Developing independence

We’ll support you as you develop the skills and behaviours you need to transition into adulthood with a greater amount of independence.

This is at the core of everything we do at Linkage College in line with our Linkage values.

Building independence through college life

Building independence is woven into all areas of college life, in lots of different ways:

Learning outside the classroom

By stepping out of the classroom and engaging in a range of enrichment activities, you’ll develop your resilience and learn to cope through your experiences a wide variety of challenges.

You’ll receive teaching and learn through community access, work placements and independence suites which replicate a home environment.

Several external organisations also deliver activities at our college campuses.

Being able to make your own decisions

A key element of having independence is being able to make your own decisions.

We’ll give you the opportunities to make informed choices with understand, and take responsibility for any consequences.

We cannot ensure that you’ll will make the right choices in life, but we can help you build the skills and knowledge you need to understand the consequences and where to find help if a choice isn’t the right one.

Developing communication skills

Being able to convey your choices is important to your independence and requires communication skills.

Everyone is different and you’ll have your own way of communicating.

Our speech and language therapist will work with you to build your skills, to make sure your communication is maximised and you’re able to express yourself as effectively as possible.

Many of our staff are Makaton-trained.

Exploring social and cultural topics

Understanding social and cultures are important to help us navigate the world we live in.

Through tutorials, accessing the community and course content, we’ll develop your understanding and discuss a wide range of issues such as:

• cultural awareness,
• current affairs, and
• sexual health.

Alongside:

• the British Values of democracy,
• the rule of law, and
• mutual respect for and tolerance of different faiths and beliefs.

We will also explore:

• Travel Safety

  Knowing how to safely cross a road, the importance of planning a journey, and the consequences if you don’t plan.

• Community Safety

  Choosing safe places to go, stranger danger, what to do in an emergency.

• Personal Safety

  What is safe to put on the internet, relationships and sex education, health and well-being.

• Domestic Responsibility

  Budgeting for a weekly menu, food hygiene.