Peter Little OBE Unveils New Department at Local College

Peter LittleToday, Peter Little OBE officially opened the new state-of-the-art Preparation for Work and Life Department at SGS College.

The development boasts a new inclusive independent living kitchen, sensory room and inclusive digital media and art facilities following on from the Government agenda of IT access for all and the therapeutic enrichment of Art which will help many of the students within the department.

Visitors, staff and students came together to celebrate the opening and the end of the event was marked by Peter Little OBE unveiling a commemorative plaque.

Peter comments: “I am delighted to be able to support the opening of this exciting and innovative new learning environment at the college. Preparing for work and independent living is a central activity for all young people, and it is especially important to have a supportive setting for those young people who have additional needs or disabilities. The basis of many of these developments remains in the Review Report; ‘Through Inclusion to Excellence that I produced in 2005, and it is so encouraging to see how much progress is being made as successive Governments have sought to prioritise the needs and aspirations of these young people, with an increased emphasis on multi agency settings. ”

“Above all, we need to reflect on the experiences of our learners, and I am so impressed by the way that this new facility has been shaped by input from the learners themselves. ”

From the original concept, the learners and parents have been involved in steering groups during every stage of the development, to share their views and requests.

Head of Preparation for Work and Life, Bob Rose commented: “This really is a great asset for our learners. From the beginning we have consulted with our students to implement a building that helps them and stretches and challenges their learning. We wanted the students to be fully part of this process and they have done a tremendous job from start to finish. ”

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