Minister’s visit highlights SEND support at West Thames College

West Thames College’s support for students with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) has been highlighted during a recent visit by Minister for School Standards Georgia Gould OBE MP.

According to the college, Gould toured its SEND facilities and heard from students and staff about learning support and their ambitions for the future.

A focus of the visit was the move from education into work. The college’s Career Kickstart programme helps learners build confidence and workplace skills before progressing towards a supported internship. It also runs two Project SEARCH supported internship programmes, working with employers to offer practical experience and personalised support.

Speaking to Level 3 Media students, Gould said she wanted to see how the college supports young people into work. She described the importance of ensuring that “inclusion is built into the system, not an add on”.

The visit comes against the backdrop of a national SEND training programme. On 25 September, the Department for Education published free training materials for schools and post-16 settings as the first step in a wider £200 million investment in teacher training.

The government says the materials offer practical approaches such as breaking instructions into smaller steps and introducing specialist vocabulary before lessons. The funding supports the national teacher-training programme.

For families in Isleworth and Osterley, the local significance is the link between learning and life beyond college: support that helps young people develop independence and prepare for employment. A ministerial visit brings attention to that work; the lasting measure is the opportunities available to students afterwards.

The college’s provision also featured in ITV News coverage of the national training announcement on 25 September.