RUGBY College is to create a new facility to help prepare students with complex learning disabilities for independent living.
It has secured a grant of nearly £40,000 from the Wolfson Foundation to create a new Preparation for Adulthood Centre for students with high needs.
The college, part of college group WCG, will use the funding to convert an existing classroom into a flexible teaching space to deliver its Preparation for Adulthood course.
The new Preparation for Adulthood 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.
It will mean students at the college’s Supported Learning Department will no longer have to travel to WCG’s Moreton Morrell College to learn about domestic skills, healthy lifestyles, travelling independently, social integration and work skills.
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 are looking to get this project underway as soon as possible.”
The Wolfson Foundation, a charity with a focus on research and education, awarded the grant as part its latest round of funding across the UK.
