“I am so grateful for the help and support that you have given XXX throughout his internship. He has thoroughly enjoyed it. You have made this process so easy and stress free, and I am happy in the knowledge that XXX will be transferring seamlessly in to his new job role. ”.Current Parent - Ms O'Rourke
“Thankyou to everyone at Harrison College who have made him much more confident, and aware of life outside school! He has gained so much more confidence in himself this year and certainly pushed his own boundaries. The time has flown, and I can only thankyou all for everything you have all done . ”.Current Parent - Mr and Mrs Hood
“Words cannot express how grateful we are for all you are doing for [X]. Never in her entire education history has she felt as happy or as willing to come to school/college as she has since starting with you. This is a huge testament to how you are getting it right for young adults like [X]. Thankyou.”.Current Parent - Ms Fleetwood
“[X] loves going to college. The college have acknowledged difficulties and changed timetables accordingly.”.Current Parent - Ms Cawston
“College has offered intense, insightful, personalised support to present day.”.Current Parent
“I am so so proud of Haniyah and over the moon that she is progressing so well outside of her home environment. At home we have all noticed a huge difference in her confidence and willingness to take part in things without my presence. I am delighted that she is showing such confidence at college too. I feel that none of this would have been possible 12 months ago before you and all your staff were involved with Haniyah. All the additional support and advice she receives from all your team has helped her immensely in becoming the confident person she is developing into. I would like to thank you all again for the support you give to Haniyah and us as a family also. ”.Current Parent Parveen Mahmood
“100% of parents/carers would recommend Harrison College. 100% of parents/carers agree that their son/daughter is well looked after and that students behave well. 100% of parents/carers feel that Harrison College is well led and managed, and that staff respond well to any concerns that they may have.”.Parent Voice November 2022
“We cannot thank Harrison College enough. Just 12 months ago our son was a recluse, riddled with anxiety and now he is developing into a confident young adult due to the staff and their teaching methods.”.Alumni parent - Mr and Mrs Ashton
“XX is happy at this college and has learnt so much since starting. He feels comfortable with the teachers and knows that he can go to one if there was ever a problem and that it would be dealt with immediately. One of the best choices my son has ever made was to attend this college. I have nothing but praise for all concerned. I can't wait to see what the future holds for him because I know he will do well thanks to the teachings he receives at Harrison College. ”.Alumni parent - Mrs Stone
“Just had to let you know that XX has had one of the best days at McLaren ! As he walked towards the car I could see how he could not contain his smile, as soon as he got in the car he started to tell me about it all and how he got to try the mechanical arm etc… he said it was amazing in there. I asked him if he could see himself working somewhere like that and before I could even finish the question he said: “I’d love to work there!” followed by: “and we got free biscuits” 😊 He then went on to talk about his 3D course he was doing and how he could use that. I’ve honestly never seen him be excited by something like this in years. I asked him if that was you [Mike] I saw with him and he said yes, I then said how nice and supportive you’ve been and XX responded: “They are all really nice at college”. Thank you to all of you for all the support and all you do for him”.Alumni parent - Victoria Taylor
“I am so pleased [he] seems to be making excellent progress in all aspects of learning. Finally, this is all I even wanted for xxx to be happy going to school/college and be learning. Thankyou”.Alumni parent - Mrs Guest
“I can’t say enough positives about this College, they are amazing. Great staff, nothing is too much trouble. They help students achieve and overcome obstacles with life skills, which helps take the pressure away from parents. They support the students where mainstream has let them down. They build confidence. No pressure like school, it’s all in the students’ time and capabilities”.Alumni parent - Mrs Ulley
“We really do appreciate everything that you have done so far and continue to do . [He] has settled well at Harrison college and will hopefully continue to thrive . You have all done brilliantly in handling the current situation regarding the pandemic and in particular making sure that all the students are as safe as they can be . It’s comforting as a parent to know that our child is in safe hands . Really love the communication that you give to keep us up to date with what is happening too”.Alumni parent - Mrs Smith
“Can I also thank you and your staff for putting the smile back on XX face. For the first time in around 3 years she came home today saying she’d learned something and had enjoyed the whole day and I wanted to pass this on. I realise it’s early days but this is a real positive for her”.Alumni
“Thanks so much for spending time with [him] this morning. I am so proud of [him.] I knew how much he was struggling yet he didn’t give up and say take me home. Thanks for your support to make this a success for him Gemma .. it’s much appreciated”.Alumni
“Thankyou so much for your lovely email, you have no idea how much it means to me . I have to say thankyou to yourself and all the amazing staff at Harrison college as the changes I have seen in [X] since he started in September have been truly amazing, he is honestly like a totally different person. [He] has always struggled socially in the past, he’s always been shy and timid, he would always stay in his room, it was all I could do to get him to speak two words to us at home. The last two years were especially worrying for me as [He] had expressed feelings of depression and it was always heart-breaking to me to see my son look so down and unhappy. [He] told me he was scared for his future as he felt lost and alone in the world and had no idea what he was going to do with his life as he felt he doesn’t belong anywhere. Then along came Harrison college! I can hand on heart say its the best thing to ever happen to him, I now look at my son and he is confident, happy and comfortable in his own skin, he no longer stays in his room avoiding us, and not only that he is actually enjoying learning! So thankyou so much! … I want you all to know how awesome you all are and what an amazing job you are all doing! It’s only been a short time but already you have literally changed our lives! I honestly can’t thank you enough!”.Alumni
A teenager who was bullied and struggled socially at school has found friends and fresh enthusiasm at a unique college.
