A UNIQUE new facility has been opened aimed at supporting young people with complex needs as they progress from school to further education.

The Support, Training, Assessment and Resources - Star - centre has been opened on the campus of Henshaws College in Harrogate.

It is a pilot initiative - the only one of its kind - set up to provide state-of-the-art support for individual learners, as well as specialist training and resources for staff.

And it was formally opened by Liz Burdett of the North Yorkshire Learning and Skills Council, which is funding the project.

Thirteen to 14-year-olds with a range of learning difficulties and disabilities will be able to visit the Star centre to be independently assessed for their needs in terms of therapy, special equipment and resources to enable them to access education beyond school.

Learners will be assessed by an experienced team of specialist staff including speech and language therapists, occupational therapists, physiotherapists and nurses, as well as specialists in rehabilitation and mobility, behaviour management, visual impairment and hearing impairment.

Manager Lynne Gilland said: "This new facility will transform the way in which young people's complex needs are assessed in Yorkshire and the Humber.

"We will be able to provide them with tailored support, helping them to set out on a path that's right for them as individuals. We are all very proud of this unique and extremely valuable resource."

The centre shares campus facilities with Henshaws College, which provides training in independent living and vocational skills to more than 70 students with learning disabilities, physical disabilities and sensory impairment.

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