Today, the Vodafone UK Foundation announced funding of around  £113,000 for a study centre to support an innovative and integrated educational scheme for young people with severe speech, language and communication difficulties.  The funding will enable 25 pupils to access the benefits of mainstream further education with specialist support.

The centre will provide a much needed extension of Dawn House School. Run by I CAN, the charity that helps children communicate, the school has been successfully working in partnership with West Nottinghamshire Further Education College since September last year to provide specialist further education to four pupils aged 16-19 years.

The new study centre, which opens in Autumn 2005, will enable the school to develop this post-16 provision for up to 25 students with severe communication difficulties. These difficulties significantly affect their ability to comprehend the language they hear and express what they want to say.  In addition they can result in other difficulties such as emotional problems and difficulties with attention and memory. The Vodafone UK Foundation’s donation will help build and equip the centre and provide essential Information & Communication Technology (ICT) equipment.

Pupils with severe communication difficulties who attend mainstream local further education colleges rarely complete courses or secure employment as they do not get the specialist support they need.  As a result, many are excluded from achieving their aspirations. This partnership has created the first mainstream Further Education model in the UK able to provide specialist support to enable them to make the transition into adult life.

Specially designed classes at Dawn House School will supplement the mainstream education at West Nottinghamshire College where tutors have received specialist training to support individual students. The extra support in the mainstream environment combined with courses on independent living skills give them the confidence to live independently. This model is unique and one that I CAN is keen to develop and replicate.

Virginia Beardshaw, CEO of I CAN, said: 'We are delighted to have received the funding to realise such an essential resource.  Mainstream colleges do not have the skills needed to help students with a severe speech, language and communication difficulty adapt to their new environment and specialist support, including speech and language therapy, is rarely available. The students find it hard to learn new ideas, cope with new routines, and have difficulty developing adult relationships with others. This initiative gives them a real chance to develop their full academic potential."

The Vodafone UK Foundation is fully committed to addressing local community issues and helping 16-25 year olds in the UK who are at risk of exclusion to live fuller lives, particularly through initiatives focussing on communication.

Sarah Shillito, Manager of the Vodafone UK Foundation, said: 'We are looking forward to the results of this project and I hope it will pave the way for young people with communication difficulties to be integrated into mainstream schooling across the UK."

For further information contact:

Vicky Argles
The Forster Company
E-mail: vicky@forster.co.uk

For media enquiries, please call 020 7403 2230

INTERVIEWS:

Interviews are available with Sarah Shillito, Manager of the Vodafone UK Foundation.  If you are interested in carrying out an interview, please contact Vicky Argles at the details above.  For I CAN please contact Kate Summerside on 020 7674 2754. Email: ksummerside@ican.org.uk

NOTES TO EDITORS:

The Vodafone UK Foundation is a registered charity.  It is one of 19 local country Foundations funded by The Vodafone Group Foundation and also receives donations from Vodafone UK Limited.

The Vodafone UK Foundation helps 16-25 year olds in the UK to live fuller lives, primarily by increasing their access to information and opportunities and through the use of mobile technology- based solutions where possible. The focus is particularly on those young people at risk of exclusion. It also supports local communities in areas where Vodafone has a significant physical presence and Vodafone employees who are involved in community activities.

Wherever possible The Vodafone UK Foundation provides charity partners with a range of resources in addition to financial support. 

The Vodafone UK Foundation was presented with a PerCent standard logo in the 2003/04 Business in the Community Giving List Report.  Vodafone Group was ranked 50 in 2005 The Sunday Times/Business in the Community Companies That Count survey.

Further information can be found on www.vodafoneukfoundation.org

• I CAN is the charity that helps children with speech, language and communication difficulties across the UK. The charity works to create a society where their special needs are recognised, understood and met, so that they have the same opportunities in life as other children.
• Dawn House School was opened in 1974 by I CAN, the national educational charity for children with speech, language and communication difficulties.  It is a non-maintained special school.  Initially the school catered for primary aged pupils but in 1985 the school extended its work to include secondary pupils up to the age of 16.  In 2004 the school received DfES approval for post-16 pupils and now also caters for pupils aged 16 to 19 years.
• West Nottinghamshire College serves the people of Mansfield, Ashfield and beyond by providing the best quality education and training for all ages and abilities from 14 years and upwards.