A meaningful, working life on a beautiful, small organic beef farm, situated on the Oxfordshire and Wiltshire border that has been owned by the Otter family for over 70 years.
Over the last 25 years we have been developing our approach to our autistic students. We now call it The Pennyhooks Approach and are ready to share it more widely with others.
Principally The Pennyhooks Approach is based on believing the best in the autistic person and the possibility of their wish to engage with others and in work-based activities.
Our work was originally inspired and influenced by the research into movement theory carried out by Martha Leary and Anne Donnellan in the 1990s.
In understanding and addressing the movement and sensory differences of autistic people, we seek to understand life from their point of view, and to believe in and enable the person within to emerge.
Over the next few months, we will be developing our training programme to share with others who may also wish to offer autistic adults opportunities to lead a meaningful working life.
As we look ahead, we feel a deep responsibility to protect the beauty and value of Pennyhooks. Our priority is to nurture our core programme, ensuring every student continues to receive meaningful, personalised support. We also want to share what we’ve learned, so more autistic people can benefit from our approach. For some, this farm is more than a place of learning—it is home.
We hope to create supported living here, offering security and belonging. Through this project, we aim to safeguard Pennyhooks for the future, so it can continue to offer purpose, stability and a true sense of home.
