New home for adult education at Harrogate school

Melissa Horberry and Malcolm Howe outside the refurbished building at Rossett School, which is now home to the new Rossett Community Partnership. (S)

Created during the summer holidays, three classrooms have been added to a building set apart from the main school and have undergone significant refurbishment.

An IT suite, a coffee bar, an office, and an accessible toilet are included in this renovated block, known as the Rossett Community Partnership facility.

Head of adult education at the school Malcolm Howe said: “The demand for adult education at Rossett has increased enormously and the number of courses we offer has quadrupled in the last five years.

“With 100 courses now on the programme, it is vital that our facilities are able to meet the needs of the students and accommodate the wide variety of subjects being taught.

“Moving into this new building will make an enormous difference to the way we operate and what we are able to offer to the community.”

As well as evening classes, the adult education programme includes 40 sessions during the day.

New daytime courses on the autum programme include Tai Chi, beginners’ language classes in French, German, Italian, Spanish, Polish, and Chinese Mandarin, sugarcraft and cupcakes, using iPads and iPhones, and a range of jewellery art and craft courses.

Mr Howe said: “The new facilities are part of Rossett School’s commitment to life learning in the community.

“Being able to meet the needs of people in Harrogate - not just those aged between 11 and 18 - is an important aspect of our work and we look forward to welcoming new students of all ages this autumn.”

There are also courses available in knitting, dressmaking, gardening, textiles, African drumming, short fiction writing, meditation, and back by popular demand, bicycle maintenance.

Classes start on September 16 and September 24. Full fees are £3.90 per hour, and include materials and venue costs.

For details of the courses on offer, go to www.rossettschool.co.uk/diversity/adult-learning

Alternatively, call Mr Howe at the adult learning office on 01423 563768 or email [email protected].

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