CALAT Croydon Adult Learning and Training

Independent Living

Courses for adults with learning difficulties and disabilities

Overview

CALAT has an exciting range of courses to help you work towards employment and gain qualifications, develop English, maths and creativity skills and improve your wellbeing. You’ll also make new friends and have lots of fun! 

Courses

We offer courses in four areas:

Creativity & Wellbeing

Who is this course for?

This course is suitable for beginners and those with more experience, who would like to express their creativity through the art of making mosaics. Learn about colour, shape, pattern and sequence through mosaic making, and create personal mosaic projects over a longer period of time, using a range of tiles and textures – ceramic, glass, and recycled items in a workshop environment.

What will I learn?

You will learn:

  • How to prepare the surface for your mosaic
  • To follow correct health and safety guidelines when making mosaics
  • To design your mosaic
  • How to research your ideas using the computer /books/imagination
  • How to use different mosaic tiles, textures, colours and shapes
  • How to use tile cutters safely
  • How to grout your finished mosaic

How will this course benefit me?

You will:

  • Express yourself through personal mosaic projects
  • Explore your imagination
  • Learn new skills
  • Develop maths skills through shape, pattern and sequence
  • Develop communication skills and confidence through group discussion
  • Develop planning skills as you plan your work each week
  • Meet new people and build friendships with others
  • Gain a sense of achievement through completed projects
  • Increase your wellbeing
  • Make mosaics that you can take home and keep for yourself or offer as gifts

Entry requirements:

To be considered for this course you must be able to:

  • Show interest in the subject
  • Commit to coming to class each week
  • Follow simple instructions
  • Follow health and safety instructions (wearing goggles when cutting tiles, wear a mask and gloves when grouting)

Assessment:

This course will be assessed by the completion of a Personal Learning Plan (PLP)

Location:

Strand House

Who is this course for?

This course is for people who enjoy listening to music and would like to either sing or take part on group music-making (with voice, action or percussion).

What will I learn?

  • About the importance of your own and others’ music choices
  • Playing musical tunes and rhythms (how to tune your voice and ‘do music’ in time)
  • About body percussion and playing music that is simple and all around us.
  • About recording music (we will produce an online album of work)
  • Listening to each other as part of a group
  • About reading and understanding musical words
  • About world music and different types of music (we don’t just look at pop music)
  • How to perform and use your voice to express meaning in music.
  • About performing clearly and loudly (we may perform to a small internal audience of friends and family, but you do not have to perform if you don’t want to)
  • How to be self-critical (of your own singing and performing)

How will this course benefit me?

You will:

  • Develop your well-being (music is good for your mental health).
  • Develop group and interaction and listening skills (music is all about listening and communication)
  • Get active (singing and body percussion in particular is a physical activity)
  • You will develop your self-confidence and self-esteem
  • You will enjoy being part of a happy musical band
  • You will have pride in your performance and recordings of your music
  • You may develop your music creativity (with song-writing).

Entry requirements:

You need no musical skill. But you need an interest in music (any type at all). We work together. An ability to use words and your voice to express is preferable, but this is a safe and comfortable learning environment and you will never be made to feel uncomfortable or be put on the spot to perform to the tutor, your classmates or to an audience. You can, should you wish, simply come along and participate in the group.

  • If you play an instrument bring it along (if it’s the piano, then we have one!!)
  • Commit to coming to class each week and on time!

Assessment:

This course will be assessed by the completion of a Personal Learning Plan (PLP)

Location:

Strand House

Who is this course for?

  • Learners that want to know more about food and nutrition
  • Learners that want to know about making healthy food choices
  • Learners who enjoy making easy, simple, healthy foods
  • Anyone that has an interest in learning about healthy foods

What will I learn?

  • What Nutrition is and what to look for on food packets.
  • You will learn to choose foods that are healthy.
  • How to eat things in moderation.
  • How to make simple but healthy meals.

How will this course benefit me?

  • Healthier eating habits (making healthy choices).
  • More energy, by following a healthy eating plan.
  • Better mood, with good nutrition.
  • Weight management (how to keep a healthy weight).
  • Food safety and hygiene

Entry Requirements:

  • To be considered for this course you, you must be able to:
  • Be ready and willing to learn.
  • Come to class every week and on time.
  • Be willing to use what you have learned outside of class.
  • Show at least three healthy meals you eat every week.
  • Have basic kitchen skills.

