Who are we?

The Oaks is an Outstanding college

The Oaks (est. 2018) is a specialist college for 18 to 25 year olds with learning difficulties in Kent, East Sussex and surrounding areas. We achieved an Outstanding rating from Ofsted in May 2023.

A young lady, smiling and holding her hands together, under her chin

Our Mission

Our mission is to put young people with learning disabilities at the heart of all we do.

We achieve our success by having highly skilled and committed staff who really care about the work that they do and who have a total commitment to our vision.

This will give all of our young adults opportunities to discover ways of learning that engage them. They will gain new skills, knowledge and behaviours that will lead to them being exceptionally well prepared for their next steps into adulthood.

A young man, concentrating while stitching some bright pink on an electric sewing machine

Our Vision

We aim to ensure that every learner makes clear progress and they are respected and valued in their community, confident and able to contribute fully to society. On leaving The Oaks, our young people will gain employment, further training or meaningful volunteering roles.

Two young men, speaking with a businessman at a busy jobs fair

Real World

We work closely with a number of employers and other organisations to ensure that the skills, knowledge and understanding gained in College are applied in the “real world”.

Leadership Team

Gordon Tillman

CEO

Ros Leach

Principal

Lynsey Ritchie

Deputy Principal

Elizabeth Wilkins

Assistant Principal: Accessibility and Digital Applications

John Spavins

Business and Finance Lead