St Mary's College is brilliant!  It's fun to learn new skills and meet new people.  

Katie, Yr 1 student

 

St Mary's College was established in 1999. Since then it has grown and now offers two levels of course. Programme 1 is for students who need higher levels of support and may either be day pupils or weekly boarders. Programme 2 is for students who have generally achieved higher ‘academic' levels and have demonstrated greater independence skills. Students on Programme 2 are fortnightly boarders. St Mary's College offers a full three-year programme and guides students into the ‘world of work' or on to further training as appropriate to their individual needs. The College aims to provide a balanced curriculum which is both fun and enjoyable and helps the students develop into young adults.

The aim of St Mary's College is to prepare individual students for independent living and working to the highest level achievable by the student. The programmes are enhanced by carefully selected college courses and appropriate life experience placements. Teachers, teaching assistants, therapists and facilitators work together across the waking curriculum to fulfil this aim.

All students in The College are given the opportunity each year to participate in an educational study trip. Students learn to cope with ‘change' of routine, planning, research and preparation for the trip. As well as having a fun time students learn many of the skills required from the Life Skills Programme and the academic curriculum. Study trips have included a week's visit to Holland, a canal barge trip, living in static caravans on the Isle of Wight, visiting places of interest in North Wales and a week Youth Hostelling in Poole, Dorset.

  

The College Curriculum

Key Skills/Basic Skills form a basis for all education in The College and are assessed throughout the curriculum. The College offers nationally recognised schemes, Leisure and Tourism and the ASDAN Life Skills Award. Horticulture is accredited to the National Proficiency Tests and Art as a GCSE. Key Skills are also used as a guide to assessing Religious Education, Personal, Social and Health Education, Diary Keeping and Budgeting.

FSP - First Skills Profile

The First Skills Profile course is studied by students on Programme 1 and this gives students the opportunity to develop their independent skills in areas such as budgeting, going out and about and running their own home.

The course is delivered in individual modules and students receive a Certificate when they have completed a module and it is assessed by an external examiner.  

Life Experience/College

Where it is appropriate, students are supported to enroll on a day or evening course at a local FE college. The aim here is to give students the opportunity to make supported choices about their interests and the courses they would like to follow to get some experience of coping with a large institutional setting. Students may be accompanied as required and given underpinning academic support within St Mary's.

Our most able students have exposure to the world of work by choosing a placement on our work experience programme. Those students, for whom work experience is too challenging, will take part in the life experience programme. This is delivered via a closely supported group activity which introduces the demands of the workplace - such as time keeping and productivity - in small steps in a sheltered setting.

Horticulture is practised throughout St Mary's College grounds and in the Living House gardens. St Mary's also has use of an allotment where students are able to grow vegetables. Projects undertaken include designing and constructing raised beds for flowers, using a greenhouse and maintaining and improving the flowerbeds around the Living Houses. The students also maintain the indoor plants in the College. The students sell some of their produce at the Summer and Christmas Fayres.

Leisure and Tourism (optional) is studied and students participating achieve single unit awards. The students are expected to research relevant information by a variety of means e.g. the Internet, books, leaflets and the telephone; and to organise local and national visits to important sites. The students are supported in all aspects by qualified Speech and Language Therapists and Occupational Therapists and evidence is collected across the waking curriculum.

The ASDAN Life Skills Award scheme is based on a series of challenges designed to allow the individual student to achieve to their highest potential. The student plans, achieves and then reviews each challenge, gathering evidence along the way to support their learning. The student is encouraged to take responsibility for the collection and presentation of the evidence required to achieve the Life Skills Award. Throughout, the student is supported by the qualified, multidisciplinary team working as part of the college, student, parent partnership.

 

The Art & Design programme focuses on objective study, in order to develop basic skills. This is accomplished through the genres of Still Life, Perspective, Photography and Landscape etc. All work is project based, for example, buildings, still life with fruit, portraiture, a selected artist or website design. The students use a wide range of media, which include

• Drawing in pencil, charcoal, pastel and paint
• Painting and printmaking
• Collage and ceramics
• Photography and computer graphics

There are trips out to art galleries or work is completed in St Mary's grounds. Books, photographs and video footage support the Art History component of the course.Some students are entered for GCSE Art and Design.

Health and Fitness

Students maintain their physical health by using St Mary's swimming pool during organised sessions and attending a Physical Education (PE) session as well as having opportunities to attend Leisure Centres.

Students may also use the gym, play football and during the spring/summer use the tennis courts and go on local walks/runs. Some have the opportunity to take the Junior Sports Leadership Award (JSLA).

Drama

Since this has been introduced to the College curriculum, it has proved to be extremely beneficial to the students. It brings increased levels of self-confidence it also encourages them to think about the role they play and how it impacts on the feelings of others.

