A SPECIAL school in Worcester has welcomed the government’s skills minister Baroness Smith of Malvern as part of a campaign to raise awareness of the vital role such schools pay in empowering young people with disabilities.
Skills Minister Baroness Smith of Malvern, Jacqui Smith, spent two hours at New College Worcester (NCW) to experience first hand how the school prepares students for later life.
The school exclusively caters to children and young people aged 11 to 19 who are blind or vision impaired and Baroness Smith wanted to learn how it helps young people achieve their potential.
Baroness Smith dropped into a variety of lessons, including mobility, independent living skills and music before joining a Q&A session where students and former students discussed their experiences of attending NCW.
Asal, head student in year 13, shared their story highlighting how tough time in mainstream education was and how much their confidence has grown since joining NCW.
They added: “The person I am today is nothing like who I was when I first came to NCW. I arrived shy, but now I am confident and know how to advocate for myself.
“This is all down to NCW—they have helped me grow in so many ways.”
The Minister also experienced how NCW works with employers such as Dolphin Computer Access, an accessible software company, to provide high quality work experience placements and enhance employability.
Nine in ten students at NCW go on to further education, university or employment when they leave the school.
This far exceeds the national picture in which only one in four blind and partially sighted people of working age are in employment (RNIB).
Commenting on her visit, Skills Minister Jacqui Smith said: “It was really inspiring to visit and hear from such lively and engaging students about their experiences and their ambitions.
“Breaking down barriers to opportunity for people, regardless of the challenges they face, is at the forefront of our Plan for Change and our mission to grow the economy, and colleges like this are crucial to that mission.”
Rachel Perks, principal of New College Worcester, added: “It was a pleasure to host Baroness Smith today and have the opportunity to demonstrate the essential role special schools such as ours play.
“If children and young people receive timely support that meets their needs at the right kind of school then they are much more likely to be prepared and able to access the workplace when they are older.
“If the government wishes to achieve its ambitious 80 per cent employment rate, it needs to act now to enable visually impaired students to play a full and active role in the workplace of the future.”
NCW is calling on people who support additional funding for special education to join the campaign by signing an open letter to the Treasury available on the school website.
