Who is the programme for?
If you are between 16 and 25 years old, have special educational needs and require additional support, our programme will prepare you for the next exciting steps in your life. You will attend College 4 days per week, Monday to Thursday from 9.30am to 3.30pm.
What are the entry requirements?
There is no formal entry requirement, however, you must have an active EHCP. To apply you will need to ask your Local Authority to consult with Orchard Hill College. We would like to meet you for an assessment before you join us at college. We want to make sure this is the right programme for you and talk about how we can focus your learning around your chosen area of interest.
What are you interested in?
- Animal Care
- Catering and Hospitality
- Charity Sector
- Construction
- Customer Service
- Digital Media
- Creative Arts
- Farming
- Gardening
- Hair and Beauty
- Motor Vehicle Care
- Recycling and Upcycling
- Retail
- Volunteering and Contributing to my Community
- Social Enterprise
About the programme
This programme has been designed to make you more independent. We will support you and get you ready to achieve your ambitions, whatever they may be.
You might want to live more independently or get prepared for work. We can help you get the most out of your community and access further learning with a pathway into your area of interest.
Here’s how we will achieve it together
We want you to become as independent as possible and throughout your time with us we will support you to make new friends, travel more independently and try new things at college and in your local community.
We’ll help you choose a work training programme that’s right for you, centred around your chosen interest.
You will have opportunities to:
- take part in vocational taster sessions
- get involved in volunteering, supported or part-time employment
- develop your skills in a real-life setting (including short breaks if appropriate)
You can get involved and take part in our enrichment activities at college and in the community including sport, health and wellbeing, creative and performing arts. We want you to be happy, healthy and confident.
By the end of the programme we will have helped you move forward in your life and you will have achieved some or all of the goals below, as appropriate:
- accessed valuable work experience
- achieved an appropriate accreditation
- developed your own personalised job ready pack
- grown your circle of friends and support network
- be able to live more independently or have transitioned to supported living, a home sharing scheme or a personalised assisted living scheme.
Foundation Skills for Life is delivered at six of our college centres.
Support
Throughout the programme we will support you with your maths and English learning and help you to develop your core skills in:
Communication, problem solving, independence and mobility, work skills, managing change, personal and social.
Technology plays a big part in your life at college, our Digital School team will encourage you to use assistive technology so that you can be more independent and improve your communication skills. We want you to flourish in all aspects of your life and learning and prepare you for a digital world after college.
As well as the teaching team delivering your programme, we will provide you with any specialist therapy and nursing support you may need.
Our Partners
We have excellent links with our local communities and work with a wide range of partners so that you can blossom in your chosen area of interest. Here are just a few:
Sainsbury’s, Westcroft Leisure Centre, local libraries, Sutton Community Farms, British Heart Foundation, Waitrose, Mencap, Rural Activity Garden Centre, Oxfam, Shared Lives, Kingston Eco, Riverside Community Centre, Deen City Farm, David Weir Centre, Tooting Leisure Centre, Thrive, Canons Leisure Centre, The Old Vic, Books Beyond Words, Camberwell Arts Project, DASH Centres Baked Bean Company, YMCA, Nightingale Allotment, Kennington Flowerbeds Project, Intosport, Home Farm Trust and many more.
