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birthday parties, music concerts, cinema and theatre, swimming, ice-skating,
walks, bowling, using the gym and public library, museums, the seaside, and
theme parks.
9. The school environment
How accessible is the school environment?
The environment is adapted to meet young people's needs: it is highly
structured, calm, low arousal, safe and secure with space and facilities for
physical exercise a key feature. The site has education, residential and specialist
facilities to support learning across the Waking Day and opportunities to learn,
exercise, socialise and relax. Frequent access to the local town and villages
enable young people to work towards inclusion as far as possible.
Thought has been given in the design of learning and living areas to the special
needs of children and young people with autism. For example, the dining room,
which is spacious and structured to enable young people to be as independent as
possible, has acoustic tiles which reduce noise and high windows to minimise
distraction. In this way, young people are able to focus on eating a healthy diet
and building social skills during mealtimes. The houses are homely, welcoming
and relaxed, but also highly structured to support understanding.
Wheelchair access: the main teaching areas are wheelchair accessible but some
residential areas are not.
Further specialist facilities to support and extend learning:
Occupational Therapy room,
Multi-sensory suite and soft play rooms,
Food technology and independent living skills classroom,
Specialised facilities in our 'The Seasons' cluster of residential homes to
learn laundry/ housekeeping skills
Leisure, exercise and recreational facilities include:
50 acres of safe parkland including 10-acres of woodland, with a sculpture
trail,
indoor, heated sensory swimming pool,
all-weather outdoor activity track for walking, running, cycling, scooting,
rollerskating,
swings, trampolines, trim trail and outdoor gym equipment,
indoor gym,
Outdoor music circle,
art room and library.
Vocational facilities include:
Vocational skills workshops for learning woodwork, metalwork, bricklaying
and related skills,