National Autistic Society opens first of four specialist centres in Surrey
By News England, , , , , ,

The first of four National Autistic Society (NAS) Cullum Centre’s was officially opened at Salesian School in Chertsey, Surrey, this week.

Almost 100 students, parents and staff attended the launch of the centre, which will give students on the autism spectrum specialist support so they can reach their full potential.

This is the first of four purpose-built specialist centres that NAS and Surrey County Council are opening within mainstream secondary schools in the area, thanks to generous financial support from the Cullum Family Trust. Others centre’s will be based at Rodborough School in Godalming, Hinchley Wood School in Esher and Howard of Effingham School in Effingham.

The centres will be operated by the individual mainstream schools and run by staff trained by the NAS, utilising our 50 years’ experience educating children on the autism spectrum. The staff at each centre will provide up to 20 students on the autism spectrum with the specialist support they need to attend classes and give them a calm environment to recuperate in if they become overwhelmed. They will also be able to access occupational and speech and language therapies when needed.

The NAS Cullum Centres are a response to a local need, identified by us and Surrey County Council, for specialist support for students on the autism spectrum who have good academic potential but find it difficult to learn in busy school environments. The centres will improve Surrey’s capacity to offer support and education tailor-made for students on the spectrum, meaning fewer students have to go out of county to get the right education, making savings of up to £1.7m a year.

More than one in 100 people in the UK are on the autism spectrum, including around 1,500 students in Surrey, and the vast majority of them attend mainstream schools. Many struggle with things that others find easy or even enjoyable – a small change to the day’s schedule, like the school bus turning up late, can feel like the end of the world to someone on the autism spectrum. Children on the autism spectrum are often oversensitive to things like light and sound so can struggle to learn or even feel physical pain in overly bright or noisy classrooms.

Mark Lever, Chief Executive of the NAS, said: “This opening is a milestone for the NAS and Surrey. It is the first of four specialist centres opening in the area over the next two years, which we hope will transform the prospects of children on the autism spectrum and build autism local knowledge.

“We often hear from parents who say their child falls through the gaps – they’re not eligible for a specialist school but their sensory and social difficulties means that learning in a mainstream school is challenging. The NAS Cullum Centres aim to fill this gap by giving students the specialist support they need to excel in lessons in mainstream school.

“It’s a privilege to have the opportunity to extend our 50 plus years’ experience teaching children on the autism spectrum to staff at Salesian School and to work towards making Surrey a beacon of autism expertise in the UK.

“All this is possible thanks to a significant donation of the Cullum Family Trust, plus support from Surrey County Council and, of course, everyone at Salesian School.”