Bridge College bakes up a storm  

Delicious cakes don’t bake themselves. That’s something that our students who take part in the baking club know first hand.  

The club started as a fun activity earlier in September. Senior Learning Support Assistant Claire is a keen baker in her own time, and thought students would love to do try baking in college.  

Claire says “They absolutely loved it when we first tried it as a one-off activity, so we started offering it as a Friday afternoon Baking Club”.  

The club is now run by her colleague Karolina, Learning Support Assistant at Bridge College. This year, it’s been so popular that they had to split the students who signed up in two cohorts to accommodate everyone.  

Claire also runs a baking activity as part of work experience for Steps 2 students in the Bridge Cafe – called Tuesday Treats.  

Students set the menu and choose what bakes they will make, they prepare and follow recipes, bake a variety of sweet and savoury treats, and sell them in the school cafe.  

Claire continues “It’s great for students because it teaches them life skills. They get to take the bakes home to share with their family and show them their progress. We’re currently working on a recipe booklet for them to keep so they can continue their baking journey at home”.  

Besides practicing independence and home skills, students get to work on their math skills, weighing and measuring ingredients, they do all the cleaning necessary, and they practice their social skills selling in the cafe.  

And most importantly, it’s all about getting students involved in college life.  

Claire shares “We had some students that wouldn’t even come out of their classrooms. And now, they’re in the kitchen baking and selling their cakes and working with others! 

Their service became so busy that they now need to take preorder forms from staff who request specific bakes ahead of time.  

And they are constantly working on their offering: students go around with feedback forms to know what to improve for the future.  

Catering for events

With the recent expansion of Bridge College, we recently hosted a celebration event for trustees, governors and partners. And no good event is complete without cake!

Bridge College students stepped in and prepared savoury pastries, cupcakes, brownies and a variety of other sweet treats for the event. These proved to be an delicious addition to the event!