About ASK

ASK is a free and confidential service that is independent of the University and is staffed by professional and experienced advisers.

Meet The Team!

Matt Steele

Advocacy & Advice Manager

Vicky Jackson

ASK Adviser

Charlotte Jones

ASK Adviser

Debby Taylor-Woods

ASK Adviser (Mon-Wed)

Contact Us

Full information about how to get advice is on our Contact ASK page. We can advise you over email or you can speak to an adviser by booking an appointment.

Please note, due to limited resources ASK is an appointment-only service and cannot accommodate drop ins. We also cannot be contacted by phone.

Opening Times

ASK operates Monday-Friday, including over the summer vacation. Please note we do not monitor emails over the weekends, bank holidays, or on days the university is closed.

What You Can Expect From Us

ASK advises students in a number of areas - our most common enquiries include university issues such as appeals, ECs, academic misconduct and disciplinaries; housing problems both on and off campus; Student Finance and other income sources such as benefits; and general welfare concerns. We will listen to you explain your situation and provide you with advice and support, identifying appropriate services for you and next steps you can take.

We can also support you during formal University meetings, such as academic misconduct, disciplinaries and Fitness to Practice. If you would like our support it's really important that you contact us as soon as you have been made aware of any allegations made against you and give us plenty of notice if you have a meeting you'd like us to attend.

We work with the elected officers and other agencies and organisations to ensure that students' rights are upheld.

Our service is based on the following core aims and values:

Free

All our advice is free and we will not charge you for using our services.

Independent

We are independent from the University so are uniquely positioned to support you if you're having problems, or are in trouble, with the University. We can also assist you in challenging them and can take wider-reaching issues to elected officers to campaign on behalf of the student body.

Confidential

Any information you tell us is treated in complete confidence and is not disclosed to anyone outside our confidentiality policy without your express permission. Please see our Confidentiality Policy for details on the very exceptional occasions where we may need to breach confidentiality and the process we would follow.

Non-judgemental

We care about making sure you feel supported and that you are aware of your rights and responsibilities. We will not judge you for any reason.

Empowering

We aim to empower students to take control of their circumstances, with our support. We will explore the options available to you, but any decisions made are yours so you can make the choices you feel suit you best.

Honest

It's important that we are trusted by the University and other organisations so that they can be confident of our integrity when we contact them on behalf of students. We will not assist students in lying to the University or other organisations and we will not advise students to use fraudulent or unscrupulous means to achieve their aims.

What We Expect From You

Be on time for your appointment or inform us if you are unable to attend. If you are more than 10 minutes late for an appointment you have booked, you will be asked to make another appointment.
Be honest when you tell us about your issue - we can only advise you based on what you tell us and the sooner we have a full understanding of your situation, the better we can help you. We won't judge you and will advise you to the best of our ability, no matter what you tell us.
Provide accurate information and keep us informed of any developments in your case.
Provide requested information which will help us with your case in a timely manner.
Carry out any action agreed with the ASK Adviser, or tell us if you're having difficulty doing this.
Give us plenty of notice if you would like us to accompany you to a meeting.
Treat all our staff with respect.
Not to expect us to advise you out of working hours.
Not to expect us to discuss the particulars of a case other than your own.

Our Withdrawal of Service policy explains situations where we might not continue to assist you.

If you have any feedback or any suggestions of ways we can improve our service, please use our feedback survey.

Who Can Access Our Service

ASK advises all current students, except in cases of conflict of interest (please see our policies section) or where we have previously withdrawn service from that individual. Where alternative sources of assistance are necessary or recommended, ASK will assist in finding appropriate agencies.

We will also advise potential students and recent leavers in matters relating to the University and their course, such as accommodation, complaints, and appeals.

We can advise members of staff as long as the issue doesn't involve a student. You are requested to source advice relating to employment / university matters from other organisations, such as Citizens Advice, Union representatives, or solicitors.

Please note we do not advise landlords, including student landlords.

Information for Parents and Guardians

We understand that students' parents are emotionally and often financially involved in their children's lives, however ASK is a confidential service and we are unable to discuss a student's case with their parent or guardian, or any other third party, unless the student has contacted us directly to give us explicit consent. We are also not able to say whether a student is accessing our service or if they have accessed our support in the past.

We will be able to give you general information, such as what support is available to students and directing you towards any appropriate information that you and the student can read.

If you have any concerns regarding a student’s wellbeing, we advise getting in touch with Keele University’s Student Services.

ASK Policies

If you have any questions about our policies, please contact us at su.ask@keele.ac.uk.

Code of Practice

Confidentiality Policy

Conflict of Interest Policy

Reciprocal Agreement with Staffordshire University Students' Union

Collusion and Conflicts Policy

Gift Policy

Complaints Policy

Withdrawal of Service Statement

All Keele SU Policies including General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)

What Our Clients Say

‘Very welcoming and understanding, they took the time to understand the issue so they could solve it most effectively. They also followed up with an e-mail which made me feel very supported’

‘Great for advice; welcoming & friendly yet professional’

‘Couldn't have asked for anything better. Excellent service in every way’

‘An exceptional service that offers support to students in times of need. The friendly service offers student centred advice’

‘A friendly, helpful service that gave me an external perspective on the situation that helped me resolve it’

‘The receptionist was very understanding and helpful, the staff member who I spoke with was very accommodating as I was extremely late however I was still assisted in completing my form and was not rushed in anyway. Overall I felt that staff were excellent and I came away feeling so much better than when I arrived’

‘Simply amazing, they listen to every word and they're very supportive and friendly. Brilliant people. Truly’

‘The service was really useful for me as I found myself in a situation that required legal guidance but didn't know who to talk to. I was directed to ASK from Student services and they were brilliant at providing not only legal support but also emotional support and understanding. They kept in touch and made sure I was okay, and made me feel like I had somewhere I could go for help which would stay confidential’

‘They’re amazing, love their support and I am thankful for the support that they have been providing me’

‘Fantastic service, calmed my stresses about an Academic Conduct Officer meeting and were welcoming and assuring’

‘ASK is a great tool to get another, knowledgeable, point of view on any questions, concerns, or issues with the university. Along with the support provided it is a great service’

‘They helped me deal with a major issue that had been bothering me for a long time. After I talked to them I was a lot more at ease and better able to deal with the issue. I wish I had contacted them sooner’

‘The whole process was excellent, efficient, informative & non-judgemental’

‘Staff were very welcoming and understanding and made me feel like I had a safe and comfortable place to go and talk about my problems’

‘ASK were amazing and even through this horrendous virus they both continued to support me. I can’t thank them enough’

‘Very helpful, they got back to me fast even during the pandemic and summer vacation and were able to read through our housing contract and find somethings we asked our landlord to change’.

'It's very refreshing to speak to someone and feel as though they care about the outcome of my situation'

'You aren’t there just to represent, you really try to help us with injustices and for that I’m so grateful'

'The help has already taken a massive weight off my shoulders'