A generous fund set up by a former principal of New College Swindon aims to help make higher education more accessible to people with neurodiverse conditions

Former principal and chief executive of New College Swindon, Carole Kitching, set up a £28,000 fund as a “retirement gift” to help support the growing number of neurodiverse students at the college she led for five years.

This year’s school and college results fall on the anniversary of Carole’s retirement in September.

On this occasion, it has now been announced that the funds will be used to open two sensory study rooms in the university’s University Centre and Institute of Technology.

“After a long career in education, I saw retirement as an opportunity to give back, a parting gift that would make a small but lasting difference to students in Swindon and improve access to high-level qualifications for learners from under-represented parts of society,” said Carole.

(Image: New College Swindon)

Carole remains passionate about improving higher education qualifications and skills in the town through Smarter Swindon and the Swindon Learning Together Partnership.

Carole said: “My family’s experiences of neurodiversity at university have shown me how big a difference the right support makes.

“It is so important to enable students to achieve their best during their studies and successfully transition into working life. We also know that a higher proportion of neurodiverse students choose courses close to where they live.

“The provision of such spaces still varies between universities and only very few colleges have them. Swindon will take a pioneering role here.”

The rooms provide autistic and other neurodiverse students with a calm and focused environment where they can control light, color and sound, and tactile surfaces and objects are available to meet individual needs for sensory stimulation.

The spaces have been designed using expertise from the College and leading universities and complement existing offerings, with a focus on the specific needs of those pursuing further study.

Nicola Pedley, Head of Higher Education at New College, said: “We know we have a growing proportion of neurodiverse students and we need these spaces to get the most out of their studies and experiences with us.”

Carole’s fund will also be used to conduct research and provide training and support materials aimed at improving the career prospects of neurodiverse students – an issue highlighted in the recommendations of the review by former Swindon MP Sir Robert Buckland earlier this year.