Graduation - Summer 2024 - Staffordshire University London

We are delighted to announce Staffordshire University London's Graduation Ceremony will take place on Thursday 11 July 2024 at Hackney Church (St. John's at Hackney) in London.

Your Awards Ceremony will be taking place at Hackney Church in East London.

The address for Hackney Church is:

Hackney Church (St. John's at Hackney) 
Lower Clapton Road 
London 
E5 0PD 

Given the central location of this venue we unable to offer car parking to our guests. Hackney Central Station is a 6-minute walk away and we encourage our guests to use sustainable transport when attending events.

Map-of-Hackney-Church-(150324)

Bookings

If you are eligible to attend the award ceremonies in July, you will receive an email to your student email account advising you to log on to your e:Vision portal to book places for yourself and your guests to attend the award ceremony. If you have not received an email invite but feel you should, please contact graduation@staffs.ac.uk

All students must confirm their attendance in advance, via the online booking system, even if they are not bringing any guests.

Booking costs

We are happy to confirm that graduate places are free, and guests places are £20 each. Typically, all purchases are non-refundable.  The exception to this is where a student becomes ineligible to attend as they have not received an award.   In this instance we would give a full refund for any guest purchases.

Booking numbers

Each graduate can bring up to a maximum of 3 guests. If either you, or your guests, require the support of a professional carer or support worker in order to attend the ceremony, please advise us of this during your booking. We will be able to provide one additional seat per student or guest requiring this support and this will be free of charge. Please note that we will ask for evidence of professional carer/support worker status, before issuing confirming any complimentary bookings.

Bookings for children

We welcome children to our awards ceremonies; children will need to be included in your booking even if they are small enough not to require their own seat. This is to ensure we do not exceed the maximum fire safety capacities of our venues, which are based on the number of people who will be in the spaces, rather than the number of seats used.

Additional bookings

Once bookings are closed, we will review whether or not additional seats may be available for purchase. If we are able to offer additional seats, we will inform students via email.

Non-Attendance

If you do not wish to attend graduation, there is an option on the e:Vision portal booking system to notify us of this.

If you can no longer attend your graduation, you must notify the Graduation team at graduation@staffs.ac.uk . We can only defer your graduation in exceptional circumstances, and you will be expected to attend the next available graduation ceremony.

Deferring your graduation

If you wish to request to defer your graduation, please contact the team at graduation@staffs.ac.uk.

On the Day

All graduates and their guests will need to report to the registration desk on arrival at Church House. Here you’ll find:

Registration
Gowning
Formal Graduation photography
Pre-Ceremony refreshments
Share Your Experience (Alumni Team)

The registration desk will open at 10am with the ceremony starting at 11.30am. Seating information will be confirmed at registration. Graduate seating is allocated by name and award to ensure graduates cross the stage in the correct order. Guest seating is available on first come first served basis for those who have booked. Only persons who have booked to attend the ceremony will be permitted entry. Once registered, you will be directed to gowning.

Once you have been fitted with your gown, please make your way to the Ceremony Hall. There will be time after the ceremony to have your formal graduation photographs taken.

All graduates and guests are asked to take their seats 30 mins before their ceremony starts, so you should arrive promptly to ensure you have adequate time to register and collect your academic dress.

The Ceremony

The ceremony lasts approximately an two hours, the exact timings will vary a little depending on the number of graduates receiving awards in each ceremony.

Once you arrive at the Hackney Church, catch up with peers from your course, and the teaching staff who will be excited to hear what you have been up to since completing your studies.

All graduates and guests are asked to take their seats 30 minutes before their ceremony start time. Your student ticket will have a seat number on and it's extremely important that you sit in the seat which you have been allocated, as this is the order that graduates' names will be read as you cross the stage. If you do not sit in the correct seat it's possible that another graduate's name will be called as you cross the stage.

Ushers will be on hand to help and to guide your guests to their seats to ensure that we can accommodate everyone in the ceremony hall.

