The first dedicated college for people with learning disabilities in Scotland has this week opened its doors to its first intake of students, with the hopes of addressing the ‘void’ in further education opportunities for young people with additional or complex needs.

Capability Scotland says Corseford College will empower young people aged 18-25 whose needs could not be met in mainstream colleges to be their best selves through continued and personalised learning.

The 15 students who began classes at the new Johnstone campus on Monday will have access to sensory suites, outdoor learning opportunities, rebound therapy with full-sized trampolines and an indoor pool to support their learning.

Learning opportunities at the college will include the option of obtaining vocational qualifications and work experience within the local community.

Students will receive personalised timetables to allow them to build up skills in communication, literacy, numeracy, ICT and health and wellbeing, as well as having the opportunity to obtain vocational qualifications and local work experience as part of their 46-week, five-day per week placement.

Capability Scotland has invested £250,000 into the project and the Scottish government has now pledged a further £316,000 for the first year of delivery.

The Head of Corseford College, Liz McConnachie, says she hopes the opening of this first-of-its-kind college will inspire many other facilities to open around Scotland:

“This college is an absolute necessity for young people throughout much of Scotland that require additional support in further education.

“While there are very admirable provisions in place in Scotland’s colleges, complex special needs are not accommodated for and we have found that many young people fall by the wayside after completing school because there is no further education provision that can directly cater for their needs.

“The government’s backing of Corseford College is welcomed and we must now demonstrate how and why similar setups are required in other parts of Scotland. The initial work we do here will amplify the need for this change in the Scottish education sector.”

A large number of specialist colleges operate down south, 46 of which follow a similar model to

Corseford College. However, the lack of provision in Scotland has seen 51 young Scots with complex needs moving to England for specialist further education in the past five years, according to Capability Scotland.

Corseford College, which will run in an newly refurbished wing of Capability Scotland’s Coresford School Campus in Renfrewshire,  has already received positive feedback from young people and their families.

One visitor to an April open day said the college was “more inclusive that anything I’ve ever seen”, as others called for similar services to be rolled out to other areas.

Ms McConnachie, who has worked in further education senior leadership in Scotland and overseas, says the facility will be transformational for both the individuals and families enrolled:

“Parents will see this as a lifeline for their kids. As a parent you naturally worry about what is going to happen to your child after secondary education, but we are offering a credible solution that will provide lifelong learning opportunities and set them up for the future.

“We hope to change these young people’s lives and give them opportunities that are not currently available to them.”

Capability Scotland, which celebrated its 75^th anniversary in 2021, says it plans to increase its intake to 25 students next September.

 

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