Regular exercise is a vital part of each day and a core principle of the Prior Approach. Physical exercise helps autistic individuals to manage their energy levels and develop their fine and gross motor skills. 

Prior's Court recognises that exercise helps regulation – it improves attention and sleep patterns, releases excess energy, provides opportunities to play and for social interaction, and can help to calm when stressed or struggling to engage.

Young people enjoy a wide range of activities both in groups and individually. This includes walking, running, cycling, swimming, individual training programmes, trampolining, physical exercise sessions, ball games, posture exercises, and a range of outdoor sports. Occasionally both staff and young people take part in football matches to build relationships and allow for the development of team skills. 

Facilities to support physical exercise include approximately 50 acres of extensive grounds, outdoor gym equipment, a running track, a gymnasium, trampolines, a multi-sensory suite, swings, bicycles, tricycles, scooters, and an indoor sensory swimming pool. 

Community facilities such as swimming pools, ice rinks, gymnasiums, climbing walls, sailing clubs, and leisure centres are also accessed to further support our programme of activities. 

Physical exercise is such an important part of the lives of the young people we support, that there is a 'Healthiness' Area of Learning within the Prior's Court Learning Framework. Healthiness encompasses several skills to keep them healthy including sleeping; eating and drinking; health and hygiene, and exercise. 

Learn more about our Healthiness Area of Learning