I stayed at John Lester and Eddie Colman Courts and my experience was deeply affected by how my mental health support needs were handled during my time there. I moved in with an established safety and support arrangement in place through my university and mental health services. This was clearly communicated and was a crucial part of how I was able to cope and stay well while living independently. After changes in management, the way my support arrangements were treated changed significantly. What had previously been understood and accepted was later restricted in ways that were inconsistent and poorly communicated. At times, it felt like decisions were being made without properly considering the real-life impact on my mental health and safety. The effect of this was not minor. It had a serious and direct negative impact on my wellbeing. Losing reliable access to the support I depended on made an already difficult situation significantly worse, and left me feeling overlooked at times when support mattered most. In my experience, there was a clear failure to take into account how important consistent support is for students with mental health conditions. The approach taken felt rigid and disconnected from the reality of managing mental health in a student setting. I would strongly warn parents and especially ones of young people with mental health conditions or additional support needs to think very carefully before choosing this accommodation. It is important to ask detailed questions about how support plans are treated in practice, because my experience shows that they may not always be upheld in a consistent or reliable way. While many students may have a very different experience, mine was extremely distressing and had a lasting impact on my wellbeing. If you are in a position similar to mine, I really would suggest looking for alternative accommodation as after living here for 2 years, I really have been let down
paul
Jun 23, 2026