How It Works

SenLens is a practical guide for SEN families - a catalogue of venues with the information you actually need before you visit, not just a star rating.

Why we built this

Most days out guides are written for typical families. They tell you whether a place is fun, good value, or popular. They don't tell you whether the car park is close to the entrance, whether the queues tend to be predictable, or whether there's somewhere quiet to go if your child needs a break.

For a parent of a child with autism, ADHD, or sensory sensitivities, those practical details matter more than anything else. We built SenLens to surface them.

We are not a review site. We are a preparation tool - a place to find out what to expect before you go, so you can make a confident decision for your family.

How we score venues

We use AI to read and analyse publicly available reviews and venue information. We are not scoring whether a place is good in general - we are pulling out the signals that SEN families have found useful.

Where possible we look at up to 50 reviews per venue to identify patterns over time, not just a handful of recent opinions. Every assessment shows the date range it covers and links to Google reviews so you can read more yourself.

All assessments are based on a sample of publicly available reviews. They reflect patterns across multiple experiences and should be used as a guide, not a guarantee. Venues change, and every visit - and every child - is different.

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Noise and sensory load

How loud does it get? Are there echoey spaces, flashing lights, or unpredictable sounds?

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Queue and waiting stress

Are waits long or unpredictable? Is there a fast-track option? Can you book ahead?

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Staff support

Are staff flexible and understanding? Do they have autism awareness training?

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Predictability

Is the layout clear? Can you know what to expect before you arrive?

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Calm spaces

Is there somewhere quiet to go? An outdoor area, a separate room, or a break zone?

What the scores mean

SEN Score

An overall 0-100 rating for SEN suitability. Higher is better. 70+ is generally good. Below 50 may mean more challenges. Please use the confidence level in accordance with the rating, it is a reflection of data quantity and quality.

What visitors say

A balanced summary of what people found - both positives and negatives. No verdict. Every child is different. We present the data; you make the call.

Confidence

How much to trust the assessment. We calculate this from three things:

•Review volume - more reviews means more reliable patterns. We analyse up to 50 reviews per venue.
•Recency - a venue with reviews from last month is more trustworthy than one where the newest review is two years old. We surface the date range so you can judge for yourself.
•Consistency - reviews that span a longer period give a more representative picture than a short burst of activity.

Every venue shows its review date range - for example "Based on 34 reviews (Jun 2023 - Mar 2026)" - so you always know what the data is built on.

We help you prepare, not decide

You know your child. We can tell you that a venue can get noisy at weekends, or that some visitors have found the queues unpredictable - but whether that matters depends entirely on your child and your family.

Our job is to give you useful, practical context so you can make that call yourself. If we don't have enough data to say something meaningful, we show that too rather than guessing.

Important caveats

•None of the information listed on this website is the opinions of SENlens, it's based purely on publically available information such as reviews.
•Our assessments are based on analysis of publicly available reviews. They reflect patterns across multiple experiences, not guaranteed facts about every visit.
•Every child is different. Use our information as a starting point, then make the call that is right for your family.
•Venues change. We show review date ranges so you know how recent our data is - but always worth a quick call ahead if anything is important to you.
•We currently cover London, Kent and Surrey, with more areas coming as we grow.

Ready to find somewhere?

Browse SEN-assessed venues in London, Kent and Surrey

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