Meeting the Complex Needs of Children and Young People with Autism
Set within 20 acres of beautiful and secure North West countryside, Brook View School offers a rich, spacious and calming environment designed to meet the complex needs of children and young people with autism. The school is equipped with a range of purpose‑built classrooms that provide structure, predictability and low‑arousal spaces to support engagement and emotional regulation.
Across the site, pupils benefit from multiple sensory rooms, each designed to offer different forms of sensory input or relaxation, helping pupils develop self‑regulation skills and supporting therapeutic interventions. Our extensive grounds include dedicated horticulture areas, where pupils learn through hands‑on, outdoor experiences that build practical skills, independence and confidence.
A designated, secure playground offers opportunities for safe physical activity, social interaction and sensory exploration. Alongside these, we have a variety of additional rooms and learning spaces used for sensory programmes, movement breaks, and personalised interventions. Altogether, our expansive, nurturing environment is intentionally designed to reduce anxiety, promote wellbeing, and create rich learning opportunities that meet the needs of every pupil.
Specialist Facilities
Sensory Integration Room
Designed to stimulate and support the children’s sensory needs and motor skills. The young people can use the equipment to manage their own arousal levels.
Multisensory Light Room
Provides a constantly changing environment promoting visual development and hand/eye co-ordination. It is designed to be calming and allows the young people to take sensory breaks.
Life Skills Room
Pupils are supported to develop independent living skills including cooking in a home style setting, cleaning and washing up.
Interactive Floor
A system that responds to gesture and movement creating dynamic images designed to stimulate, engage and relax.
Outside Spaces
Adapted Play Equipment
The garden areas are perfect for sensory breaks and PE lessons. With the support of staff, the young people have the option to interact with their classmates as well as stay fit in our outdoor gym.
Purpose Built Playground
Providing a large space for a variety of activities, games and therapy, this environment provides an area for the young people to interact with their peers
Bedding Boxes and Polly Tunnel
Our purpose built bedding boxes and Polly tunnel provide an exciting opportunity for hands-on learning at Brook View School. These spaces allow pupils to explore where food comes from and take an active role in planting, growing, and harvesting a variety of fruits, vegetables, and herbs. As part of our curriculum, learners will nurture these crops from seed to plate, developing practical skills, teamwork, and an appreciation for healthy eating. The produce we grow will be used in cooking sessions, helping pupils experience the full journey of food while building confidence and independence.
Classrooms
To complement our curriculum, we have purpose-built classrooms, teaching and playing spaces tailored to the requirements of our students, offering a wide variety of activities.
Ribble Class
In Ribble class we have a semi formal approach to learning that combines written work with practical learning and visits to the local community.
Our mornings start with literacy and communication. We look at different texts and explore these using different techniques such as role play, shared reading and discussion. Pupils will then develop their skills using different activities and these will build over the term to create a larger piece of writing at the end of the unit.
We have snack time after literacy and pupils will have a movement break in the hall or in one of our sensory areas.
Following our movement break pupils will complete maths. In our maths lessons we work practically with equipment and objects to consolidate and understand key concepts. We also develop our mental arithmetic skills and written methods each day. These mathematical concepts are also developed their life skills lessons to consolidate learning further. We then have break time when pupils can choose an area such as the hall, outside or sensory room to access. Pupils can also choose to stay in the classroom and use resources such as sand, books and games.
After break we complete our creativity or computing lesson. This learning is often hands on and practical that incorporates art, drama, music and computing skills. Pupils will participate in small group and pair activities around these skills.
Our afternoons lessons include independence and life skills, community access and learning for life. During these lessons we develop our skills for the future through topics such as careers, the work place and travel training. In these lessons pupils will often complete activities such as cooking, cleaning and using a telephone. We also go on trips in the community to develop life skills in a real-life situation such as shopping or on the train.
Purple Class
In Purple Class, we celebrate every child as a unique individual, supporting them to engage, explore, and connect with the world in their own special way. All students at our school follow a progressive curriculum, which ensures that their learning journey is continuous, building on their experiences and achievements as they move through the school. This child-centred, multi-sensory pathway is designed to support our learners’ holistic development, focusing on the foundations of communication, physical awareness, and social-emotional well-being.
Our learning environment is thoughtfully designed to spark curiosity and support the sensory needs of our Pre-Formal learners. We have created a cosy Reading Corner for immersive sensory stories, as well as a dedicated Sensory Circuit space where students can regulate their bodies through movement and tactile play.
To foster early development, our Maths and Literacy areas are set up for continuous learning; these zones allow pupils to explore shapes, textures, and mark-marking at their own pace through purposeful, play-based exploration. Each child also has their own individual tray, a consistent home for their belongings that helps build a sense of security and routine within the classroom.
Our Communication Station serves as the heart of our classroom’s voice, equipped with Widgit symbols and communication boards, objects of reference, and voice-output switches to ensure every student has the tools they need to express their choices and connect with those around them.
