Environment & Facilities
The School for Autism @ Newfield is a new, purpose built school for learners on the autism spectrum. The school is designed to a high specification with the needs of ASD learners in mind.
The school is lit mainly by natural light sources with carefully designed glass ceilinged corridors.
The acoustics of the building are dampened to assist learners who have difficulty in processing auditory sensory input. There are also gently curved walls so pupils are introduced to new environments gradually with no sudden changes in the visual appearance of the environment.
Many of our learners benefit from having access to movement and sensory input that helps them to regulate their emotions and to manage their responses to undesirable sensory input.
People with autism can often find too much sensory input difficult to cope with
The classes are grouped into different wings of the building so learners are with peers of similar ages. They have access to outdoor spaces with landscaping and exercise equipment.
Learning Spaces
The classrooms in the School for Autism @ Newfield all have breakout learning spaces available to them. They are en suite to the classroom and there are also group rooms in each wing to enable one to one work, speech therapy and paired learning to take place in low distraction environments.
All of the classrooms are organised in zones or areas with specific purposes in mind, to enable learners to be clear about what the expectations are for each area.
The sensory room is an immersive learning environment which is equipped with specialist sensory integration swings so pupils with sensory needs can access activity which regulates them. The room is also flexible in its use and can be transformed into a beach front, the Arctic, the desert or a waterfall to bring learning to life for our pupils exploring a variety of curriculum areas.
The double-height ceiling in the hall is designed to facilitate trampolining sessions for learners. This is carried out only with supervision of appropriately trained staff. Trampolining and re-bound therapy can be beneficial in promoting physical fitness and stamina as well as promoting sensory regulation for learners on the autism spectrum.
Outside Space
As well as the playgrounds the outside space is attractively landscaped. This has been designed with the scope for learners to develop planting and growing opportunities as part of their outdoor learning.
During the day the learners have access to a track around the perimeter of the school where running, walking and cycling can take place.
