Warrington Collegiate Institute has become a pillar of education in the Warrington borough.

It boasts many courses for all abilities and has special connections to special needs adult students. There are a number of courses held at both Padgate Campus and Winwick Road sites with lots of variety.

The collegiate prides itself on the opportunities given to disabled students and the ways in which the campuses are suitably equipped.

Helen Baron, Equal Opportunities Officer, Warrington Collegiate Institute said: "We are constantly monitoring ourselves and we have vastly improved the campuses to help students with disability.
"We have an audit where a disabled person from Warrington NHS Trust comes round and inspects the college in the point of view of a disabled person and we take note of all the good things he says and the changes he suggests. There has been major changes over the past years, 10 years ago we didn't even have a lift!"

There are a range of both full time and part time courses for special needs students to take part in. Such as; Skills for Life, The Coffee Pot and experience at Stepping Stones Garden Centre.

All of these courses cover a range of qualifications and skills.
Skills for Life concentrates on helping student to develop self-confidence and self-esteem by combining home skills, first aid, food studies and communication skills. The Coffee Pot helps students to develop training skills such as, health and safety, dealing with people, literacy and numeracy.

Stepping Stones Garden Centre, situated on Padgate Campus is used to help students in gardening skills, both growing and selling plants.

The Collegiate has contacts with outside organisations that specialise in students with special needs. Making Space is a key organisation that the Equal Opportunities Committee have links with to make the place a more comfortable establishment for students with learning difficulties.

Warrington Collegiate's Equal Opportunities policy clearly shows that the college is committed to helping special needs students as well as physically disabled by strictly following the Disabled Persons Act. It states that students with learning difficulties will be provided where possible with opportunities to take part in integrated courses, and to continue to provide separate education provision.

Helen Baron said: "We have a section that deals with courses for students with learning difficulties.
"We don't hold social activities for special needs through higher education. In higher education we try and mainstream them so they don't feel any different from the other students at the University. We try not to treat them as exceptional. We will try and close barriers with them and we have been successful in doing this."

The collegiate has built recognition for its work with special needs students and as well as academic courses also offer informal support in One Step At A Time, mentoring sessions in which students with mental health difficulties can be checked upon and relived of any problems.

For more information on Supported Learning courses at WCI contact student services on 01925 494494 or visit the Collegiate's web site www.warr.ac.uk.