William Smith is thriving at Harrison College, which provides specialist business, enterprise, and employability post-16 education for vulnerable students with special needs.
His mum Sally Smith has spoken out to encourage other parents who are concerned about their children fitting in to mainstream further education and to raise awareness about the specialist provision available in Doncaster.
Harrison College is the only provider of its kind in the north and was set up by former head of sixth form and school improvement consultant Gemma Peebles.
Sally said: “We were concerned about William. He had been struggling academically in a few areas, but it was the social aspect of school that was hard for him. He’s quite an anxious person and spends a lot of time at home. He worries about being with other people, he’s not keen on change; he likes to know what he’s doing when, to have routine. He just didn’t, in his words, “fit in”.
“He also found misbehaviour in school really difficult. He is quite disciplined, and he likes to get on with his work, so other students stopping that upset him.
“It was hard for him to go to a teacher at the end of the day to say he had not understood something, or to talk about how he was feeling.”
William had stayed in the sixth form at his old school for a year. “He had a mentor at school, and she was fantastic but it was just in the last two years. She did try to help him, but by then the damage was already done,” said his mum.
“The Hub was an option but we it felt it wasn’t suitable because of the vast number of students. He works better with fewer students and one to one.
“Then we heard about Harrison College and went to have a look and were really impressed. We came away and made the decision straightaway. We felt it was the right place for him and we were happy for him to go there.”
William has not been formally diagnosed with autism but has an older brother who is autistic, and Sally believes he is on the spectrum and certainly has individual needs.
She has nothing but praise for the staff at Harrison College. “They are just brilliant at what they do. They make it interesting and fun and very student orientated. William gets a lot of one-to-one support, which he needed. It’s very tailored education and there’s so much interaction. They will bend over backwards to do what they can to help.
“I’m really impressed with how you can ring up about anything at all and there is somebody you can speak with who will try to resolve it, however small.”
William is always in a small group of up to only ten students, which helps him socially. “It’s a very relaxed environment; the young people are treated more like adults; it doesn’t really feel like school. Williams sees the same people every day and he has built up good relationships. He can go and speak to Gemma, the principal, if he needs to, she is always around. I can’t fault them. The experience has been really positive.”
William catches a local bus from Arksey, where he lives, to Doncaster town centre and, from there, a shuttle bus collects the students and transports them to college.
For William, the focus this year has been on work experience and internships to prepare students for the world of work.
“It’s been new for him but a positive experience, really brilliant and, fingers crossed, he might be offered a job or an apprenticeship,” said Sally. “The college have spoken to him about what he is interested in and what he’d like to do in the future.
“He is interested in property investment and has a mentor who comes to see him at college. He has spent a day with a mortgage broker and is hoping to work in an estate agent’s.
“There’s such a big gap between leaving school and going to college, and Harrison College has filled that gap. Not all children are academic, some are better in a work environment, and that’s William’s goal. He’s always said he really wants to try and get a job and be part of the working world.
“He has made new friends and last year did the National Citizenship scheme where they helped a local school by creating an outdoor area and garden. He was anxious about it at first and didn’t want to go but in the end, he really enjoyed it. He was given quite a bit of responsibility as project manager and, given that chance, he really thrived.”
Sally recently attended an open evening to meet potential new parents and students considering Harrison College. “I had a lovely conversation with a mum who was a bit apprehensive like I was in the beginning, but I hope I allayed her fears about her daughter by sharing William’s experience and our experience as parents. I recommend the college and will quite happily tell anyone about it.
“It’s a new concept, something different for Doncaster and a breath of fresh air. It’s education we didn’t expect to get for William; we didn’t know what direction he’d be able to go in. He has been offered opportunities he wouldn’t have had anywhere else; we couldn’t be happier.”