Green Class
Green Class is a large classroom, with open space to encourage big body movements for sensory regulation. We use sensory and play based learning, such as matching puzzles and building towers to support problem solving, independence, and social interaction.
We learn through focussed activities in 1:1 or small groups, followed by sensory breaks in our calm areas, on the trampoline, or by utilising the outdoors and other areas of the school.
Our Young People get the opportunity to work with and build strong relationships with Class Teacher and Teaching Assistant. In combination with consistent daily routines and clear expectations, this creates a safe and predictable environment, ultimately developing Young People’s positive attitudes to school and to learning.
Wyre Class
Wyre Class blends more formal learning with hands-on, play-based activities to meet the individual needs of the learners. The focus is on engaging students and giving them the tools they need to achieve, using their interests and completely personalised teaching strategies.
There are different areas of learning within class, using tables, play trays, floor work and vertical surfaces to engage and develop skills for all young people. Active learning, fine motor development, literacy, maths, nurture and creativity are at the heart of the classroom and curriculum in Wyre class. We use topics, sensory exploration and play activities as vehicles for learning to take place, which meets the needs of each learner.
We are committed to ensuring sensory and emotional regulation needs are met consistently so that our young people are ready to learn in and out of class; sensory circuits, equipment and dedicated areas are used throughout the day. A total communication approach is also used to give every child in class a voice, through objects, symbol, sign and AAC.
We have high expectations and high ambitions for our students and promote independence throughout the school day. This is matched only by the warmth, humour and passion our teaching team bring every day to our amazing young people, who we are incredibly proud of. We believe our students have to be able to learn from mistakes and successes and create a culture of safety and support for them to be able to take on challenges and be proud of their achievements.
Nurture Class
The nurture classroom at Cambian Brook View School offers a warm, supportive, and developmentally appropriate environment designed to meet the holistic needs of pupils with Autism Spectrum Disorder and related conditions. The space reflects the school’s commitment to personalised, pupil‑centred learning, providing a balance of structured activities and opportunities for play‑based exploration.
Drawing inspiration from the school’s purpose‑built learning spaces, the nurture classroom promotes emotional security, positive relationships, and readiness to learn. Overall, the nurture classroom embodies Cambian Brook View School’s aim to provide a calm, flexible, and relationship‑based setting in which pupils feel secure, valued, and ready to grow both emotionally and academically.
Inside Out Class
'Inside Out' allows young people to explore, relax, climb, and swing, whilst being multi-purpose and adaptive.
The room can change to suit individual learners needs. The room is named ‘Inside Out’ is because of the choice of colours and textures and is designed for our learners to develop and work on their sensory based motor skills. It is a space built with play in mind and focusses on non-directed play using movement, through the muscles and joints to get the most out of our vestibular, proprioceptive, visual, and tactile sensory systems to further develop skills such as core strength, balance, praxis, posture and motor control.
A climbing wall, a swedish climbing frame and a balance beam are the main features, whilst other equipment complements this space to provide a multi- sensory space for all to enjoy.
'Inside Out' can also be used as a space for specialist and targeted therapy to take place, whilst the room can also form part of each young person’s individual timetables.
Lilac Class
In Lilac Class, every child is encouraged to learn, grow, and shine in their own unique way. All students at our school follow a progressive curriculum, which means that each year they build on what they’ve learned before and continue to make progress. This year, our class is focusing on the Informal Curriculum – Year B, which is designed to support both academic learning and personal development.
Our curriculum aims to:
Provide pupils with a broad, balanced, and engaging education.
Support every child to reach their full potential and be the very best they can be.
Equip pupils with the knowledge, skills, and confidence they need to thrive in everyday life.
Subjects we enjoy in Lilac Class:
Maths
Literacy and Communication
Learning for Life
Independence and Life Skills
Forest School and Horticulture
Creativity (art, drama, and music)
Computing
Community Access
Sport and Leisure
Our classroom is designed to make learning both fun and meaningful, with spaces like our calming reading area beneath the wisteria tree, and the Zones of Regulation corner by the window where students can enjoy a peaceful view of the playground. Each pupil even has their very own shelf, a special space to keep their belongings safe and organised.
Assessment in Lilac Class
We celebrate progress in many different ways. Assessment is ongoing and takes into account both the work pupils produce and teacher observations. All of this is linked carefully to the Informal Curriculum – Year B checklist. This helps us to see each child’s achievements clearly and to plan the next steps in their learning journey.
Working with our Clinical Team
In Lilac Class, learning is truly a team effort. We work closely with the Speech and Language Therapy team and the Occupational Therapy team to make sure every child’s needs are met. Together, we also focus on each young person’s EHCP targets, ensuring that their learning is personalised and meaningful.
Our goal is for every child to feel happy, safe, and valued in Lilac Class. We want them to develop independence, build confidence, and discover the joy of learning—so they can achieve the very best outcomes for themselves, both now and in the future.
