Isle of Man College, Special Unit

The Isle of Man Government Department of Education and Children aimed to provide a Special Unit within the College to provide a model of care for the education of special needs students, spanning the early years of education through further education and to assist in student progression beyond.

An extension to the College was proposed to create learning space for students in the age range 16 to 18 with profound and multiple learning difficulties (PMLD), students with complex learning difficulties (CLD), severe learning difficulties (SLD) and moderate learning difficulties (MLD).

Burroughs was instrumental in the successful development of the scheme, acting as Employer’s Agent for the Client, on an Early Contractor Involvement procurement model utilising the NEC3 form of contract.

Flexible classroom space was designed to support the communication and life skills programmed, providing a range of social enterprise opportunities for young people. The Special Unit would cater for those students with more profound and multiple difficulties allowing their physical attributes, severe cognitive delay and communication difficulties to be supported within a caring and multisensory environment.

The scheme has had a profound benefit to the building’s users and was successfully completed within programme and budget, with an accident frequency rate of zero.