Horizons College

About the students

Horizons College aims to provide a holistic programme of study for young people through challenging, relevant and engaging learning experiences which support individual progression and preparation for adulthood. It is specifically aimed at learners with a range of learning and physical disabilities including those with complex medical and therapeutic needs and/or sensory processing difficulties. Some may have additional complex communication, social and behavioural related needs.

Catchment

We are based in Royal Wootton Bassett and welcome learners from several Local Authorities, namely Swindon, Wiltshire, Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire.

Curriculum

The College offers three main Pathways: Pathway to Employment, Pathway to Independence and Pathway to Life Choices. We also offer a 1 year Supported Internship programme, for those who have completed our 2 year Pathway to Employment and who meet the criteria for this course. Functional Skills such as Literacy, Numeracy and Digital Skills are embedded into all lessons and activities ensuring our learners develop these important and relevant transferable skills. All our young people work towards outcomes which are outlined in their EHCPs and My Plans.

The programmes also include the development of vocational skills, life and leisure, personal social development and work and enterprise. The curriculum will also support the development of our core values of independence and interdependence. Underpinning these areas will be the development of functional skills such as communication, numeracy and ICT, aimed to promote progression through the Adult Basic Skills Curriculum.

Specialist facilities

We have a fully integrated, onsite Therapy Team which consists of a Speech & Language Therapist, Occupational Therapists, a Physiotherapist and a Nurse.

Our sensory room is a specially designed safe space that provides learners with an accessible, multisensory communication environment for learning and therapy. We have two projection systems in place, Magic Room and Magic Mirror. Magic Room is a powerful system that enables tutors/therapists to create and deliver vibrant and motivating learning experiences using the whole environment as a teaching resource; it is designed to support individual interaction and communication needs. Magic Mirror helps to develop interaction and communication skills through creative multi-sensory game play. The software supports 6 players using full-body interaction with additional options for eye gaze, speech, switches, touch, game controllers, mouse and keyboard inputs.

We have a fully equipped Media Room which enables our learners to plan, create and broadcast their own radio shows on our internal college radio station.

Other information