Blended Curriculum
Ascent Autism Specialist College’s Blended Learning pathway offers a flexible and personalised approach to education, combining online and face-to-face learning to support and enhance meaningful interaction between students and teachers, while also promoting independence, collaboration and self-advocacy.
What are the most important benefits of Blended Learning
Ascent autism specialist college offers specialist education for students aged 16 to 25 with autism, co-occurring diagnoses and additional complex needs. Our students require a bespoke package of support to engage with their learning on multiple levels.
At Ascent, we provide highly specialised teaching and learning support to ensure each student’s needs are understood and we exceed their EHCP outcomes. One of our curricula offers a Blended Learning pathway.
Specialist Staff
The strength of our specialist staff’s relationship with our students is essential to Ascent’s success. Our offer of a Blended Learning curriculum ensures we engage and enable students by identifying what motivates them, what they’re interested in, their strengths, and aspirations and then applying this to determine bespoke educational pathways. Our students have high levels of individual support, meaning that learning opportunities are experiential, purposeful and specific.
Blended Learning
Blended Learning is an educational strategy that combines conventional onsite education with online/virtual learning. The Ascent approach to education and learning is flexible. It can offer those students for whom onsite learning requires an extended transition time a blend of an enriched virtual model alongside a face-to-face model onsite in college or at home.
The Ascent Blended Learning model has many advantages; through the systematic integration of online and face-to-face engagement, we support and enhance meaningful interaction between students, teachers and differentiated resources. Students can work ‘independently’ and at their own pace online but still have access to the personal attention of a specialist teacher and specialist teaching support assistant, accessing the knowledge and resources Ascent provide inclusively to all their students. At the same time, specialist teachers and teaching support assistants can structure bespoke courses and deliver instruction more flexibly or creatively than in a traditional classroom setting.
Blended Learning – the benefits:
- Facilitate information delivery
- Increases motivation, confidence, self – esteem
- Enhances students’ independence
- Creation of personalised educational activities
- Collaboration between specialist staff and students, promoting social inclusion
- Providing online personnel development opportunities for the digital world of work
- Create conditions for self-advocacy and inclusion
- Counter negative perceptions of SEN, supporting students accessing the education curriculum and enabling those with SEN to achieve their full potential
Parents and Professionals
Ascent Autism Advice Forum – November Session
Date: Wednesday 12th November 2025 Time: 10:00 AM Location: Online via Microsoft Teams Register your interest: gemmasutton@ascent.college We are pleased to announce the next session in our Ascent Autism Advice Forum series, continuing our mission to share practical...
Opening Doors: Dominic’s Work Experience Journey with Vinci Facilities
At Ascent Autism College, we’re passionate about creating real opportunities for our students to develop meaningful skills that prepare them for life beyond the classroom. One shining example of this is Dominic, a student who has been taking part in regular work...
Ascent College staff and students move into their new home
Last week, staff and students at Ascent Autism Specialist College moved into their new home on the multi-use business park, The Parks in Newton-le-Willows. Staff and students walked through the college’s doors in awe as they started the 2025/26 academic year by...
Autism Advice Forum – October Session
Ascent Autism Advice Forum – October Session Date: Thursday 2nd October 2025 Location: Online via Microsoft Teams Register your interest: gemmasutton@ascent.college We’re pleased to invite you to the next session of the Ascent Autism Advice Forum – an open and...
Specialist college receives £20k boost to develop digital futures for neurodiverse students
(From left to right: CEO of Remarkable, Robin Bush; head of adult services at Ascent College, Julliet Doherty; Ascent College student, Will; director / founder of DAB, Anne-Marie Atherton; employment engagement officer at Ascent College, Tara Thomas; bid writer and...
Local specialist college hosts event for new neighbours
Ascent Autism Specialist College in Newton-Le-Willows welcomed a range of local businesses to its ‘Meet the Neighbours’ event ahead of its new site opening on The Parks in September. Part of the Remarkable Autism Charity group, Ascent College is moving to its new home...
Autism Advice Forum – Safeguarding Hate Crime
Wednesday 2nd July on teams 10 am - 11.30 am Micheal Belcher from Merseyside police will talk to parents and careers about "Safeguarding Hate Crime". The forum is aimed to support parents and carer with sole purpose to enlighten and offer the tools and knowledge to...
Ascent College Earns National Careers Education Accreditation
Ascent Autism Specialist College is celebrating a major milestone after being officially accredited with the Quality in Careers Standard - the UK’s only national award recognising excellence in careers education, information, advice, and guidance. This prestigious...
Inspirational Ascent Autism Specialist College students attend Buckingham Palace
Two students from Ascent Autism Specialist College in Newton-le-Willows attended Buckingham Palace to receive their Gold Duke of Edinburgh’s Awards, making them the first students in the college’s history to achieve the prestigious accolades. Earlier this month, Ben...
Ascent Autism Advice Forum – EHCPs, annual reviews, phase transfer, Tribunals and appeals
Our next Ascent Autism Advice forum is taking place on Wednesday 5th June at 10.30am. The topic of our first session will cover EHCPs, annual reviews, phase transfer, Tribunals and appeals and will be delivered by Samantha Williams, Solicitor in the Education...