Sensory Suite

“Stories come to life in the sensory room. Expert musicians play the harp or the cello to
represent animals and story characters. Pupils can follow birds flying around the room and feel wind on their face. Staff use imaginative resources to engage pupils in stories,
poems, song and music.” – Ofsted 2023

Our brand new Sensory studio provides another area where our pupils can interact with the environment.

It is an incredibly versatile space that can be adapted to any area of the curriculum and provides a platform for immersive environments, informational scenarios, interactivity, multi-sensory stimuli and special events.

The space consists of many pieces of equipment, including an interactive bubble tube, a wind tunnel, 3 projectors that project an image across 3 walls, a floor projector  and a variety of alternative control interfaces for use by students and staff.

We have employed a technician who is able to assist staff in producing 4D powerpoints to use within the studio. Staff are able to develop their own content and use sensors, cameras, microphones, and the computer to trigger various lighting, video and sound events. In this way, students of any ability can gain control over their environment and teachers can control a particular scenario.

Sessions make use of auditory, tactile, visual, taste and smell stimuli with integrated music therapy and aim to provide pupils with the opportunity to learn whilst working, exploring and experiencing independently.

We also offer exciting sensory stories held in our immersive suite on Monday afternoons. These are suitable for groups of up to 6 pupils from special schools and groups of up to 8 from main stream schools, including pupils with an EHCP and are advertised each term on the Lancashire Schools’ Portal

Library

The school has developed its own sensory library within the residential building. It is a large space decorated with soft, vibrant window seating to create a comfy reading area for pupils, complimented with vibrant blinds and tree bookshelves to incorporate a woodland feel of the natural beauty of the grounds. 

The library is filled with a range of touch and feel, lift flap and pop up books that are more suited to our pupils’ sensory needs on a range of topics. 

The library also includes homemade sensory books from a range of popular stories. These books are in larger print for those pupils who can read but the pictures are also made interactive with touch/feel parts that the pupils can feel and make them feel part of the story. There are also resources that accompany the books to make the story that little extra sensory to use alongside the books and make the book come alive.