• Specialism:
  Creative arts based courses to gain independence through performance
• Residential/Day:
  Residential and day places
• Course Start Dates:
  Courses start September
• Course Length per Year in weeks:
  38 weeks per year
• Maximum Student Numbers:
  Maximum: 27 residential students; 10 day students
• Age Range:
  Age 18 – 25

General Description of College:
The Orpheus Centre offers excellent facilities including supported living accommodation and domiciliary care provision. The Centre delivers arts, vocational and life skills training to young people with physical impairments and learning needs. We work in a user led way, ensuring that our support services meet individual needs, and deliver our educational programme in a way that meets individual goals.

The Curriculum:
The full time Orpheus Centre course is a transitional programme, with four key curriculum areas aimed to equip the learners with the skills, knowledge and understanding to move from a care setting into independent living. The four curriculum areas that are covered are Independence Skills, Arts Skills, Functional Skills and Employment Skills. Each strand has three levels to enable full participation in each area according to individual need. Accredited qualifications offered include Trinity Guildhall Arts Awards and City and Guilds Awards.

Specialist Facilities:
We have twelve self-contained flats (Centre Court) which are run under a supported housing model with care being provided by the in-house domiciliary care team. We are currently also in the process of merging our residential care accommodation into this model, by converting our existing residential rooms. We have a theatre and the Baseline Studio complex comprising of a multi-media studio, and IT studio and a recording studio.

Statements:

1. a transition programme into independent living
2. an extensive programme of performing arts
3. registered with the Care Quality Commission
4. expertise in supporting learners with a wide range of physical disabilities
5. expertise in meeting the needs of students with severe learning difficulties
6. expertise in working with learners with communication difficulties
7. expertise in working with learners with autism spectrum disorder
8. expertise in supporting learners with behavioural difficulties
9. expertise in supporting learners with associated mental health needs
10. expertise in working with learners with epilepsy and/or associated neurological conditions
11. specialist staff to meet personal care requirements
12. opportunities to improve literacy, numeracy and/or communication skills
13. a range of vocational courses with opportunities for accreditation.
14. a personal development programme
15. opportunities for learners to participate in community activities and to learn about citizenship
16. extensive use of assistive and adaptive technologies
17. on site waking night nursing staff
18. residential provision extending beyond the academic year
19. opportunities to improve communication skills such as the use of Makaton, Bliss, symbols or objects of reference
20. opportunities to explore a range of living options after college