Ambitious about Autism, the national charity for children and young people with autism, will open a new campus of its Ambitious College in Haringey in July 2016. The new site is being developed in partnership with the College of Haringey, Enfield and North East London (CONEL) and will be located at their Tottenham Centre.
Young people with autism, especially those with complex needs, face real barriers to accessing education and training beyond school, severely reducing their chances of transitioning to a fulfilling adulthood. Ambitious College provides specialist further education provision to help these young people to gain the knowledge, skills and experience they need to live, work and contribute as part of their communities.
Jolanta Lasota, Chief Executive of Ambitious about Autism, said ‘With fewer than one in four young people with autism accessing any form of education or training beyond school, specialist, local provision is more vital than ever before. Every young person has the right to access the education they need to have a promising future. We are delighted to be developing our Ambitious College campus in Haringey and to making the ordinary possible for young people with autism.’
Andy Forbes, Principal of CONEL, said: ‘We are delighted to be working with Ambitious College to provide the best learning environment for young people with autism at our Tottenham Centre. As a highly successful vocational further education college, we are dedicated to giving the best possible education and training to all students and helping them overcome any barriers they face. Above all, we want to be as ambitious as Ambitious About Autism and through this exciting partnership we aim to create an autism-confident environment for all our learners.’
Cllr Joe Goldberg, Cabinet Member for Economic Development, Social Inclusion and Sustainability, said: ‘We’re determined to give every young person the skills, training and opportunities to fulfil their potential, and I’m delighted that Ambitious College will be providing this specialist provision here in Haringey.’
The new facility will be named Pears Campus. Trevor Pears CMG, Executive Chair of Pears Foundation, said: 'We are delighted to provide the lead gift for this exciting and innovative project which will improve the opportunities for young people with autism to fulfil their true potential.'
All young people at Ambitious College access tailored study programmes which enable them to learn about independence, employment, better health and community inclusion. Skills such as communication, literacy, numeracy and ICT are also part of the College’s specialised curriculum. Partnership working and co-location with the mainstream college provides learners with the opportunity to access vocational learning and social opportunities alongside their peers. Learners benefit from a dedicated and specialist team of teaching and health professionals.
For more information about Ambitious College click here.