The best way to find out what a College feels like is to visit it when students are around:
The location and facilities available will have an impact on your time at college and the potential you have to develop skills in the community:
You may be looking for academic subjects but remember you also need to learn to be an independent adult:
In the future you may wish to go into paid or voluntary work or activity:
Eventually you may also want to move into independent or supported housing:
It is important that the staff at the college understand your needs and can support you:
Don’t just rely on what a college quotes on its web site, look up the inspection reports on the Ofsted web site.
Make sure you are looking at the Education inspection report since Ofsted also report on care for 16-18 year olds in some residential colleges. Look at reports from Annual Monitoring Visits. They should be reporting “Significant Progress” in most areas.
Colleges that are registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) have their care inspected by it. Look up the report on the Care Quality Commission web site.
Colleges that are not registered with the CQC do not have to meet its standards.
The most important thing is to go and visit. Everyone is different. Do the College and the people there feel right to meet your individual needs?
Find out what RNIB College's inspection reports say about the College.