{"id":56643,"date":"2024-10-09T11:23:00","date_gmt":"2024-10-09T10:23:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/?p=56643"},"modified":"2025-12-12T15:27:49","modified_gmt":"2025-12-12T15:27:49","slug":"sense-college-has-given-luke-the-skills-to-thrive","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/blog\/sense-college-has-given-luke-the-skills-to-thrive\/","title":{"rendered":"Sense College has given Luke the skills to thrive"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"is-style-intro\">At Sense College Peterborough, Luke\u2019s caring nature and belting laugh have made him a popular character. He has cerebral palsy, epilepsy and severe learning disabilities. <strong>Hayley <\/strong>has worked with Luke since he enrolled and has seen his confidence, communication and connection with his community develop so much.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Luke&#039;s story at Sense College Peterborough\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/f6LblsBKvAc?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n\n<details class=\"wp-block    accordion__item\"> \t<summary class=\"accordion__title\">\n\t\t<span class=\"accordion__toggle\">\n\t\tVisual description of the video\n\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/summary>\n\n\t<div class=\"accordion__content\">\n\t\t<div class=\"acf-innerblocks-container\">\n\n<p class=\"wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">Luke smiles as he sits behind a table with Hayley, his Sense Support Worker. They look at a tablet that Hayley is holding. Lukeis tapping on the screen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><strong>Hayley: I feel really proud of Luke, of his time he\u2019s had at Sense. What we&#8217;ve taught him will be with him for the rest of his life.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">Luke and Hayley are now baking in a kitchen area. Hayley is pouring cake mix into cake moulds. Luke has a pronounced hand tremor as he picks up chocolate chips and spreads them on to the cakes.<br><br><strong>Hayley: Baking has been really good for Luke for a number of aspects: fine motor skills, hand to eye coordination, things like picking up chocolate chips or gems and putting them onto cakes.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">Luke carefully guides a spoonful of cereal into his mouth as Hayley looks on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><strong>Hayley: With his development of his fine motor skills, it&#8217;s helped him do other things in his day-to-day life.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">Hayley is talking directly to camera.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><strong>Hayley: Luke is 23 years old.<\/strong> <strong>He has cerebral palsy and epilepsy and has severe learning disabilities.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">The scene switches to show two women, one in a wheelchair being helped to cut potatoes.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><strong>Hayley: Sense college is an excellent service because not only does it provide the day care, it also has the education setting.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">Luke is sitting outside on a bench with another lady. He\u2019s pointing at his tablet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><strong>Hayley: When Luke first started and since we we\u2019re all new people too, he needed time to adjust.He didn&#8217;t always engage in tasks.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">Luke and Hayley are sitting behind a table again. Luke takes the tablet from Hayley.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><strong>Hayley: One great example of Luke&#8217;s communication how it&#8217;s come on is it was his Gunda&#8217;s birthday and he went round and they independently went up to his granddad and said \u201chappy birthday\u201d.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><strong>His parents were so overjoyed that he&#8217;d come out with that.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">The two women are chatting. Luke is laughing away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><strong>Hayley: Biggest impact on Luke of coming to college? Definitely a social aspect.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><strong>His confidence has come on tenfold since he&#8217;s been here since he&#8217;s definitely enabled Luke to have the experiences to go out in the community.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">Luke is walking outside and using a swing. He\u2019s wearing a helmet.<br><br><strong>Hayley: We go for walks in parks, through the woods, it\u2019s good for his mental health and wellbeing, his physical health, he loves interacting with everything.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/details>\n\n\n\n\n<p>Luke has such a lovable personality. He likes singing, he likes puzzles, he likes getting messy; we try and do all these things during his days at Sense College. We want to inspire him and build trust so that he can get the most out of his time here.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When Luke first started at Sense, he was quite anxious and needed time to adjust. He didn&#8217;t always engage in tasks and was very unsettled in himself \u2013 even encouraging him into a classroom was a major achievement. It\u2019s been a journey to support Luke into feeling safe; now, he\u2019s open to new experiences and able to take on new levels of independence.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Learning skills to thrive<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/our-services\/education-and-work\/sense-college\/\">Sense Colleges<\/a> are a great place for people to come. Young disabled people, like Luke, can work towards qualifications and learn life skills like social awareness, communication and be supported to try new things in their community. We want everyone to keep progressing and developing, to have the best life that they can lead.