Assessment:

This course will be assessed by the completion of a Personal Learning Plan (PLP)

Location:

Strand House

Who is this course for?

This course is for learners who would like to improve their fitness, health and wellbeing, learn more about their environment, become more confident and have fun.

What will I learn?

  • What to wear and what to bring on a ramble
  • How to keep yourself safe walking in different environments and conditions
  • To track your walk using an app and estimate distance walked at different stages of the walk
  • To use spotter sheets to identify different plants and wildlife during the different seasons

How will this course benefit me?

  • Experience a variety of walks in the local area
  • Improve your physical and mental health and wellbeing
  • Become more aware of the sights, smells, movement and sounds on your walks
  • Increase your stamina
  • Develop your knowledge of flowers and plants
  • Learn to work towards goals
  • Identify and use correct health and safety procedures needed for walking in different environments
  • Feel less stressed and sleep better
  • Build friendships with other learners

Entry Requirements:

  • To be considered for this course you must be able to:
  • Wear suitable clothes for rambling each week
  • Follow instructions to keep safe on the rambles
  • Commit to come to class on time each week
  • Be able to travel on public transport with support or independently
  • Be able to walk at a moderate pace for up to three hours with a short break
  • Walk without access to toilets for up to three hours

Assessment:

This course will be assessed by the completion of a Personal Learning Plan (PLP)

Location:

Croydon Clocktower

Who is this course for?

This course is for learners who want to get fit and have fun along the way.

What will I learn?

  • You will learn healthy eating habits
  • Different dances
  • How to keep track of your weight safely
  • Healthy recipes

How will this course benefit me?

  • You will make healthy food choices
  • Have fun dancing and keeping your heart healthy
  • Make new friendships
  • Learn interesting things every week about dancing for fitness
  • Become a more confident you

Entry Requirements:

To be considered for this course you, you must be able to:

  • Arrive to class on time every week
  • Always be ready to learn
  • Be able to follow simple instructions

Assessment:

This course will be assessed by the completion of a Personal Learning Plan (PLP)

Location:

Strand House

Who is this course for?

This course is for learners who want to improve their confidence in managing their mental wellbeing for a healthy lifestyle.

What will I learn?

  • What a healthy mind is
  • How you can maintain and develop it
  • A basic introduction to Mindfulness and how it can help us in everyday life
  • What the aspects of wellbeing are
  • How to grow our ability to be well
  • How to be kind to others and ourselves
  • How to identify and handle different emotions

    How will this course benefit me?

  • You will develop everyday strategies to look after your mind and general health
  • You will develop the confidence to form and manage relationships with others
  • This course will improve your problem-solving, speaking and listening skills and employability skills.

Entry requirements:

This course is open to all learners

Assessment:

This course will be assessed by the completion of a Personal Learning Plan (PLP)

Location:

New Addington

English

Who is this course for?

This course is for learners who would like to develop confidence and communication skills through reading a series of picture books without words as a group. The books are written especially for adults as part of a wider project – See more information here: booksbeyondwords

What will I learn?

  • How to work with others to create stories from pictures
  • How to work effectively with others in a team.
  • How to present and express yourself clearly

How will this course benefit me?

  • You will develop skills to improve speaking, listening and confidence working with others
  • You will experience speaking in front of others
  • You will read books without words to increase self-confidence
  • You will enjoy reading activities without words to enable better mental wellbeing
  • Provide opportunity for learners to be in fellowship and friendship with others, where they can share life’s ups and downs, learn new skills and have fun

Entry requirements:

This course is open to all learners but is particularly useful for learners that do not read words confidently

Assessment:

This course will be assessed by the completion of a Personal Learning Plan (PLP)

Location:

New Addington

Who is this course for?

This course is a part-drama and part-English class, for learners (E1 literacy or above, but pre-entry learners can be included) who like stories on film and would like to write their own stories (about themselves, their lives, or things that matter to them) and turn them into films to be shown in the cinema.

What will I learn?

