Welcome to ONELAB College.

It is a real privilege to have joined ONELAB College as Principal from September 2026, and to welcome our learners, families, staff and wider community to a new academic year.

From my first visit, I was struck by the aspiration and dedication of the team. It is reflected throughout the College in the quality of our environment and resources and, most importantly, in the confidence, creativity and pride of our learners.

What drew me to ONELAB was its belief that young people with special educational needs and disabilities should be recognised for their talents and given the creativity, confidence and independence to fulfil their potential and contribute to the wider world.

I was especially impressed by our learners. They welcomed me warmly, proudly showed me around and were keen to share the designs they had created. That pride says a great deal about the culture at ONELAB and the safe, inspiring environment created by our staff.

I started working in special education more than 20 years ago, beginning my career as an SEN music teacher, and have since gained experience across a range of specialist settings in leadership roles. Alongside education, I have also worked professionally as a musician, so leading a College where creativity is central to learning feels particularly meaningful. I could not be prouder to be ONELAB’s Principal.

As a young College, having opened in 2024, we have a strong foundation but also much to build. Together with our strengthened Senior Leadership Team, we have a clear plan to drive further improvement in the quality of education, safeguarding, curriculum and learner outcomes, alongside expanding our therapeutic offer.

Our new ONELAB Shop and digital marketing studio are an exciting part of this next chapter. Through our ‘Design, Make, Sell’ approach, learners will have real and meaningful opportunities to apply functional English and Mathematics in everyday situations alongside their discrete study, boosting employability skills. We cannot wait to share more in the coming months.

We know there is still work to do, and we approach the new academic year with ambition and humility. Most importantly, we will continue to build ONELAB together, with our learners at the heart of every decision we make.

I am already incredibly proud of our learners and the team that support them. I look forward to welcoming you to ONELAB and sharing this next chapter with you.

Rick Nunn
Principal
BA, QTS, NPQH