AN INDEPENDENT specialist college in Pembrokeshire has been praised for its “calm, welcoming and highly inclusive environment” in a recent inspection.
Coleg Plas Dwbl, part of the Ruskin Mill Trust Group, caters to young people aged 16 to 25 with various learning difficulties, including autism, ADHD, and social and emotional challenges.
The college, which opened in 2011, currently has 23 learners, most of whom have residential placements.
The majority of these learners are placed by Welsh local authorities, with a minority placed by English local authorities.
The college is located on a 100-acre farm at the base of the Preseli mountains, providing a setting for its Practical Skills Therapeutic Education (PSTE) programme.
This programme allows learners to engage in real-life activities, including sessions in the forge, farm, craft workshop, and kitchen.
Inspectors found that “Coleg Plas Dwbl provides a calm, welcoming and highly inclusive environment based on mutual respect that supports learners with complex needs effectively”.
The report praised the college’s commitment to “highly personalised provision tailored to individual sensory, emotional and communication needs”.
The college’s emphasis on learner well-being was highlighted as a core strength, with staff and learners participating jointly in weekly assemblies to celebrate the work of the college community.
Inspectors also commended the strong working relationships between staff and learners, which create a supportive environment where most learners feel safe, valued, and encouraged to participate.
The college’s communication approaches were noted as a particular strength, with staff using a range of methods to support learners’ engagement and participation.
The report stated that “learners benefit from strong collaboration between teaching staff, therapists, residential and support staff”.
This had been an area previously highlighted as needing improvement, but inspectors found leaders had made “strong progress on embedding communication strategies for learners across the college”.
Estyn recommended that the college refine its self-evaluation processes to consider the impact of communication strategies on learner progress.
It also suggested that the college’s policies and procedures should include appropriate reference to the Welsh context of the college and to Welsh Government legislation and guidance.
