Building work starts on new Telford College expansion
Building work is under way on a new £1.8 million centre which will expand specialist facilities for learners with complex needs and disabilities at Telford College of Arts and Technology.
Post-16 pupils currently based at Bridge School in Hadley will be relocated to the new complex on the college’s Wellington campus.
Contractors moved onto the site this week, and the centre – which will eventually house up to 30 students – is due to open in September 2015.
The centre is being built to meet a demand identified by Telford & Wrekin Council to accommodate additional learners from an expected increase in the borough’s population.
Edward Bird, TCAT’s Assistant Principal for Employability and Community Engagement, said: “We applied for a £1.8 million grant from the Demographic Growth Fund to expand specialist facilities for learners with complex needs and disabilities at Telford College.
“There were concerns that options available for students leaving the Bridge School were limited and only a small proportion were going on to access further education.
“We hope this move will open up a broader curriculum for these pupils, combining expertise provided by the Bridge School with specialist accommodation and access to wider facilities at Telford College.
“Hopefully, it will also encourage an increase in the opportunities available for learners with severe and profound learning difficulties at Telford College in the 16-25 age group.”
Mr Bird added: “We appreciate some families have been slightly concerned about potential upheaval, but we feel these changes provide an improved transition to adult life for the students involved.
“The college has worked very closely with the management and staff at the Bridge School, the local authority and other partners to ensure an outstanding design and specification of the new centre.
“Parents of Bridge School students were also consulted, and the feedback received was overwhelmingly positive.
Telford College principal Chris Scott said: “We already have an Outstanding Foundation Learning provision on site, and the additional centre will provide learners with a great opportunity to access our broad curriculum and excellent facilities.”
