THE family of the late Professor Ted Wragg have formally opened the country’s first building named after the famous educationist.

Exeter College’s Ted Wragg Building caters specifically for students with a wide range of learning difficulties and disabilities.

It was officially opened on Thursday, May 10, at 12.15pm, by Prof Wragg’s widow, Mrs Judith Wragg, and their three children, Josie, Caroline and Chris.

In a joint statement, they said: “We are very pleased that Exeter College has chosen such a fitting memorial to our father. “He really valued the contribution Exeter College makes to the community and we feel that he would be honoured to be remembered in this way.”

Joy Mosley, head of foundation studies, said: “We are delighted to welcome the family of such a popular and influential figure as Ted Wragg who had a passion for the education of all young people.”

The pioneering new Ted Wragg Building at the college’s main, Hele Road site, is one of the biggest further education centres for students with learning difficulties in the South West. It features innovative facilities including a mock ‘flat’ where teenagers can learn skills to be able to live independently. There is also a specially-adapted kitchen where students with additional needs are taught about healthy eating and cooking. The college’s foundation studies department started seven years ago with just 70 students with special needs, and has been housed in five different sites at the college. But today it is one of the college’s biggest departments and caters for around 400 young people with varying difficulties, many who have come from special schools.

Mrs Mosley, who won a national award for her work helping teenagers with learning difficulties, said: “We asked for our new building to be named after Ted Wragg because he was very supportive of the college and especially young people with learning difficulties. One of the last projects he did was The Unteachables documentary for Channel 4 and we saw a lot of our students reflected in that programme. “Ted Wragg could see that they were not unteachable but just needed a different way of learning, which is what we give our learners. “There are a lot of students out there who believe that college is not for them. Education has let them down. They have not found their potential and can have very low self-esteem. “We have a very supportive and experienced team who are able to deal with the students’ learning difficulties and design a curriculum that suits their particular needs. “We treat them as adults. We give them respect and expect respect from them in return.”