ICT

The Trust now benefits from a newly equipped ICT Suite which students access during their ICT lessons. All study rooms are fitted with computers to enable students to complete individual pieces of work during lesson time.

Media Studies

Some students are able to study this module. Skills learnt include: Radio presentation, Sound Recording and Disc jockeying. The programme is currently delivered by a Millennium Volunteer.

The College Independent Living

The care of our students is integrated within the waking curriculum and provides all students with a safe, supported environment in which their levels of independence can be developed and nurtured now and in preparation for their transition from St Mary's College. The Living Houses are staffed by teams of experienced facilitators under the direction of a House Co-ordinator. In addition to their work in the Living Houses, the teams support students alongside teaching staff and therapists during educational time. This enhances the continuity of learning from classroom to Living House.

Students board in a range of accommodation

Living Houses, with individual and shared rooms, both on St Mary's site and in Bexhill Town. A homely atmosphere is fostered with students being encouraged and empowered to have control over their surroundings. Students hold weekly meetings in which their opinions are heard and minuted.

This enables them to express their views and adds to the ownership and control over their boarding provision, which is so important. Students are made aware of the responsibilities of shared living and care of their Living House. Students learn to live together sharing responsibilities associated with daily living such as washing up, laundry and cleaning. Students personalise their rooms with posters and musical equipment.

Life in The College is fun and the focus of The College Independent Living is for students to enjoy the wide range of activities that are available to occupy their evening and weekend leisure time constructively. Students are encouraged to find community based activities, as they will be able to access these when they leave The College.

In addition to these, staff and students run other activities on site.

Our students benefit from regular professional intervention Our students benefit from regular professional intervention by a team of qualified therapists. Occupational and Speech and Language Therapists are proactive in running sessions appropriate to the students' needs. These sessions are held in the Living Houses. Physiotherapy is provided for those students identified as having a need. This is provided in the excellent facilities within the main school. St Mary's has an independent Social Worker for those students requiring emotional or psychological support, Students may be referred to the Art Psychotherapist or Counselling Psychologist. This is carried out through the established referral system in liaison with staff and parents. This multi-disciplinary approach provides an enriched level of support in the Living Houses by giving a holistic overview of the students' independence skills and emotional needs.

All students attend bi-annual meetings to review their Individual Learning Plan/Action Plan that target educational and independence needs. This allows for co-ordinated targets to be set in agreement with students. These targets provide a basis for identifying key areas of need for individual students and are a focus for work done in the Living Houses.

Facilitators working in the College Living Houses work closely with St Mary's nursing team. The more independent students work towards self-medication where appropriate. All the College students eat lunch together in St Mary's dining room. Healthy meals are provided and individual needs e.g. vegetarian, allergy, weight monitoring diets and dysphagia needs maybe accounted for. All students prepare their own breakfast and many prepare their own evening meals with staff supervision in their Living Houses.

Therapy in The College

St Mary's College has its own designated Speech and Language Therapists, Occupational Therapists and Physiotherapists.

Speech and Language Therapy and Occupational Therapy is fully integrated into The College waking curriculum, with the focus being on supporting students to develop functional and independence skills and the use of strategies to help them overcome their disabilities.

Therapists are involved in supporting students and developing their skills on the life experience programme, as well as enabling them to access a range of courses at local colleges and at St Mary's College. Students are also supported in learning how to access activities within the College and their home communities.

There is a flexible approach to the delivery of therapy which includes timetabled therapy groups and individual sessions as well as support in class, life experience and in the Living Houses.

There is close liaison with teachers and facilitators in The College. This includes joint target setting with the student at their Individual Learning Plan/Action Plan meeting to help monitor and evaluate progress.

Speech and Language Therapy in The College may include:

• Developing students' skills in the use of augmentative communication, including signing and communication aids
• Comprehension and learning of the concepts and vocabulary needed to access the curriculum
• Developing social skills, use of a diary and organisational skills, telephoning and budgeting skills
• Increasing students' awareness of their communication strengths and needs and working to develop functional communication skills
• Working on study skills
• Use of technology to support literacy skills e.g. voice recognition programmes

Occupational Therapy in The College focuses on:

• Developing social skills - promoting understanding of behaviour and ways of adapting behaviour within school, work, home and Living Houses
• The maintenance of the students' physical needs e.g. splinting
• The modification of the environment and assessment for equipment
• Development of all aspects of activities of daily living
• Relaxation therapy
• The preparation of students and support on their work experience placements

Physiotherapy in College aims to:

• Encourage students to be independent and responsible for their own exercise needs
• Inspire students to reach and maintain maximum function appropiate to their needs which will improve confidence and self esteem
• Motivate students to adopt a fitness lifestyle that they can continue beyond St Mary's