Our six Cullum Centres support autistic students to get the support they need to thrive in mainstream school settings. With generous financial support from the Cullum Family Trust, the centres provide specialist support that ensures pupils can maximise their potential and are prepared for their futures. With six successful Cullum Centres in place, we hope to build a further seven over the coming years. 

Our School Report 2021 found that only 26% of autistic pupils feel happy at school, while three out of four (74%) parents said their child’s school place did not fully meet their needs, and more than a quarter (26%) of parents waited over three years to receive support for their child. The aim of the Cullum Centres is to help autistic pupils to thrive in a mainstream school setting through the provision of support from trained staff, learning in small groups, and access to therapy and clinical support in a calm and safe environment. 

Recent results from the first year of a three-year evaluation of our Cullum Centres has highlighted very positive feedback from autistic students and their families, with the Cullum Centres commonly identified as the ‘best thing’ about school amongst students. Cullum Centres have been shown to be particularly beneficial for autistic girls with regards to mental health, sense of belonging and friendship quality. Parents also reported significant improvements in their children’s wellbeing and often attributed this to the support received at the Cullum Centres.