Acting and Communication skills:

  • Acting using ‘body language’ (your face, your arms, your whole body) to make meaning.
  • Acting using your tone of voice (noise, tune, speed) to make meanings.
  • Interacting with other people and then thinking about it!
  • Pretending to be someone else.

Writing skills:

  • Improve spelling and vocabulary in script writing.
  • Explore your personal creativity and the importance of your opinions and voice.
  • Explore what bits go into making a story (character, setting, plot, dialogue etc)
  • Explore language meanings and how stories make sense and ‘hang together’ in storyboarding and acting.

Practical skills:

  • Using a camera and holding it correctly.
  • Using a camera to make meaning (different camera angles, sizes, movements, positions)
  • Choosing music, sound-effects, credits and titles (post-production)
  • Writing a story so that it makes sense to other people (storyboarding and reviewing your own work).

Group/teamworking skills:

We are a happy acting troupe who collaborate on stories and help each other to write our stories and film them.

How will this course benefit me?

  • You will have fun and improve your well-being through drama games and creative activities.
  • Make at least one film of your own for the cinema.
  • You will develop your acting skills.
  • You will develop your self-confidence and self-esteem.
  • You will develop your written literacy.
  • You will develop your speaking and listening.
  • You will develop your communication skills (in group work).
  • You will develop your creativity.
  • You will develop what are sometimes called ‘soft skills’ by working as part of a group and listening to other people’s opinions.
  • You will get fitter (drama exercises can be quite physical).
  • You will learn skills to make your own films with your own phones and tablets.
  • You will validate your voice and show the value of what you have to say.

Entry requirements:

  • Entry Level 1 reading and spoken literacy (however some pre-entry learners can be included in the class). This is a creative literacy class and so the tutor will monitor, support and help to improve and develop your reading/writing and speaking/listening. We work together, but this is a safe and comfortable learning environment and you will never be made to feel uncomfortable about your reading or writing and will be put with similar learners for literacy tasks.
  • Commit to coming to class each week and on time!

Assessment:

This course will be assessed by the completion of a Personal Learning Plan (PLP)

Location:

Strand House

Who is this course for?

This course is for learners who would like to improve their confidence and ability in speaking, listening and responding to others in discussions about current news stories. We will also focus on improving spelling.

What will I learn?

  • How to listen actively to others when they are talking.
  • How to speak and express opinions clearly
  • How to ask questions and engage in discussions with others about current affairs
  • How to read, listen and form opinions from written and pictorial stories
  • Learn, spell and use new words
  • Participate and enjoy sharing news – personal, local, national & global

How will this course benefit me?

  • You will develop the skills to discuss current affairs and everyday situations with more confidence
  • You will develop ability in expressing your own views and sharing your successes with the group

Entry requirements:

This course is open to all learners

Assessment:

This course will be assessed by the completion of a Personal Learning Plan (PLP)

Location:

Croydon Clocktower

Maths

Who is this course for?

This is for anyone who enjoys using a computer and wants to improve their Maths skills.

What will I learn?

  • Addition, subtraction, multiplication and division
  • Reading and understanding numbers
  • Working with money
  • Learn more about time
  • Times tables
  • Use blocks and resources for learning
  • Problem solving skills.

How will this course benefit me?

  • Improve your skills in using numbers.
  • Improve your mental maths skills.
  • Solidly learn maths that will help you in daily life.
  • Stimulate your thinking.

Entry Requirements:

  • Enjoy being in a group.
  • Commit to come to class every week.
  • Be able to follow simple verbal instructions.
  • Love learning new ideas.
  • Adapt to challenges in learning maths

Assessment:

This course will be assessed by the completion of a Personal Learning Plan (PLP)

Location:

Strand House

Who is this course for?

This course is for learners who would like to gain employment in the field
of hospitality, especially in catering.

What will I learn?

You will learn how to do the following in the workplace:

  • Build good teamwork skills and working relationships with others
  • Improve your customer service skills by running a Café tuck shop
  • Practise your numeracy skills, including counting, adding, subtracting and working with money
  • Look and act the part, depending on your job role
  • Prepare for a work placement by learning where to search for a job and how to complete an application form
  • Follow health and safety procedures

How will this course benefit me?

