When I first worked in primary I loved those little lightbulb moments in teaching and being able to be part of the students’ journeys. However, over time I realised I wanted to work in education that was more personalised to each individual student. That’s what leaned me towards United Response’s ROC College.

The courses here are so tailored to the students, what they want to get out of it, and what will set them up for the future. We’ve got such a vast range of things we offer, like work experience, where we have people in everything from dog grooming to motor vehicles, and courses in animal care, climbing, and everything in between. We really do have pretty much anything you can think of.

I think our person centred support goes hand in hand with supporting students coming from what has often been a negative experience in mainstream school. We provide a lot of 1 to 1 support, so there’s always someone available to support the students. With us, students also get the chance to do lots of things they enjoy, which I think can make education feel more purposeful for them.

If we do have any students who disengage, we work really well as a team to think about why that is, and how we can support them. In most cases we are able to flip it on its head and get the desired outcome. Students are more willing to engage, because they see how much we put in for them.

Being in a class of 30 students in a massive mainstream school with 2000 students on the premises is just a parallel universe to what they experience here. We encourage them to be out in the community, not just in one building, by using local libraries, cafes etc., in our teaching. We have one student now who comes to this area on their days off because they are familiar with the local environment.

To someone interested in moving from mainstream to SEN education, I’d say ‘just do it!’ It’s been the best thing for me. You get so much reward, and you can focus on really tailoring things to each student. I kick myself for not doing it sooner.

  • Ali Mills is Communications and Engagement Officer at United Response