Rugby College secures £39,900 to create new centre for students with high needs

Rugby College has been awarded £39,900 funding to create a new centre for students with high needs.

Funding has been provided by the Wolfson Foundation for the college to convert an existing classroom into a flexible teaching space to deliver its Preparation for Adulthood course.

Rugby College’s Supported Learning Department delivers a number of programmes which focus on preparing students for further education in their chosen vocational field, employability to help students progress into apprenticeships or work, and life skills to support students to live more independently.

As part of the college offer, there is an opportunity for some students to join an additional study day to focus on personal development which includes developing domestic skills, learning about making healthy lifestyle decisions, support with traveling independently, social integration and work skills.

The majority of this is delivered from WCG’s Moreton Morrell College, but the new Preparation for Adulthood Centre in Rugby will mean that students have a dedicated facility on-site.

The centre will be based on a studio apartment, with an accessible kitchen with height adjustable sink and worktops, a bedroom space and a living room area.

The Wolfson Foundation is an independent charity with a focus on research and education, and the grant was awarded as part its latest round of funding across the UK, which included over £490,000 awarded to projects across the West Midlands.

Louise Ball, Director of Schools, Re-engagement and SEND at WCG, said: “We are extremely grateful to the Foundation for this grant – it will make a huge difference to the curriculum for our students.

“We currently have limited resources to deliver our Preparation for Adulthood course at Rugby College, and a lot of our students travel to Moreton Morrell College, but this funding will provide them with a purpose-built teaching facility on-site.

“The support we provide to students with additional learning needs is extremely important in preparing them for life after college, and we will now be looking to get this project underway as soon as possible.”