A year after moving to Barking, the Adult College is “blossoming” in its new campus, a senior councillor has claimed.

Barking and Dagenham Post: Scott Lindsay with mum Lisa, who was concerned last year about the college's then-impending move to BarkingScott Lindsay with mum Lisa, who was concerned last year about the college's then-impending move to Barking (Image: Archant)

Enrolment figures show a rise of 14 per cent in the number of new students on last year, with a jump of nearly a third in the number of male students.

The centre, which offers 600 courses and is the main provider of apprenticeships for the borough, moved to its new campus in Ripple Road, Barking, in time for start of the new term last September.

The decision to move it from Dagenham was met with concern from parents of children with learning difficulties. Speaking to the Post in March 2013 Lisa Lindsay said her son Scott, then 19, wouldn’t be able to continue his studies once the move was made.

Full-time carer Lisa, who had no car, claimed Scott’s condition made him too vulnerable to travel by bus, saying: “He thinks everyone is his friend so him being on the bus is a bit of a worry.

“Home tuition is the only other choice I have got.”

But ultimately the Fanshawe Crescent campus in Dagenham, then earmarked for use as a primary school, was retained when the Ripple Road site opened.

Cllr Evelyn Carpenter, cabinet member for education and schools, said: “By moving the college hub to a location more easily accessible by public transport, as well as offering 70 courses at our outstanding children’s centres across the borough, we’ve seen a rise in the numbers of people wanting to enrol.

“We’ve also retained our Dagenham campus at Fanshawe Crescent where our traditional target audience are able to enrol in some of our most popular courses.”

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