The Orpheus Centre delivers a highly personalised, student‑led curriculum for young disabled people aged 18–25, structured across a three‑year journey in which students emerge, establish, and consolidate their skills. The timetable blends specialist Majors in Dance, Drama, Creative Arts, Media Studies or Music with Enterprise, Company Day, Independence, Functional Skills English and Maths, PSHE, wellbeing, therapy sessions, and rich enrichment opportunities. Students develop vocational and creative expertise through project‑based Majors, professional production experiences, and simulated work environments, while third‑year students progress to the Next Stage programme focused on transition, employment, housing, and community participation. Robust baseline assessments ensure appropriate qualification pathways in areas such as Arts Award, Gateway, NOCN and Rambert grades, with independence skills embedded across the week. The curriculum emphasises real‑world learning, collaboration, professional expectations, and flexibility, ensuring learners gain qualifications, meet EHCP outcomes, and successfully prepare for life beyond Orpheus.
The best thing about Orpheus is how understanding people are, and the chances I've been given both academically and sociallyOrpheus Student
Prospectus
Find out more about our college by downloading our prospectus.
Focus on the Arts
The Skills for Life curriculum includes functional skills, with English and Maths qualifications carefully embedded into independence lessons. These lessons include topics such as accessing the community through visits to restaurants or shops, improving household skills through regular cooking sessions, travel training, communication with different groups of people, and handling money. It also includes more difficult topics such as consent, sex, and radicalisation. The impact of this curriculum is that 100% of our students achieve their English and Maths qualifications which provides valuable evidence of their skills to future further education colleges, training providers, or employers. Furthermore, 100% of parents/carers of our 24/25 leavers stated they feel their young person is more independent since joining Orpheus. Most importantly, our young people feel the same and are able to translate their learning into amazing outcomes. Some are now confident in independently travelling by train or bus, others have discovered a new aspiration in wanting to apply to be a tenant or find their own flat, whilst all of them are better at making safer, independent choices and can advocate for their wants and needs. Whatever the word ‘independence’ looks like to each young person we strive to give them the knowledge, skills, safety awareness, and confidence to take practical steps to realising those aspirations.
Awards & Qualifications
Qualifications run from Entry Level 1 up to Level 2 and include Awards and Certificates. They run throughout the different parts of the curriculum.
Qualifications that are currently offered by The Orpheus Centre include, but are not limited to, the following:
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- Trinity College – Arts Award – Discover, Explore, Bronze, Silver, Gold
- Gateway – Skills for Creative Industries
- Gateway – Personal and Social Skills
- Gateway – Childcare Awards
- NOCN – English Award
- NOCN – Maths Award
- NOCN – Skills for Employment, Training and Personal Development
- RAMBERT Dance Grades
- London College of Music Graded Exams
Apply For A Place
If you think our college is for you, go to our application page to find out how to apply
