• Developing independent living and social skills through a vocational curriculum
• Residential
• Intakes each term
• 37 weeks per year
• Maximum 250 students
• Age 16 – 25

General Description of College:
A large residential college, with 250 students, Derwen promotes the educational, vocational, personal and social development of young people with a wide range of learning difficulties and disabilities. Set in rural Shropshire, yet easy to get to by road and rail, the College has a large, attractive campus that includes accommodation with different levels of support; some students live off-campus within the local community, again with appropriate levels of support.

The Curriculum:
The College’s continued commitment to excellence is clearly apparent in the well-balanced curriculum, which has been carefully designed to meet the needs of students at different stages of development and is successfully delivered through a vocational medium. Individual programmes anticipate the changes and challenges that students will face in the future and are planned to develop the skills to live as independently as possible in the wider community. The College follows the standard three-term academic year; each course lasts three years, with transition review early in the final year to ensure effective planning for post-college provision.

Specialist Facilities:
All the facilities are first class and of the highest specification, exceeding the standards set by the Care Quality Commission. The College is graded outstanding by Ofsted and has Learning and Skills Beacon status.

Statements:

1. a range of vocational courses with opportunities for accreditation.
2. a programme to help learners to look after themselves more independently
3. a personal development programme
4. opportunities to improve literacy, numeracy and communication skills
5. opportunities to improve Information learning technology skills
6. specialist community access training to enable independent travel
7. opportunities to improve communication skills such as the use of Makaton, Bliss, symbols or objects of reference
8. opportunities to experience real work situations
9. opportunities to take part in a wide range of social, leisure and sporting activities
10. a supported transition programme into independent or supported living
11. a supported transition programme into supported or open employment
12. expertise in meeting the needs of students with severe learning difficulties
13. expertise in meeting the needs of students with moderate learning difficulties
14. expertise in working with learners with communication difficulties
15. expertise in supporting learners with a wide range of physical disabilities
16. expertise in working with learners with autism spectrum disorder
17. guidance and counselling services
18. in-house speech and language therapy
19. in-house physiotherapy
20. nursing services available 24 hours a day

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