Bridgwater College’s Learning Resources Team have won a Council for Learning Resources in Colleges (CoLRiC) Best Practice Award for their Sensory Book Bag Project.

The CoLRiC awards are designed to highlight some of the excellent initiatives in Libraries and Learning Resources Centres that are making a difference across the country. The College’s library team submitted their project in the Reader Development category and was judged by Genevieve Clarke of The Reading Agency.

The project focused on the development of sensory story books for students on the College’s Entry Level course, Choices for Independence. The young people on these courses have left specialist residential or special school environments and have profound and/or complex needs. Their teacher wanted story books which could offer the students a complete sensory experience with sounds, smells and touch.

The first story bag was made by members of the library team and based on The Butterfly Robe – A Chinese Folktale. This story was specially chosen as it was age relevant and offered the necessary sensory experiences requested. Two other stories were later developed by working with groups of students studying for their Personal and Social Development Award (PSD).

Trudy Gabell, Manager of the Learning Resource Centre said,

“This project demonstrates a collaboration between The College’s Entry Studies programmes and the Learning Resources service. It enhances and supports the importance of cross curricula links and demonstrates the excellent work being carried out at Bridgwater College.”