The Glasshouse - A centre of excellence in Stourbridge
26th October 2009
Margot visited the Glasshouse College and was briefed and shown around by principal Richard Rogers. This unique setting provides space for artists, craftsmen and local traders to manufacture and sell their unique products in return for providing the young adults with special needs at the College with apprenticeships and training.
The Glasshouse College is part of the Ruskin Mill Educational Trust that exists to help young people transition from special education to adulthood and hopefully better life chances. The site is also home to the Glasshouse Arts Centre which puts on plays and other performances in the Glasshouse Studio Theatre, which also provides great opportunities for students to excel in the performing arts.
Richard is honest about the difficulties in placing some of his students in to mainstream work settings. Many students suffer conditions at the more severe end of the Autistic spectrum, ADHD and Asperger’s syndrome. Consequently employers need to be very understanding at times and there needs to be good support in place for such placements to work.
At the Glasshouse College though there are excellent opportunities to learn and each student has individualised care and support in their training. I was very impressed with the work I saw students doing, and some of the glass objects they had made were stunning, and required great skill in the making.
The highlight of my visit though was not the glass or the art, it was the home of the blacksmith, Gary Hodges. At first the place looks like Steptoes Yard (I know that dates me!) but after a few minutes with Gary you realise that he knows where everything is, and each item in what looks like a bit of a strange collection of objects from yesteryear has a purpose. And people flock to Gary to change things, mend things and find a replacement part for some treasured machine that is still needed. All in all quite a lesson for our throwaway society I thought.
Excellent though it is, Glasshouse College is not immune from funding pressures, especially during the longest recession since records began in the 1950s. The transition from Learning & Skills funding to Local Authority commissioning and control is full of uncertainty and concern. The wonderful work that is done here at the College, and the wider centre, should stand it in very good stead as the pressures mount however.
Photo: Margot with blacksmith Gary Hodges at Glasshouse College
