Ark Charter's new Therapeutic Learning Centre
On Thursday 4th January 2024, we held the grand opening for our brand new Jonathan Centre. This is a therapeutic learning Centre which will offer students who are identified with social, emotional, and mental health needs, a provision that supports them to overcome barriers and provide lifelong coping strategies.
The event was a huge success, with over 30 visitors from various services in the city attending including local MP Stephen Morgan, Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress of Portsmouth and the Bishop of Portsmouth, Bishop Jonathan, who is also the namesake of the Centre.
The Centre, previously known as the Aldwell building, has had a complete overhaul internally, with brand new facilities available for students to access. This includes a sensory room, an intervention room, a kitchen and dining area, a community space, and a small classroom, which aims to replicate what students would experience in the rest of the school. There is even a separate school gate for students to access the Centre, for those experiencing high levels of school-based anxieties. Interventions in the Centre include Creative Arts Therapy, Place2Be counselling, Pompey in the Community, Greenhouse Basketball Mentoring, Educational Psychology service and the Mental Health Support Team (MHST).
Our main aim is to offer a new level of support to some of our hardest to reach students, such as those who are at risk of permanent suspension, school phobic, have low attendance, have experienced trauma, self-harm, or are suffering with significant mental health needs.
