If you step into a classroom at Prior’s Court, you are likely to see a shoebox task in use.

As the name suggests, these activities are built using a shoebox as the base, although a printer paper box lid works just as well. The activity is stuck to the top of the box, and the young person then has to insert symbols, words or photos on sticks, or coloured feathers (or similar) into holes in the box. They are designed to suit the learning styles of each autistic young person at Prior's Court, providing a clear structure about what is expected and a defined space for the task.

Read more about our approach to learning

Shoebox tasks are used to support literacy and numeracy learning in particular. Activities may focus on recognising numbers, counting, sorting objects by colour, identifying the days of the week and months of the year, letter recognition, matching visuals to words, and developing fine motor skills that support reading. Each task is practical and hands-on, helping young people engage with learning in a concrete way.

Seb with a counting and sorting activity	Dexter with a counting activity	Ewan completes a colour-based activity
Helena with a "days of the week" activity	Anton with an addition activity	Jacob with a "months of the year" activity

Our Numeracy Lead, Natasha, and Literacy Lead, Lucy, developed this approach into their teaching after attending the 5-Day TEACCH course held on-site at Prior's Court last year. The strategies they brought back have been embedded into their practice across the school.

Read more about staff training at Prior's Court

Natasha explains:

We have found that young people show strong engagement when we introduce these activities. They complete them in an interactive way, often enjoying posting items or placing lollipop sticks into the cut-outs. These activities can be differentiated across tier groups and adapted quickly to suit an individual learning style, whether that involves objects, symbols or words. Any theme can be taught through shoebox tasks, which makes them very versatile. There is a clear interest from young people to explore these activities. We have seen a positive impact not only on their learning but also on how we approach our teaching.

Read more about TEACCH courses at Prior's Court