Learners develop independence in activities and locales that are important to them. They might not be able to catch buses all over town, but the route between their house and the grocery shop is functionally relevant to their life, so we’ll start by learning how to catch that particular bus.

Independence is a sliding scale; just because a student can cook a meal in their own kitchen using the equipment they have practised with, it does not necessarily mean they are fully independent and can cook that meal in all kitchens everywhere. The Burley Model recognises the difference between functional capability in familiar contexts and the ability to generalise a skill across all contexts, and helps students develop the theoretical knowledge required to apply their functional skill to new situations.

Some skills are universally applicable to all situations and contexts; we use them every day to manage our overall picture of the world and help keep us organised. A working understanding of time, money, health, communication, navigation and how to keep ourselves and our environment clean and presentable is naturally built into relevant activities and studied on an ongoing basis. Our core skill curriculum is the glue that holds the learner’s week together.

Our staff gradually step back as the learner’s ability increases, initially supporting them side by side as they tackle a new challenge and reducing the supporting presence through planned stages as the staff member's help is needed less and less. Through assessment of the student's skills we judge how much assistance is required for a particular task, so learners can feel reassured that support is on hand if needed while enjoying as much freedom as possible.