New £1.8million SEND facility opens in Tonbridge
The Oaks Specialist College in Tonbridge has unveiled its new £1.8million new home learning centre, for children with more complex physical disabilities.
Named The Point, the building will be used for learners aged 18 to 25 leaving school.
The 432 metre squared building is attached to the existing Oaks College, that accommodates more than 130 students with additional needs.
The new facility will allow for 10 more learners whose needs "couldn't be met" at the existing college.
Parent Carol White says before this facility, her 22-year-old son Oliver was commuting over an hour each way to a college in Canterbury.
Oliver has cerebral palsy and epilepsy and Carol said the journey "was long, tiring, and not accommodating to his needs."
She tells us "Oliver had a bad experience there, his needs couldn't be met. He was there for 3 days before I took him out."
"Without this new facility, he'd have nowhere to go."
Beverley Fordham, the Cabinet Member for Education at Kent County Council, said The Point marks "a significant step forward" for young people with SEND in Kent.
"This new provision will not only offer high-quality, tailored learning in a modern inclusive environment, but also allow more students to access the support they need closer to home."
Within the facility there are hoists to accommodate for physical needs, a sensory room, music lesson facilities, and a kitchen to learn skills such as catering.
Students are often taken out of the facility into "real-life" scenarios to provide opportunities and confidence for later life.
The five-classroom facility also has a workshop space for students with physical disabilities, and a media space to practise skills such as coding and film-making.
Karl Stokes, Managing Director at builders TG Escapes, said:
"We've seen a much higher demand in the last three years for SEND building construction."
"We have a commitment to sustainability as a company. The timber-clad building is powered by renewable energy technology."
The Oaks has a "Let's Go Zero" carbon reduction plan, which is expected to save an estimated £4.5-6K in annual running costs and 3.2 tons of CO2 per year.
It costs around £42,000 a year to educate a learner at The Oaks, according to a feasibility report by KCC, compared to an average annual cost of an out-of-county placement being £141,750.