Grove Road Primary School ASC Centre

A Specialist SEN Unit for children with Autistic Spectrum Condition (ASC)

Why attend a Centre?

For people on the Autism spectrum, appropriate intervention and structured support can really make a difference to a person’s life. With understanding, time and patience, skills can be maximised and the individual helped to achieve his/her full potential. To enable us to develop the whole picture of the young person we are working with, it is imperative that we work closely with the family. The expertise of the family unit is essential to the success of the whole child.

As Autistic spectrum conditions encompass such a wide range of needs, so we use a range of imaginative approaches for intervention.

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Grove Road ASC Centre – Rainbow Class

The ASC Centre at Grove Road caters for 18 children who present with Autism. It covers an age range from 4 to 11 years. The staffing is made up of one teacher and 6 Learning Support Assistants. Not all of the children are present in the centre at one time. Some are integrated fully, back into their mainstream classroom with adult support for some of the week. Some of the children will access the centre to have a particular lesson supported. We are guided by the needs of the current cohort of children.

The centre also has a dedicated speech and language therapist and an occupational therapist . This is for all children who have therapies as part of their EHC Plans in the ASC centre. These therapists contribute towards reports and annual reviews.

The organisation of a child’s day is supported by the use of visual timetables. We have the use of the smart board to offer further visual support but we are mainly guided by individual children’s schedules.

Our focus is on successful integration and inclusion in the mainstream classroom. The amount of time a child will spend within a mainstream classroom is specific to each child and is regularly reviewed to ensure success.

A place in our Rainbow Centre can be discussed at a child’s Annual Review by their school SENDCO. Each child’s paper work is then collated by the Hounslow SEN case workers and submitted to a panel. we strongly recommend visits to our school and the Rainbow centre to see if we are the right setting for your child.

Places are subject to availability, not just overall, but with reference to the child’s year group. Having a mainstream place in our school does not automatically mean that a child will have a place in the Centre.

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The Rainbow Centre

Our History, Our Development, Our Future

Nearly four decades of specialist education, inclusion and responding to children’s individual needs.

Our Story

The Rainbow Centre at Grove Road Primary School has a proud history of supporting children with special educational needs.

From its early beginnings as a small specialist provision to its development as an 18-place Centre, the provision has continually evolved to reflect changing needs, advances in specialist education and the importance of inclusive practice.

Throughout this journey, one principle has remained central: providing children with individualised support and meaningful opportunities to learn, develop and belong within the wider school community.

1988 | The Early Years

In 1988, the Centre supported eight junior-aged pupils, with a focus on specific learning difficulties, including dyslexia.

The provision benefited from specialist involvement from Educational Psychology and Speech and Language Therapy.

As its remit developed, the Centre began supporting children with learning difficulties associated with medical conditions. This brought a broader range of additional needs into the provision, including an increasing number of children with autism.

2000 | A Pioneering Development

September 2000 marked a significant milestone when Grove Road established a dedicated autism specialist centre, described by its original leadership as the first of its kind in Hounslow.

The Centre expanded to ten places, supporting children throughout the primary age range.

Its approach combined specialist teaching with access to mainstream learning, recognising that each child required an individual balance of support.

Children remained part of their mainstream classes, accessing specialist provision according to their needs.

This flexible approach helped establish inclusion as a defining principle of the Centre.

2015 | Expanding Opportunities

The Centre increased its capacity from ten to twelve places, enabling more children to access specialist education and support.

2021 | Responding to Increasingly Complex Needs

A significant expansion saw the provision grow from twelve to eighteen places.

Alongside this increase, the Centre broadened its remit to support children with more complex needs, reflecting the evolving requirements of pupils accessing specialist education.

2024 | A New Home

The Rainbow Centre moved into a new building, marking another important chapter in its development.

The move provided a new home for the expanded provision and represented a continued commitment to meeting the needs of children requiring specialist support.

The Rainbow Centre Today

Today, the Centre provides eighteen specialist places for children aged four to eleven.

Its approach combines individualised specialist teaching with opportunities for children to participate in mainstream school life.

The provision focuses on supporting children’s learning, communication, emotional wellbeing, social development and independence.

Children’s individual needs inform how they access learning, with specialist and mainstream staff working collaboratively to provide appropriate support.

The Centre also works with external professionals, including Speech and Language Therapy and Occupational Therapy services where specified within individual Education, Health and Care Plans.

Recognition of Our Work

The Centre’s contribution to inclusive education was acknowledged during the school’s February 2026 Ofsted inspection, as well as within our Inclusion Quality Mark Flagship School assessment.

Inspectors recognised the resources available within the provision and the academic, personal and emotional support provided to pupils with autism.

The inspection also highlighted the Centre’s engagement with external professionals and its welcoming and inclusive learning environment.

Our Future | Proposed Redesignation

As part of wider changes to the SEND framework, Grove Road’s provision is currently being considered for redesignation from a SEN Centre to a Specialist Base for Communication and Interaction.

The proposal remains subject to formal confirmation.

This potential development builds on the Centre’s longstanding experience in supporting children with autism and communication and interaction needs, while continuing to recognise the importance of individualised specialist education and inclusion.

Our Continuing Commitment

The Rainbow Centre has grown and changed considerably since 1988, but its underlying ethos remains rooted in the same principles.

We believe in recognising each child’s individuality, understanding their strengths and needs, and providing the support and opportunities that enable them to flourish.

Our history is one of adaptation, collaboration and a shared commitment to ensuring children feel valued, supported and included.

A proud history. An evolving provision. A continuing commitment to every child.

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