly encourage you to review all the information below.

Living on campus

UEA has a very small allocation of accommodation for students who will be accompanied by their family (up to two children). This accommodation can be very popular, and sometimes there may be a waiting list.

If you wish to explore the possibility of living on campus, please contact UEA Accommodation Office for further information by emailing accom@uea.ac.uk.

Private rented sector

Due to the limited number of family houses on campus, it is most likely that you will need to look to the private rented sector. It can be very difficult to find private rental accommodation in Norwich, particularly if you have children and arranging accommodation can take several weeks.

If you and your family arrive in Norwich without somewhere to stay, the university will be unable to offer you accommodation. You will be advised to arrange short-term accommodation in a hotel or self-contained accommodation via Airbnb or similar, so you have somewhere to stay whilst you arrange permanent accommodation. You should consider whether this short-term arrangement will be suitable for your family and if not, explore the possibility of coming to Norwich on your own in the first instance.

There is a hotel on campus called Broadview Lodge and students can book rooms at discounted rates. You can find out more about Broadview Lodge at their webpage. There are also many other short-term accommodation options between UEA and the city centre.

There is a high demand for smaller properties (those with 1-3 bedrooms) in Norwich. Rents for a 3-bedroom house start at £975 per month (excluding utility bills) but it may be necessary to pay substantially more than this to secure suitable accommodation.

Where to look

We can offer advice on where to look for accommodation but we are unable to house hunt on your behalf.

As a starting point, we suggest looking at the UEA Studentpad housing list. This is an advertising list that landlords in Norwich can use to highlight their availability properties, and only UEA students can access. 

Although the list does not include a specific allocation of family housing, some landlords and agents may be willing to offer their property to you and your family.

Landlords and agents advertising on Studentpad are encouraged to indicate this on their adverts, by ticking the family option within the suitable for category. It is also possible to filter the results by selecting the ‘Family’ option within the ‘Student Type’ filter.

If a property is not indicated as being suitable for a family but you believe it could be, you can always contact the landlord or agent directly to ask.

If you are unable to find suitable accommodation on Studentpad, then it will be necessary for you to look elsewhere. You could start by contacting local letting agents. You can try online services such as Rightmove or Zoopla as these platforms show properties offered by multiple letting agents. Please note, these platforms are not affiliated with UEA or UEA Students’ Union and we do not have a relationship with the agents advertising via these platforms.

Finalising your accommodation

Once you have found something suitable, the landlord or letting agent you are renting from is likely to mention terms such as damage deposit, guarantor and Right to Rent check.

Before you finalise your accommodation arrangements, it is important that you are happy with all aspects of the property, the location and the level of rent you are being asked to pay. You will be asked to sign a tenancy agreement. This agreement is legally binding once signed so you cannot change you mind if you then find the property is not suitable for you and your family.

This also applies if you sign a tenancy agreement to rent a room in a property or are allocated a room on campus before your family join you in Norwich. You will be liable to pay rent for the duration of the agreement or licence (the type of agreement issued for accommodation on campus). The landlord/agent may allow you to find a replacement tenant but this is not guaranteed, and you may be required to pay a fee to change the tenancy agreement to remove your name and add in your replacement.

We also recommend that you be very cautious about paying substantial sums of money to secure a property unless you have viewed the property and/or checked that the agent or landlord you are paying the money to is an established and legitimate business.

Suitable childcare is a crucial part of your support network as a student parent. You may be lucky enough to be able to rely on family support for some (or all) of your childcare requirements, but here are some starting points for your search.

Pre-school childcare

The two basic options are a day nursery or a registered childminder. Apart from cost, factors to consider when choosing between the two are:

• What you feel would be best for your child
• Location
• Flexibility (for example, nurseries can be strict about drop off and pick up times, but a childminder may be willing to be more flexible)

If you live outside Norwich you may decide to look for childcare closer to home. This is convenient for drop off in the mornings, and saves your child a lot of journeys, but can be stressful if teaching or work overruns and you have to race to get back in time for pick-up.

The two nurseries nearest to Campus are:

• UEA nursery (on the main campus)
• Busy Bees

Both fill up quickly, so plan as far ahead as you can.

If you would prefer to find a childminder, you can search for registered childminders.

Nursery Schools

Find a nursery school place at gov.uk.

There are government-funded early education schemes that offer free childcare for children of different ages. Click the links below to find out whether you are eligible.

• 15 hours free childcare for eligible 2-year-olds
• ‘approved childcare’

Check if you’re eligible for free childcare if you’re working.

School

Most children start school full time in the September after their fourth birthday.

If you are moving to the area with school age children or have a child coming up to school age, you can find information on schools and admission processes at the Norfolk website.

