iCollege - Investing in alternative provision

iCollege is a service provided by West Berkshire Council for children and young people unable to access mainstream education. It supports up to 84 learners across five sites in the district and gives young people every opportunity to reach their full potential.

The building at the iCollege's site in Calcot has become too small and is now unsuitable for delivering the full curriculum for students at the site. In September, work will begin to replace it with a modern, purpose-built learning centre which will include classrooms, a kitchen for meal preparation and teaching, group spaces and offices. There will also be a new games court and sufficient parking.

Among the benefits of the scheme are:

• Pupils and staff will have suitable accommodation which will improve morale, allow the service to deliver the full range of curriculum requirements and improve staff retention
• High attainment standards at the school will be maintained through the provision of suitable and sufficient teaching and support accommodation.
• The buildings and wider site will be able to fully meet function and purpose, while delighting and inspiring pupils and staff to achieve and surpass their best

Work on the new facility, in which the Council is investing around £2m, is expected to begin in September 2022 and will take the 2022/23 academic year to complete.
 

What is iCollege?

iCollege was established in 2017 and provides education for up to 84 young learners  ranging from 5- 19-years-old. It offers services including:

• Off site reactive provision to improve mainstream engagement for Key Stages 1 to 4
• Full time placements to support learners achieve personal and academic success for Years 9, 10 & 11
• Bespoke packages including core subjects to meet individual learners needs Key Stages 1 - 5
• Short term pro active/pre booked programmes to sustain mainstream engagement for Key Stage 3

Staff and pupils at iCollege recently celebrated an Ofsted inspection which found them to be 'Good' for overall effectiveness. The inspection in April 2022 graded iCollege 'Good' across the board including for the quality of education, leadership and management, and behaviour and attitudes. Inspectors commented on pupils who are polite and courteous, behave well most of the time and whose successes are celebrated by teachers at every step of the way.

You can read the iCollege Ofsted inspection report here.
 

What will be happening while the site is redeveloped?

It will take the 2022/23 academic year to complete the new building and staff and students at the site in Calcot will have to move out while the work is completed. There are up to 12 students on site at any one time at Calcot.

In recent months the education team has been looking for an alternative, temporary location for a year. The most suitable available site is the former infant school on Paynesdown Road, Thatcham. The iCollege Calcot site will be relocating there in the summer in readiness for a return to school in September.

West Berkshire Council is working with iCollege and the Parsons Down Partnership of Schools (who will be adjacent to iCollege) to manage the move and ensure it goes smoothly for pupils, parents, school staff and the wider community.

If you have a question about the move not already answered on this page please contact the Education Place Planning and Development team by email at eppd@westberks.gov.uk.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is moving into the building in Thatcham?

The building will be used by the iCollege and specifically their Integration unit.

Integration iCollege is a small school with classrooms based around a central hub. This enables teaching staff to be fully engaged with all learners, 100% of the time. Class size is small, around 4-6 students, ensuring that learners' learning needs are met quickly and effectively. All staff members are experienced in this learning environment and are fully committed to our aim of improving individual's educational experience.

You can read more about the Integration unit on the iCollege website.
 

What do they do?

The Integration unit at iCollege provides short term education placements for Key Stage 3 & 4 learners in West Berkshire who are struggling to access a mainstream provision. Integration iCollege also offers an in-reach service to mainstream schools providing reactive provision to improve mainstream engagement.

It provide bespoke packages, including core subjects and alternative educational opportunities, to meet individual learner needs. Learners will benefit from a fully differentiated curriculum that supports learner's academic, behavioural, social and emotional development. Our ultimate role is to help individual learners be better equipped to manage and sustain mainstream engagement.

Integration iCollege is a small school with classrooms based around a central hub. This enables teaching staff to be fully engaged with all learners, 100% of the time. Class size is small, around 4-6 students, ensuring that learners' learning needs are met quickly and effectively. All staff members are experienced in this learning environment and are fully committed to our aim of improving individual's educational experience.

Students can be in the Integration unit for as little as four weeks but, in some circumstances last for the majority of an academic year. Many learners are in receipt of EHCPs (Education, Health and Care Plans).
 

Why is Integration using this site?

The iCollege site in Calcot is about to undergo an extensive redevelopment with an exciting, brand new facility built on the site. The redevelopment will require Integration to temporarily vacate the site for the duration of the project.
 

How long will Integration use the building for?

iCollege will be relocating from 1 September 2022 until the project completes in May 2023.
 

How many pupils will there be?

There will be up to 12 pupils on site at any one time.
 

What age group are the pupils?

There will be a mix year 7 to year 11 students (ages 11 to 16).
 

How will the pupils arrive on site?

This depends on the learner; they may walk, cycle, be driven by a parent or arrive by West Berkshire Council provided transport, taxi or minibus. They will arrive between 9-9.30am and leave at 2.45pm - reducing the impact on the arrivals and pick-ups at the adjacent Parsons Down Partnership of Schools.
 

What would a typical day look like?

The first cohort arrives between 9-9:30am with lessons beginning at 9:30am. They will leave at 1pm.

The second cohort arrives at 1:15pm arrival with lessons beginning at 1:30pm. They leave the site at 2.45pm.
 

How will the impact between iCollege and Parsons Down Partnership of Schools be minimised?

Arrival times will be staggered with Parsons Down Partnership of Schools pupils arriving at school using the entrances on Heron Way, Lower Way and Paynesdown Road up to their usual time of 9am.

iCollege pupils will arrive via the Paynesdown Road entrance after 9am.

At the end of the day iCollege pupils will be first to leave via Paynesdown Road and will be offsite prior to the end of Parsons Down Partnership's school day.

The two sites will be separated by appropriate fencing along the boundaries of their sites.
 

What will happen to the site when iCollege leave in May 2023?

No decisions on the long-term use of the site have been taken yet. This is a separate process being undertaken by the Council as we assess options for site beyond next spring.
 

Who should we contact to discuss this?

If you have any questions or would like to discuss the further please contact the Education Place Planning and Development team by email at eppd@westberks.gov.uk.
 

Photo used courtesy of Quattro Design Architects.