The Brislington Centre

Our new residential training facility fully opened to students in September 2017. Offering overnight stays from Sunday through to Friday. Students return home for the weekend and during college holidays.

Having a residential training facility gives students the opportunity to practise skills they need for a more independent life. Including getting themselves ready for the day, shopping, cleaning, cooking, healthy lifestyle, travel training and accessing their local community.

Staff work with each student to plan individual learning/training programmes, which students are encouraged to work on during their weekends at home.

Outlined below are the key aims for learning based at the independence training facility:

Independence Skills – students will learn to:

Plan and prepare healthy meals
Launder clothes
Shop for food and other essentials
Maintaining personal hygiene
Manage a food budget
Plan a journey and use public transport
Stay safe and healthy i.e.using household appliances

Employability – students will learn about:

Effective communication (suitable for a workplace)
Strategies to aid memory and retention of instructions/process algorithms
Punctuality, it's importance and it's relation to travel planning

Work Experience – students will have:

The opportunity to take part in work experience
Access to a range of support from staff both at the house and at college

Social – students will have the opportunity to:

Work on projects with fellow college students outside of the Progression into Independence cohort for example, developing an allotment garden, decorating the house, taking part in creative and enterprise projects.
Visit friends and family in Bristol (from the house)
Participate in social activities at the house and in the community, both staff and student led

Grounds - The grounds are approximately 1 acre and houses a poly tunnel where the students have their own kitchen garden.

We have a number of raised planting beds across the garden, are planning an accessible walk way around the poly tunnel and raised planting areas, planting an orchard and developing an outdoor classroom.

If you would like an application form, please click here.

For more information about our Open Days or any other enquiries please contact Adam Metcalfe on

Tel: 0117 377 1990

email: adam.metcalfe@cityofbristol.ac.uk