Petty Pool College

About the students

Petty Pool Vocational College is a dedicated education provider for young adults with learning difficulties, proudly supporting 119 full-time students from Cheshire, Halton, Warrington, and across the North West. Nestled in 40 acres of beautiful woodland in Sandiway, near Northwich, at the heart of Cheshire, our college is committed to delivering an enriching and supportive educational experience that empowers each learner to achieve their full potential.
Our college empowers young people to discover a world of opportunity and possibility and we welcome learners with a diverse range of learning difficulties and disabilities, including (not exhaustive) moderate to severe learning disabilities, specific learning disabilities, physical disabilities, communication needs, Autism Spectrum conditions, Epilepsy, Down’s Syndrome, Williams Syndrome, and Fragile X Syndrome. At Petty Pool, our mission is to deliver exceptional education, within an inclusive environment, building a strong foundation for life. 

Catchment

Cheshire, Halton, Wirral, Merseyside, Warrington and the North West.

Curriculum

At Petty Pool College, our curriculum is designed to empower learners to succeed in their vocational studies, personal growth and future careers, guiding them as they transition into adulthood.
The curriculum is centred around developing a personalised study programme for learners which will support them to meet their aspirations and EHCP (Education Health and Care Plan) outcomes. Taking into account students’ individual starting points and what they want to achieve, a broad and diverse curriculum is designed based on the Preparation for Adulthood agenda, vocational skills and/or qualifications where appropriate and utilises the staged process of recognising and recording progression and achievement (RARPA) for non-accredited learning and progression.

Our curriculum features: 

• Tutorial - encompasses current topics, promotes democracy and self-advocacy and supports our learners to become active citizens.  
• Enrichment - learners have a chance to explore offerings including activities such as community volunteering, work experience placements, arts and cultural projects, sports and outdoor adventure programs, and personal development workshops.
• Employability - centres on building skills needed to enhance career opportunities such as interview skills, CV writing, communication skills, increasing confidence and personal development
• Life Skills - allows learners to develop skills needed to live independently or increase personal independence. 
• Functional Skills - English and maths is embedded and applied in everything we do.
• Healthy Lifestyles - dedicated to teaching learners about fitness, health and nutrition, accessing a range of sport as well as mental wellbeing using the NHS 5 Steps To Wellbeing as a framework. 
• PSHE and RSE - supporting learners’ personal, social, and emotional development. Learners explore self-awareness, self-care, managing feelings, changing and growing, healthy lifestyles and the world we live in.
• Work Experience - starts in year 1 with all learners accessing our internal work placements to develop their employment skills. Year 2 and 3 learners can move to an external work experience provider to further develop their skills to meet their aspirations. 

The impact of the curriculum at Petty Pool:

• empowers our learners to reach their full potential
• promotes inclusive practices
• creates a positive learning environment
• contributes to positive outcomes for learners, staff, families, and our broader community, and
• plays a critical role in promoting equality, diversity, and inclusion in education and society.

Work Experience

We currently work with a number of national and local businesses to offer work placements and internships to all of our students. All external placements link directly to the curriculum and learner EHCP outcomes. We have a vast offer for external placements including:

• National hotel chain
• Local libraries
• Golf clubs
• Football clubs
• National Trust venues
• Local farms
• Local schools
• Local restaurants
• Local cinema
• Toddler groups
• National supermarkets

Specialist facilities

Petty Pool In The Community is our service open to adults with learning disabilities outside education. Funded via personalised budgets and social care packages, our provision runs Monday to Friday, 9-3pm throughout the year. This additional offer from Petty Pool sees adults accessing support on an intensive basis to look at:

• Community activities
• Independent living skills
• Travel training
• Team building and social skills
• Wellbeing including keeping active

Petty Pool in the Community also offers a provision to adults based in Warrington and Cheshire East.

Other information

Community Links and Partnerships

Some of the current projects we are involved with are: Delamere Train Station, Marbury Park, The Joshua Tree, Frodsham Allotments and ChAPS (Cheshire Autism Practical Support).