  • You will develop your numeracy skills and learn how to use these in the workplace
  • You will develop your reading, writing and I.T. skills and learn how to use these in the workplace
  • You will improve your communication and listening skills, and build your self-confidence
  • You will develop an action plan to improve your performance, with personal goals that you can work towards achieving

Entry requirements:

  • Be working towards Entry level 2 English
  • Have some knowledge of food hygiene and safety

Assessment:

This course will be assessed by the completion of a Personal Learning Plan

Location:

Strand House

Who is this course for?

This course is for learners who would like to learn to cook an exciting range of foods that they can make themselves. Learners will follow a range of recipes to make a selection of savoury dishes, whilst improving their practical maths skills.

What will I learn?

  • How to make a variety of tasty and traditional savoury and sweet dishes including international foods such as pizza, along with some baked goods and dessert dishes, including different breads, cakes and muffins.
  • Carry out and practise your numeracy skills such as counting, weighing, measuring, fractions and working with money.
  • Learn about healthy eating, new ingredients and dishes that will tickle your taste buds.
  • Develop your cooking skills and confidence in the kitchen.
  • Cook fun and tasty recipes that you can share with friends and family.
  • Evaluate your dish and discuss with the group
  • Be safe and hygienic in the kitchen.

    How will this course benefit me?

  • Become more confident in using your numeracy skills to carry out everyday tasks in the kitchen, for example recognising numbers, weighing and measuring ingredients.
  • Expand your knowledge of foods from all over the world.
  • Realise how cooking can be fun, exciting and relaxing.
  • Build friendships with other learners and become more confident and adventurous in the kitchen.

Entry Requirements:

  • Be able to work with sharp knives and equipment safely.
  • Have experience of using the hob and oven.
  • Follow 2 steps of a recipe independently.

Assessment:

This course will be assessed by the completion of a Personal Learning Plan (PLP)

Location:

Good Food Matters

Who is this course for?

This course is for learners who would like to cook and create delicious dishes from countries they have travelled to or would like to learn more about. You will cook an exciting range of dishes from all over the world, whilst improving your practical maths skills in the kitchen.

What will I learn?

  • How to make tasty and traditional dishes from all over the world, anything from an Italian pizza to the American blueberry muffin!
  • Learn about different cultures, new ingredients and dishes that will tickle your taste buds.
  • Carry out and practise your numeracy skills such as counting, weighing, measuring, fractions working with money.
  • Develop your cooking skills and confidence in the kitchen.
  • Cook fun and tasty dishes you can share with friends and family.
  • Evaluate your dish and discuss with the group.
  • Be safe and hygienic in the kitchen.

How will this course benefit me?

  • Become more confident in using your numeracy skills to carry out everyday tasks in the kitchen, for example recognising numbers, weighing and measuring ingredients.
  • Expand your knowledge of foods from all over the world.
  • Realise how cooking can be fun, exciting and relaxing.
  • Build friendships with other learners and become more confident and adventurous in the kitchen.

Entry Requirements:

  • Be able to work with sharp knives and equipment safely.
  • Have experience of using the hob and oven.
  • Follow 2 steps of a recipe independently.

Assessment:

This course will be assessed by the completion of a Personal Learning Plan (PLP)

Location:

Good Food Matters

Digital Skills

Who is this course for?

  • Learners who wants to build confidence in using IT
  • Learners who want to update their existing digital skills

What will I learn?

  • How to use devices and handle information
  • Creating and editing
  • Communication skills
  • Buying and selling online
  • How to be safe and responsible online

How will this course benefit me? 

  • Develop knowledge to safely access and use community and wider service opportunities presented online and digitally.
  • Develop skills to be safe and responsible online
  • Learn creating and editing skills
  • Improve communication skills

Entry Requirements:

You must be willing to develop your digital skills.

Assessment:

This course will be assessed by the completion of a Personal Learning Plan (PLP)

Location:

Croydon Clocktower

Dates and Locations

Courses take place at our 3 centres across Croydon: Strand House in Thornton Heath, Croydon Clocktower in Katharine Street in Central Croydon and New Addington Library.

We also deliver some classes at Thornton Heath library, Good Food Matters (New Addington) and Cherry Hub (St James’s Rd).

How to apply

To apply for any of our courses email us at:  independentliving@croydon.gov.uk

New learners will have an interview and assessment to find out your starting point and assess which courses best meet your needs.