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Luke is on the \u2018Take-Off\u2019 programme, which is part of the \u2018Preparing for Adulthood\u2019 pathway. We support him to work towards his goals, which is to live as independently as possible. During the time he&#8217;s been here, he has moved from home to independent living, which is a big step. We\u2019ve been involved in preparing him for that transition, and the skills he\u2019s learning with us will really enable him to thrive there.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Luke\u2019s worked really hard in everything from cooking to IT skills. We\u2019re really proud of him. Baking has been especially good for Luke, developing his fine motor skills and his hand-eye coordination through focused activities like picking up chocolate chips and putting them onto cakes.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"684\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Lukes-Impact-story-Photo-after-1024x684.png\" alt=\"A young man sits next to his support worker, together they are mixing a bowl of cake batter.\" class=\"wp-image-56644\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Lukes-Impact-story-Photo-after-1024x684.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Lukes-Impact-story-Photo-after-600x401.png 600w, https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Lukes-Impact-story-Photo-after-768x513.png 768w, https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Lukes-Impact-story-Photo-after-1536x1026.png 1536w, https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Lukes-Impact-story-Photo-after-2048x1368.png 2048w, https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Lukes-Impact-story-Photo-after-900x600.png 900w, https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Lukes-Impact-story-Photo-after-500x334.png 500w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>That\u2019s important for Luke because he has quite a pronounced hand tremor. He really wants to be able to do things for himself but does find some activities difficult. The more he can strengthen his fine motor skills, the more he can do.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Communication milestones and birthday surprises<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Luke\u2019s confidence has come on tenfold since he&#8217;s been here. His communication has developed massively. He has this programme called Grid 3 on his iPad, which is a communication aid. The more he\u2019s able to use his hands, the more he can use this. He\u2019s become much more sociable and able to express his choices more. He&#8217;s able to tell us when he wants to drink and can help prepare his lunch \u2013 to be involved in that is massively important.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Since coming to Sense, Luke\u2019s also started vocalising. His family have been so excited about this milestone. It was his granddad&#8217;s birthday, and he went round for cake and to celebrate. Luke, completely independently, went up to his granddad and said, \u201cHappy birthday\u201d. His parents were so overjoyed, it really, really made their day.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For Luke, one of the things he\u2019s come to enjoy most about college are the opportunities to go out in the community. That just wasn\u2019t an option when he started. He would be anxious and unsettled and would try to run away. Going out near roads or water just wasn\u2019t safe.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Now, after building up trust and taking things slowly, we\u2019re able to go out twice a week. It&#8217;s really important for Luke to go out in the community, to have these experiences that prepare him for life beyond college. You can tell he enjoys it so much. He\u2019ll pack the bag himself; he knows where he needs to stand when waiting for the bus. He loves seeing the trees, the birds, the dogs, the people, and interacting with everything. He\u2019s really confident, which means he\u2019s got so many more opportunities now compared to when he joined. I\u2019d love to think that what we\u2019ve taught Luke will be with him for the rest of his life, that he\u2019ll keep progressing.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n  <div class=\"wp-block  box    is-style-textured-secondary-tint-10\">    <div class=\"acf-innerblocks-container\">\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Find out more about our impact<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p id=\"skip-here\">Read more stories from disabled people with complex needs and their families who access our services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-layout-flex wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/about-us\/our-impact\/\">Find out more<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n  <\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>At Sense College Peterborough, Luke\u2019s caring nature and belting laugh have made him a popular character.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":26,"featured_media":56644,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_searchwp_excluded":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"display_author":[1330],"class_list":["post-56643","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog","display_author-hayley"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56643","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/26"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=56643"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56643\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/56644"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=56643"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=56643"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=56643"},{"taxonomy":"display_author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/display_author?post=56643"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}