A dedicated space for calm, sensory learning, and wellbeing
Nearly 1 in 5 children has a special educational need. Give them the space, and the care, they deserve.
Why SEND and wellbeing provision matters now more than ever
Demand for SEND provision is at historic highs. Children with autism, sensory processing differences, anxiety, and emotional dysregulation need environments designed for their success, not retrofitted into spaces built for everyone else.
Government policy has shifted. Schools and nurseries are expected to offer inclusive outdoor learning. Early intervention and sensory regulation are now recognised as foundational to educational outcomes and emotional wellbeing.
Yet many settings lack dedicated SEND outdoor spaces. A generic playground isn't quiet enough, safe enough, or predictable enough for children who are sensory-sensitive or emotionally vulnerable.
A dedicated outdoor tipi becomes a therapeutic refuge—a place for calm, for regulation, for learning at a child's own pace, away from overstimulation. It's not punishment. It's support.
Spaces within the tipi: What's possible
SEND Provision & Sensory Spaces
A dedicated area for children with identified SEND, sensory processing differences, and emotional regulation needs. Quiet, predictable, purposefully designed with low-stimulation sensory resources, fiddle tools, and soft furnishings. A safe space to regulate, to learn, and to thrive outside the intensity of group environments.
Calm Zones & Emotional Wellbeing
Designated quiet space for mindfulness, breathing exercises, and emotional check-in. For children experiencing anxiety, sensory overwhelm, or emotional distress. A place to pause, regulate, and return to learning when ready.
Mindfulness & Yoga
Structured mindfulness and gentle yoga sessions in a natural, calm environment. Research shows significant benefits for anxiety, attention, and emotional resilience in all children, especially those with neurodivergence or trauma.
Forest School Base Camp
A hub for nature-based learning that supports SEND outcomes. Natural materials, open-ended exploration, and the proven therapeutic benefits of forest school for children with sensory and emotional needs.
Staff Wellbeing
A reflective space for SEND staff, key workers, and practitioners to decompress, collaborate, and develop expertise. Supporting staff wellbeing strengthens the entire provision.
children in the UK has a diagnosed or identified special educational need
of outdoor learning sessions improve sensory regulation and emotional wellbeing in children with SEND
A space designed around the child, not the curriculum
The hum of wind through canvas. Dappled light filtering through trees. A calm, enclosed environment where children who struggle indoors can breathe, regulate, and connect. Sensory work, emotional literacy, therapeutic support, all in a space that feels safe and different from the four walls they know.
Supporting neurodivergence and sensory needs
Children with autism, ADHD, anxiety, and sensory processing differences
The tipi environment directly supports neurodivergent learners. Low-stimulation sensory resources, predictable routines, filtered natural light, and controlled noise levels create conditions where children with sensory sensitivities can regulate and thrive. For children with autism, the enclosed, consistent space reduces social overwhelm and provides a safe refuge. For those with ADHD, nature-based movement and tactile exploration offer the kind of engagement that traditional classrooms cannot.
A dedicated space, not a shared classroom with distractions removed
A tipi isn't a generic outdoor classroom adapted for SEND. It's a space specifically designed for calm, sensory learning. Children who need low-stimulation environments don't experience it as exclusion. They experience it as a place where they can finally be successful. A consistent, recognisable space also builds the kind of predictability that children with anxiety and trauma-responsive needs desperately need.
Flexible use across the day
Settings use the tipi flexibly around children's needs. Morning sensory regulation sessions help children arrive calm and ready. Lunchtime calm zones support emotional processing during high-sensory periods. Afternoon targeted support sessions use the space for small group interventions, speech and language therapy, or emotional literacy work. The flexibility means your SEND provision isn't confined to a fixed timetable. It expands to meet children as they need it.
Complementing EHCP provision
For children with EHCPs, the tipi becomes a documented part of their provision. It supports the four key outcomes in their EHCP: health and wellbeing through sensory regulation, independence through outdoor exploration, economic participation through vocational skills, and community inclusion through supported group experiences. Reviewers recognise genuine SEND provision when they see it.
EHCP Preparation for Adulthood
Under EHCP guidance, settings must support four key outcomes: health and wellbeing, independence, economic participation, and community inclusion.
A dedicated sensory outdoor learning space directly supports all four. It fosters emotional regulation and physical health, builds independence through outdoor exploration, provides vocational and life skills opportunities, and creates inclusive community moments.
Inspectors and EHCP reviewers recognise genuine SEND provision. A tipi designed for calm, sensory learning, and therapeutic support demonstrates your setting's commitment to these outcomes.
Funding your SEND provision
Explore how SEND funding, high-needs top-up, and other routes can support a managed outdoor classroom.
Funding Support →SEND in state schools
Our managed outdoor classrooms support SEND provision in state-funded primaries and secondaries too.
State Schools →Looking to strengthen your SEND and wellbeing provision?
Let's discuss how a dedicated outdoor tipi can become a cornerstone of your inclusive learning environment, supporting children with SEND, sensory needs, and emotional wellbeing.
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Every setting's SEND journey is unique. Let's have a conversation about your current provision, your identified gaps, and how a managed outdoor classroom tipi can be tailored to your children and your team.
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