Queen’s Prize Makes it 3 in a Row for College’s Aspergers Centre

City College Norwich’s work with students with Autistic Spectrum Disorders (ASD) has received its third major accolade this year with the announcement that it has been awarded the prestigious Queen’s Anniversary Prize for Further and Higher Education.  This success follows on from the College receiving two Association of Colleges Awards and a National Training Award.

The winners of the Eighth Round of the Queen’s Anniversary Prizes for Higher and Further Education were announced this evening at a special Reception at St James’s Palace. The 21 winners were announced by the Founder and Chairman of the Royal Anniversary Trust, Robin Gill CVO.  These national honours are awarded every two years to institutions of higher and further education across the UK for work of outstanding excellence. They celebrate world-class achievement in any aspect of an institution’s work which demonstrates originality, innovation and benefit for the wider community.

The Prize was awarded for the work of City College Norwich’s RUGroom, which offers a safe haven and a social and study space for students with Aspergers Syndrome (AS) and other Autistic Spectrum Disorders.  The unique ingredient has been the involvement of the College’s AS learners – who named themselves “The Really Useful Group” - in the design of an AS friendly physical environment which developed into the RUGroom.  The RUGroom was opened in February 2008 by Charles Clarke MP.

The RUGroom also provides the base for Phoenix Purple, a course specifically designed for students with AS who would not be able to access further education without a specialist course.  The Phoenix Purple programme is structured to minimise anxiety for the student but is also a progression route, giving the student the opportunity to move on to other courses or into employment. The RUGroom’s specialist staff support students on mainstream courses, as well as organising out of college social activities to help students develop social and communication skills.  Later this month staff from the RUGroom are up for a STAR Award, the annual Oscars-style awards to recognise and reward the unsung heroes of the further education sector. 

City College Norwich Principal, Dick Palmer, said: “It is a huge honour to win the Queen’s Anniversary Prize, which is the most prestigious award a college can receive.  This award provides further recognition for the innovative way in which the College’s provision for learners with Autistic Spectrum Disorders is leading the way nationally.  Thanks to the RUGroom’s approach of putting students with ASD firmly at the centre, supported by an inspirational and dedicated team of staff, we have been able to make a real difference to the lives of students with Aspergers and other Autistic Spectrum Disorders.”   

Lord Mandelson, Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, said: “I warmly congratulate the twenty one universities and colleges which have been awarded The Queen’s Anniversary Prizes for Higher and Further Education in this the 8th biennial Round of the scheme.  Together the winners represent a distinguished and sustained contribution to human progress and to the UK’s high international standing in education.”

Robin Gill, Founder and Chairman, said: “The Prizes confer the highest national recognition on the work of our universities and colleges and the part they play in the country’s economic advance, social wellbeing and industrial self-fulfillment.  The Prizes scheme creates networks that benefit the institutions themselves as well as the wider community. It establishes a benchmark for excellence and validates the UK’s contribution to innovation, knowledge and skills on the world scene.”