The Orb in Porth town centre gets a makeover to support learners in more creative ways and encourage local use

The Orb, the Porth town centre day centre, run to support children and young people living with autism and complex needs get real-life working experiences, has been refurbished.

 Run by Orbis Education and Care, The Orb has been given a new lease of life to help develop learners’ skills in new and more creative ways as well as designing a space that local people visiting the Rhondda town will be keen to visit. Learners are also now being taught a new curriculum with new qualifications.

The centre, which originally housed a second hand shop and small café, as well as classrooms in other areas of the building, has been refurbished to include an IT café, a laundrette with new dryers and washers, and a fully equipped woodworking studio. The woodworking studio has been added to give children and young people the opportunity to learn skills such as design and technology, woodworking and crafting.

Having initially opened in 2015, The Orb’s refurbishment also includes an upgrade to its shop area, a new sensory room, and a new downstairs kitchen.

The Orb currently supports two children and 21 adults on a weekly basis.

The Orb is part of an Academy Living programme and is an approach to care that offers a stepping stone into the world of work, demonstrating that active support can help get people with autism into the employment. The work carried out at The Orb, which also has a sister site in Morriston, Swansea, puts the children and young people at the centre of their own development pathway. It helps as a next step for school leavers, offering them an active role in the local community such as preparing drinks and snacks for shoppers, serving and handling money, to kick-starting their CV at the IT work station.

Tracy O’Brien, Head of Academy Living at Orbis Education and Care said: “We are extremely pleased with the updates made to The Orb and we are hoping that through these changes, we can form new links with the community.

“I am sure that the new range of activities and skills training on offer will allow our learners to progress practically as well as academically, hopefully in a way that will lead to future work or volunteer opportunities. We are hoping  that the improvements to The Orb will encourage more learners to use the centre, offer better opportunities for community engagement and to be able to give truly personalised learning journeys for each of our members in an environment that they can thrive.”

The new curriculum offered at The Orb incorporates additional qualification providers, as Orbis is now able to offer Assessment and Qualifications Alliance (AQA), Award Scheme Development and Accreditation Network (ASDAN) and additional options.

Orbis Education and Care runs 32 residential homes and specialist schools across the UK and is one of the UK’s leading providers of care for individuals with a range of needs, including autism and learning difficulties.

For more information on Orbis Education and Care and its services, visit https://www.orbis-group.co.uk/