All schools, nurseries and childminders are regularly inspected by the government and a report is made public. This is called an Ofsted Report. You can check Ofsted reports for schools, nurseries and childminders you are considering at their website.

Baby changing and feeding

A dedicated Baby Change and Feeding Room, which requires an access code, is available for nappy changing, feeding, expressing and/or storing milk at Elizabeth Fry Building, Room 01.09. Please contact the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion team via email to equality@uea.ac.uk to request an access code or for more information. If you need access urgently, please contact Estates at 01603 592121 or out of hours, Security 01603 592352.

Located on the lower ground floor of EFB on Chancellor's drive, the room can be accessed via the entrance from the car park level at the rear of the building - go through the double doors and turn immediately left, the room can be round immediately behind you. Alternatively, access can be made via the main entrance at the front of EFB and using either the stairs or the lift to the lower ground floor level.

Baby changing facilities are also located in Blend (near the Square) and the Students Union building (Union House) on campus.

The changing places toilet is located in the New Science Building on Chancellor's Drive.

Union House is a breastfeeding friendly area. If you’re looking for a private room, ask at the main reception upstairs and we’ll do our best to find a suitable space for you.

There are changing facilities in the toilets upstairs in Union House, which are pushchair accessible using the lift on the walkway next to the Square. Additional baby changing facilities can be found in the Sportspark and Sainsbury Centre.

Other facilities on campus

These include:

• The Medical Centre
• Dental practice
• Library
• Faith Centre
• Shop (including post office)
• Launderette
• Bike Shop
• Barber and Salon

Information on all the above can be found on myUEA.

• The National Childbirth Trust provide antenatal and postnatal courses for new parents and offer ongoing support. They offer discounts on course fees if you are on a low income or receive some benefits. They also organise nearly new sales for baby equipment and children’s clothes, which are a great way of cutting the cost of the stuff you need to get.
• If you are looking for some idea for activities with young children in and around Norwich, check out Day Out With The Kids. You’ll find soft play centres, outdoor activities and much more!
• Curious About Norwich Walks. Most walks are pushchair accessible and/or suitable for kids over the age of 6
• Norwich Puppet Theatre. Shows for kids as young as 3, and occasionally do performances for children younger than that
• The Plantation Garden. A really lovely place to just sit and relax and have a picnic, not far out of the centre of the City
• The Sportspark at UEA has a lot of family sessions, particularly pool and gymnastics activities
• Sainsbury Centre
• GRAVITY Trampoline Park at Riverside Norwich offers a wide variety of specialised activities - or simply go and have fun on their wall-to-wall trampolines
• High Altitude trampoline park
• Roarr! Dinosaur Park. Visitor attraction about 25 minutes’ drive from Norwich, signposted from the A47 near Lenwade, between Norwich and Fakenham
• There are several cinemas in the city, including Vue in Castle Quarter, and Odeon at Riverside.

As a student, you will need to apply to take a break in your studies for the time you need to take off when you are having a child. How long you need to take off will depend on many different factors, so talk it through with your midwife or GP, and your personal adviser / supervisor before completing the form. You may also find it helpful to talk to Student Life Finance in Student Services about the financial implications of taking a break in studies.

If you are undertaking an undergraduate or taught postgraduate programme, you should submit Exceptional Circumstances (ECs). ECs must be reported online via e:vision. UEA guidance for using the reporting system is available on myUEA.

If you are a postgraduate research student (PGR), you will need to submit a concession request. Before doing so, you should have a conversation with your supervisory team, your School or Institute PGR Director, or the PGR Officer for your Faculty (PGR Service). Further information can be found on myUEA.

If you are a PGR student and will be taking a break in studies, you will need to arrange to take time off from your job for maternity or paternity leave. The time you can take off will depend on the individual terms of your contract(s) of employment, as well as statutory rights to take time off. You should inform your employer(s) at least 15 weeks before your due date and when you want to start your leave. If you have a contract of employment with UEA, you can find information on their policies for student parents on myUEA.

There may be funding implications for PGR students, so talk to the PGR service about those at an early stage if you can. A health and safety assessment be undertaken – how in depth this needs to be depends on the type of work and work environment – for example if any toxic substances are present.

While you are away, you may qualify for statutory maternity/paternity/adoption pay depending on what you earn. Visit gov.uk for a summary of rights to time off and maternity pay.

Expectant parents are also entitled to paid time off for antenatal appointments. Visit gov.uk.

If you are not currently working, or are self-employed, you may qualify for Maternity Allowance. Visit gov.uk.

For information about the rights of the partners of expectant parents see:

• Paternity pay and leave
• Shared parental leave and pay
• Adoption pay and leave

We are unable to help with queries relating to your finances or visas. The Student Life team within Student Services at UEA are best placed to help with these queries. Find out more at the myUEA links below.

• Finance
• Visas (international team)