Underley Garden School

Welcome to Underley Garden

Located near the market town of Kirkby Lonsdale on the edge of the Lake District and the Yorkshire Dales, Underley Garden is an Independent Special School and Children’s Home. We are Specialists in Education, Care and Therapy for young people with autistic spectrum conditions, learning difficulties, complex behaviour associated with autism and anxiety and mental health needs.

The school and home provide for young people between the ages of 5-19.  The school was judged by Ofsted to be Outstanding in all areas in May 2025. During their latest inspection, the Children’s Home was also judged to be Outstanding in all areas in February 2025.

Ethos

Underley Garden adopts a holistic, person-centred approach to the development of our young people and endeavours to ensure that they achieve as high a standard as possible. We offer a comprehensive portfolio of education, care and therapy to meet the individual requirements of young people with complex special educational needs.

At Underley Garden, we aim to make a positive difference to the personal, social and learning lives of the people entrusted to our care.  We make a difference because we:

• remain committed to the development of the individual so that each student comes to experience life as a worthwhile enterprise
• support the continuous development of knowledge, understanding and skills and believe that we never stop learning
• unconditionally value every person and respect their dignity as a unique individual irrespective of their difficulties
• nurture individual strengths and encourage students to approach challenges positively by developing their confidence, motivation, independence, self-awareness and sense of self-worth
• adopt a holistic, person-centred approach to the development of our students and endeavour to ensure that they are enabled to overcome barriers to learning whatever and wherever these may be
• never stop trying to encourage people to ‘be the best that they can be’.

Our focussed and committed approach within a caring, therapeutic environment provides a platform from which young people can really enjoy their lives and achieve. Each young persons’ personalised learning programme typically involves integrated, outcome-focused input from education, therapy and care.

This approach aims to ensure that we provide a person centred, wrap-around service that promotes individuality and choice whilst encouraging all young people to be the best that they can be. Making the provision fit the young person and not the other way around is a genuine first principle.

Underley Garden will actively promote the fundamental British values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty, and mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs. Staff will challenge opinions or behaviours that are contrary to fundamental British values.

Working with Parents

Underley Garden has an excellent relationship with parents. Parents are very much seen as partners in the education and care of their children, and staff work very closely with them so that family relationships thrive enabling the young people to move, with confidence between the Underley Garden and their homes.

Families may visit young people whenever they wish and staff do what they can to ensure that school visits are pleasurable occasions for all involved. There are regular parent workshops and get togethers throughout the year on offer.