The stage party (who will include members of Executive and academic staff) will process into the ceremony hall and there will be an opening address. Then graduates will be called forward by award and your name will be announced as you cross the stage and doff your cap to the Chancellor/ Vice Chancellor. We hope that this moment is one you never forget. There will be some speeches between the awards and, if we are making an Honorary award in your ceremony, then they will also have the opportunity to address the ceremony.

Award ceremonies are important and formal occasions but they are also lively and family friendly so please clap, cheer and whoop for your friends.

After the ceremony, graduates and their guests will have the opportunity for photography, enjoy a glass of prosecco (or equivalent), cake and/or chocolates, as well as enjoy the grounds of the Church location.

Gowns should be returned to the drop-off location before departure, and the event is expected to have concluded by 3pm.

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After the Ceremony

After the ceremony has finished, refreshments will be served in the church hall. You will be able to go back to Hackney Church House to collect your certificate, have your formal graduation photographs taken, and have some fun family and friends photographs taken by our Alumni Team. You will also need to return your cap and gown to the Gown Return Point in Hackney Church House before you leave.

Gowns

You can order your academic dress (gown, hood and cap) for the ceremony in advance from the University’s preferred supplier.  This can be done via the following link. We strongly recommend you order in advance to avoid disappointment on the day. We cannot guarantee that you will be able to order your academic dress on the day.

You will be able to collect your gown from the ceremony location prior to the ceremony commencing and after you have registered. Please allow sufficient time to collect your cap and gown before the ceremony start time.  

After gowning you will be directed to the hall where the ceremony will take place.

Dress code for guests

The award ceremonies are a formal occasion, we encourage graduates to wear their academic dress and we tend to find guests dress smartly and appropriately.  We also encourage attendees to be prepared by checking the weather forecast.

Photography and Videography

Guests are welcome to bring their cameras to capture your special moment during the ceremony, but we do ask that they make sure they are not obscuring the view of other guests.

Will graduates be photographed as they cross the stage?

All students will be photographed as they cross the stage and doff their cap towards the Chancellor/Vice Chancellor. Your onstage photos will be available to view and purchase after your ceremony via email.

Will professional photography be available?

Yes. You are able to pre-book your photography packages with Graduation Attire during your gown booking process via the following link from 19th March:

Graduation Attire Gown and Photography.

You are able to log back in at any time to add any extra photography packages. If you have not pre-booked, you are still able to book photography on the day. Please visit the Graduation Attire photography team on the day of your ceremony and they will be happy to assist.

Please note: Should you require 7 people or more in your photos, there will be a further £25.00 to allow for the additional editing required.

When will I receive my professional photographs?

After the graduation period has finished, a link for you to select the shots you want edited will be sent within 6-8 days. Photos will be finalised by the editor and will be sent out up to 6-8 weeks after your ceremony.

Digital-only images will be sent to you via email with a download link. You will be emailed an additional link to reorder prints of all poses that were taken on the day either physically or digitally.

Additional Requirements

Both graduates and guests with special requirements are provided for, but we do ask that you notify us of your requirements in advance so we can ensure the appropriate services are in place.

Details of any special requirements, for either graduates or guests, should be given during the booking process. If you wish to discuss your requirements in more detail please get in touch with the team at graduation@staffs.ac.uk.

The ceremonies will be in English. If you have any guests who don't speak English, you may want to explore options for translation, such as an app or support from another guest in advance of the ceremony. 

Wheelchair users

Please notify us during the booking process if either yourself, or any of your guests, will be in a wheelchair.

Wheelchair seating is in a designated position alongside the aisle, so your other guests will be seated alongside your wheelchair guest. These seats are pre-allocated and reserved for guests for the ceremony. Hackney Church is wheelchair accessible with a disabled access toilet. The ceremony will be taking place on the ground floor but there is lift access should it be required.  