Nikki Kennedy, Specialist Resource Base Development Lead at the National Autistic Society, discusses the National Autistic Society’s Cullum Centres. Nikki shares how and why the Centres were developed and the impact they have had on autistic students in mainstream education.

Autistic young people and mainstream schools

More than 70% of autistic children and young people are educated in mainstream schools, with autism being the most common type of special educational need (SEN) for children with an education health and care plan (EHCP).¹ But many autistic children and young people find school a challenging place: crowds, noise and other factors in the school environment can lead to heightened anxiety, and autistic pupils are more vulnerable to social exclusion. This can lead to long term negative outcomes, damaged self-esteem and mental health difficulties. 

In a survey carried out by the National Autistic Society in 2021, only 26% of autistic children surveyed felt happy at school, with only 24% feeling included. ² Additionally, many teachers have little confidence in their capacity to support autistic pupils: 60% of teachers surveyed by the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Autism stated that they didn’t have the training they need to teach pupils on the autism spectrum. ³

Cullum Centres

The National Autistic Society, in partnership with local authorities and schools, has opened five resource-based provisions called Cullum Centres, which are largely funded by the Cullum Family Trust. Cullum Centre pupils are autistic young people aged 11-16 who have good academic potential, but find it difficult to learn in busy school environments. These young people are able to learn alongside their mainstream peers and spend the majority of their time in lessons supported by specialist trained staff. The Cullum Centres are a calm setting for students to retreat to if they become overwhelmed, with physical benefits such as quiet spaces and areas for students to take lessons outside of the classroom.

Cullum Centre pupils will spend up to four years accessing the specialist support that is provided to them by Cullum Centre staff, alongside attending their mainstream lessons. Provision includes opportunities for pupils to check in with staff to share any anxieties or concerns, and to develop skills in preparation for adulthood. These activities are scheduled into students’ timetables and can be carried out in small groups or individually.  

The Cullum Centre is a safe place for pupils to interact with one another and their non-autistic peers, and practice their social skills whilst being supported by staff. Each Centre provides the permanent availability of a familiar quiet and calm space, which has been highly valued by pupils.  

Cullum Centre staff have the ability and willingness to provide highly tailored support that meets the needs and wishes of each pupil. The Cullum Centres have resulted in high levels of participation by autistic students in mainstream classes, a strong sense of belonging, improved peer attitudes and no noticeable differences between Cullum Centre pupils and their peers’ attendance, bullying or wellbeing. In a recent survey, 100% of parents of young people attending a Cullum Centre said that they would recommend a Cullum Centre to help autistic pupils access mainstream education.5 

Sharing of good practice

In order to ensure a consistent approach to supporting autistic young people across each school, Cullum Centre staff need to spread their specialist autism knowledge to their mainstream school colleagues. For example, in many schools, greater understanding and support is required for pupils with co-occurring conditions.
Specialist resource bases within local authority schools often work in isolation. However, one Cullum Centre headteacher said: “With the Cullum Centres, there’s a lot of sharing of knowledge, and I think that all of us would say we’ve only made it this far by working as a team and sharing experiences and problem solving.”

Social outcomes

Some non-autistic pupils found the increase in autistic pupils attending their school initially unsettling. But over time, they developed more positive attitudes towards autistic peers, with Cullum Centre staff focusing on autism acceptance during assemblies and tutor time. Cullum Centre pupils are building friendships with peers within the Cullum Centre. 

An evaluation of the Cullum Centres found that Cullum Centre placements rarely break down, but that without the Cullum Centres, it would be more likely that an autistic young person’s placement at a mainstream school would break down. 4 

“In Year 7, I had no-one to talk to and spent all of my time in the Cullum Centre, but now I have friends in the mainstream [school] and don’t stay in the Centre so much.” Young person attending a Cullum Centre.5 

Expansion

Due to the success of the Cullum Centres, our goal is to expand this model of inclusive practice to other regions in the UK to provide more autistic children with the chance to flourish. Pupils who have now completed their journey through Cullum Centres have accessed successful opportunities for further education and training.   Many of these former pupils have reported that this would not have been possible without their Cullum Centre.   

“Cullum Centre outcomes for all of our young people are fantastic with an appropriate curriculum.” Head of a Cullum Centre school. 5

1.    Department for Education (June 2022). Academic year 2021/22: Special educational needs in England. Available here. (Accessed: 18 May 2023).
2.    National Autistic Society (2021). School report. Available here. (Accessed: 18 May 2023). 
3.    All Party Parliamentary Group on Autism (2017). Autism and education in England 2017. Available here. (Accessed: 23 May 2023).
4.    National Autistic Society (2022). Evaluation of the National Autistic Society’s Cullum Centres: Summary report 
5.    London South Bank University (June 2020). Rapid Review of Cullum Centres