The FAWrient Express Roastery

Five Acre Wood School:

Five Acre Wood is an outstanding all-age (5-19) day District Special School for children and young people with Profound, Severe, and Complex Learning Difficulties, including Autistic Spectrum Disorder based across five sites in Kent. We have over 860 pupils across our facilities and over 460 wonderful support staff.

The FAWrient Express (Phase 1):

This October we saw the launch of the  "FAWrient Express" train carriage café, established in collaboration with Costa Coffee. This pioneering project marks a significant milestone in our school's commitment to empowering its pupils and fostering an inclusive community. 

The "FAWrient Express" train carriage café, a former Mark 2 first-class buffet train, will serve as the hub for this ground-breaking initiative. All pupils will be able to access the café space as part of the curriculum, which is adapted to suit each child. Pupils will receive tailored hospitality and catering training from industry professionals, equipping them with the skills and confidence to pursue meaningful employment in the competitive hospitality sector. Those around secondary school age and above will have the opportunity to experience hands-on coffee training, dependent on their specific needs. 

(Photos taken August 2023 before renovation)

Establishing a hospitality training academy for our pupils is not just a visionary idea; it is a transformative initiative that has the potential to revolutionise lives and our community. This project is essential, as it will empower our pupils, foster community engagement and inclusivity, and help address the employment disparity faced by individuals with learning difficulties.

(Photos taken October 2024 - renovation complete and hospitality training underway)

Please find below links to our media assets:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cjr355wn2xpo 

https://www.kentonline.co.uk/maidstone/news/all-aboard-school-s-train-cafe-opens-to-the-public-313735/

https://costanewsroom.vuelio.co.uk/press/press-releases/146f3f66-1104-4947-94f7-0ad4261d936b/all-aboard-fawrient-express-train-caf-opens-at-five-acre-wood-special-school

Testimonials:

John English, Community Manager at Costa Coffee, says, “We're delighted that the Costa Coffee team has been able to play a part in the creation of the FAWrient Express as part of our nationwide Community Programme, which celebrates its 10th anniversary this year. We look forward to continuing to work with the inspiring Five Acre Wood team, and to seeing the cafe in action as it enables pupils to develop valuable skills that will support their aspirations for the future - perhaps a career in coffee!“

Sandra Knatchbull, Chair of the Cobtree Charity Trust, a generous donor of the project, said "The trustees at Cobtree Charity Trust are delighted to have been with Five Acre Wood on this project, in delivering the magnificent FAWrient Express. The pupils and public in equal measure will gain so much for years to come."

The FAWrient Express Roastery:

The next vision for our pioneering project is to establish an onsite coffee roastery integrated with our school hospitality training academy which serves as a community café. This will create a unique, inclusive learning environment that equips our students with Profound, Severe, and Complex Learning Difficulties with practical skills and work-ready experiences. By operating a roastery within the school, we will provide pupils with hands-on training in coffee roasting, packaging, quality control, and customer service, all underpinned by a structured curriculum tailored to nurture independence and confidence. Clive, the manager of the FAWrient Express recently visited the famous Costa coffee roastery in Basildon, Essex (organised and supported by Costa) where he had the opportunity to take part in their coffee skills course. This included covering areas such as the history of coffee, how to use some of the machines and equipment as well as how to make some of Costa's much loved drinks. 

This initiative is designed to foster essential life skills, including time management, teamwork, problem-solving, and learning how to be financially independent which are critical for our students' transition into the workforce. Through mentorship and real-world exposure to the coffee industry, our roastery and café serve as both an educational platform and a stepping-stone to employment, empowering students to envision and achieve future roles in a variety of workplaces. 

Ultimately, this project symbolises our commitment to bridging the gap between education and employment for our students, ensuring they leave school equipped with valuable skills, a sense of purpose, readiness for meaningful careers and also contributing to a more equitable and inclusive society.