INFORMATION FOR
CARE GIVERS
We believe everyone has the right to learn in a way that works for them. If your young person has special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and has a keen interest in horses, Fortune College could be their ideal educational environment.
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SUPPORTING YOU AND YOUR FAMILY
We want your young person to unlock their potential and live independently. Using their interest in horses and love of being outdoors, we create a secure and stimulating setting where they can learn how to manage life’s challenges.
Our course is designed to give your young person a tangible sense of self-worth as they care for another living being, the horse. Spending most of their time with these fascinating and emotionally aware animals, they will witness how horses’ behaviour changes over time and in different situations. By identifying horses’ body language, your young person will understand people’s body language, helping them become more emotionally aware and recognise boundaries.
Studies show that young people who ride have better relationships with their families, which improves their emotional and overall well-being. If they’ve never ridden before, your young person will learn how to ride a horse. Therapeutic riding creates a safe space for them to progress alongside other students, with the support of college specialists and volunteers.
PERSONALISED PATHWAY FOR YOUR YOUNG PERSON
Our Further Education Through Horsemastership (FETH) Course is a three-year course, delivered over 38 weeks annually. Most students live at the college during term time to increase their independence, confidence and self-esteem.
As part of the curriculum, your young person will be put on one of two pathways:
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Skills for Life – focusing on core life skills, communication, self-care, community involvement and voluntary opportunities
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Skills for Independence and Employment – building on Skills for Life, your young person will have the opportunity to gain qualifications in maths, English and ICT, and develop employability skills
At Fortune College, everyone is treated as an individual. Your young person will be assessed so they are put on the right pathway for them. They will be given a personalised plan with individual targets, which their Group Leader will monitor weekly to ensure it supports their learning needs.
Under the Children and Families Act 2014 Section 41 list, you and your young person have a right to name an Independent Specialist Provision (ISP) in their Education, Health and Care plan (EHCP).
The Fortune Centre of Riding Therapy (FCRT) is a registered ISP. You can name The Fortune Centre of Riding Therapy as your young person’s preferred further education provider in their EHCP.
ENROL YOUR YOUNG PERSON AT FORTUNE COLLEGE
HOW TO APPLY
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Contact your local authority’s Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENCO). Tell them you are applying to Fortune College and want it to be named in your young person’s EHCP. They cannot refuse your young person’s wish to make an application to an ISP
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If your young person’s application is successful, your local authority may fund their place through education services or seek partial funding from social services. The SENCO is responsible for negotiating the payment split with social services, not you, your young person or Fortune College
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Give as much evidence as possible to the SENCO about your young person’s diagnosis, learning difficulties, educational history and support needs (including social and travelling), so they can make a funding application to your local authority
Before funding is in place, we will conduct a free assessment to determine whether our FETH Course is right for your young person. If you’d like to arrange this, please get in touch with us.