ASTON HOUSE CAMPUS – A Unique Learning Environment in Uxbridge
Aston House is a specialist provision that offers a personalised and supportive educational experience for Students with Autism including Moderate Learning Difficulties (MLD) and Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulties (PMLD).
Aston House is located in the heart of Uxbridge. The campus provides its students with direct access to local community resources, enhancing their learning through practical experiences. While there is no outdoor space within the site, students engage with the local community daily, visiting the nearby library, leisure centre, and shops, providing enriching opportunities for social interaction and community integration.
At Aston House, all students are working towards the ASDAN or Entry Level Certificates qualifications, with each student carefully tracked based on their ability to achieve tasks, often “with support.” A structured and engaging approach is at the core of each day, beginning with students greeting staff using their preferred methods of communication, such as Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC). Personal routines are reinforced using direct visual timetables, helping students anticipate and engage in their day’s activities.
To encourage positive behaviour and maintain motivation, Aston House operates a reward system, where students work towards daily and termly goals. This structure provides consistency, helping to reinforce positive behaviour and ensuring every learner feels supported in their journey towards greater independence.
With a commitment to personalised learning, practical skill-building, and community engagement, Aston House offers a nurturing environment that empowers each student to achieve their potential.
Therapeutic support is also integral to the student experience at Aston House, with both in-house individual and group therapy sessions incorporated into the learning programme. Each day typically begins with a group “attention autism” session, fostering shared attention and sensory interaction to enhance learning outcomes. Formal lessons follow, with students working in small groups, allowing for individual needs to be met with care and precision. Visual aids are used consistently throughout the day to support comprehension and communication.
Aston House follows the Skills and Vocational Development Pathway, which is designed for students who benefit from a practical, skills-based curriculum. This pathway focuses on vocational qualifications and essential life skills, aiming to prepare students for independent living and future work readiness.
The curriculum at Aston is delivered over a three-year cycle:
Year 1 is centred on introducing essential self-care, life skills, and community awareness, laying the foundation for independent living. Students learn basic hygiene, cooking, household management, and social communication skills.
Year 2 builds on this foundation, with students developing advanced cooking skills, financial literacy, and participating in volunteering or community involvement. Preparing for independence is a key focus, with an emphasis on personal health management, budgeting, and relationships.
Year 3 focuses on maximising independence and preparing students for life beyond college. This includes developing advanced health management, independent living skills, and full participation in community life. Students also engage in extended work experience, supported employment, or vocational pathways that align with their interests.