Exeter College’s new RISE Centre opens to support learners with SEND
A new state-of-the-art building designed to help Exeter College learners with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) develop their skills, confidence and independence has officially opened in Exeter city centre.
The Re-engagement, Inclusion, Skills and Education Centre (The RISE) received £5.3 million from Devon County Council’s Safety Value and High Needs Block Capital Funding grants. It was officially opened by the Chair of Devon County Council, Cllr Rosie Dawson, and Exeter and North Devon Colleges Group Principal and CEO, John Laramy CBE DL, on Thursday 5 November.
Located just off Queen Street, behind the College’s Sports Hall and next to the Hub for Independent Living and Learning (the HILL), the RISE is the latest addition to Exeter College’s estate. It will be used by learners and staff from the College’s Foundation Learning and Inclusion faculty and represents a major development in the College’s SEND provision.
The building was designed around the learners who will use it. Learners directly informed decisions about its furniture, colours and layout, helping to create a comfortable environment that considers their sensory, physical and emotional needs.
This approach is reflected throughout the RISE, which includes 12 classrooms, a teaching kitchen, art room, breakout spaces, care suite and therapy room. Adjustable blinds, dimmable lighting and careful acoustic design help to reduce sensory overload, creating calm and predictable spaces where learners can concentrate and feel secure.
The building is also distinctive in its construction. It consists of 27 bespoke prefabricated modules, which were designed and built off-site before being transported to Exeter and carefully lifted into place within the constrained city centre site. The installation included craning sections of the building over the adjacent railway tracks, just south of Exeter Central station.
The RISE joins the HILL in Exeter city centre and the Centre for Progression in Tiverton as dedicated learning spaces for Exeter College’s Foundation Learning and Inclusion faculty. Together, they support Exeter and North Devon Colleges Group’s commitment to providing high-quality facilities designed around the learners who use them.
At the official opening, RISE learners presented guests with gift bags containing sweet treats they had made in the building’s teaching kitchen.
John Laramy CBE DL, Exeter and North Devon Colleges Group Principal and CEO, said:
“We are incredibly pleased to open the RISE. This brilliant new building shows what can be achieved when organisations work together with a shared ambition for young people. With the support of Devon County Council, we have created a specialist environment designed around our learners and their needs, giving more young people the opportunity to develop their skills, confidence and independence.
“The RISE is an important part of our commitment to our learners with SEND, the leaders and staff have created a truly magical environment for our students. We will continue working with our partners and stakeholders to ensure that we play our part in making sure young people in Devon can access exceptional education that supports their ambitions, whatever that may be.”
Cllr Rosie Dawson, Devon County Council Chair, said:
“I’m honoured to open this new building. By working in partnership, not only with Exeter College but with young people with special educational needs, we’re building not just facilities but positive futures. The RISE will allow 100 more young people with SEND not only in Exeter but across East Devon to access the College’s outstanding training and education.
Joanna Webb, Head of Faculty for Foundation Learning and Inclusion at Exeter College, said:
“The Rise has made a hugely positive impact on the students who use this space. It’s calm and purposeful and creates a truly inclusive learning environment. With its own art studio, tech room and skills kitchen as well as specialist spaces dedicated to wellbeing, it enables students to not only engage and learn, but to actually thrive.”
