Why residential?
Because NCW accepts students from all over the UK and further afield, for most students board with us, either weekly or termly.
Being residential has great advantages:
At NCW we practice a ‘waking day’ curriculum which means that students benefit from learning in the evenings and at weekends. Many of our mobility lessons take place after school, independence skills learnt during the school day can be embedded in the houses and after school and weekend activities can support growing independence and self confidence.
Students form very strong bonds with their peers here, and some enjoy friendships that have not been possible for them before coming to NCW. The sense of community is very strong.
The Junior Houses
We have two Junior Houses for students in Year 7-11, each with several bedrooms. Both have a dedicated Residential Site Leader. The Houses, which are all named after former Principals of the college, have a study room, sitting room and communal kitchen area – both of which are homely and welcoming – often alive with parties, theme nights and birthday celebrations.
Bradnack House and Dorothy McHugh House (affectionately known as Bradnack and Dots), whilst similar in layout, also have their own personalities and students are proud to belong to one or another. Bradnack is a for male students and Dots is for female students. The house are mixed over school years which enables friendships to blossom outside of year groups and helps to strengthen the culture of support between older and younger students.
Sixth Form Accommodation
In the sixth form, students are encouraged to be more independent and prepare for transition to the next phase of their lives beyond NCW.
The Vinchel Lodge is set out into flats, much like University Halls of Residence. Students, with the support of their key worker, prepare their own meals, do their own laundry and ironing and practice other day to day independent living skills. They will also work on budgeting, grocery shopping and planning for leaving including accessing support and applying for University.
The sixth form residential staff work closely with parents and teaching staff to support the students on their journey to independence.
Meal times
During the week, breakfast is taken in the house – much like breakfast would be in any busy household. Everyone participates with getting breakfast ready and to the table before a busy day at school. Lunch and evening meals during the week is in the dining room, which is in a separate building on the campus, accessible from the houses and the main school building. Our catering team prepare nutritionally balanced colourful food to tempt all palates. The staff have been working with us for many years and know all of the students well, including their favourite meals!
At weekends, all meals are taken in the dining room.
For school trips or activities away from the campus, packed lunches are provided.
We are a proud to be a nut-free school and are able to cater for those with a food intolerance. We also support personal diet and lifestyle choices.
Keeping in touch with home
We encourage constant links with home and students can visit home or have visits from parents at the weekend, whenever they wish. We also have an extended ‘home weekend’ every half term so that they can enjoy a full weekend at home with their family.
