Charity calls for government to ensure schools are more inclusive for autistic pupils
Ambitious about Autism, the national charity for autistic children and young people, have sent a letter to the new Education Secretary and Minister for Schools and Childhood, written by their youth network, calling on schools to be more inclusive for neurodiverse pupils. The letter is in part a response to the SEND green paper and a reminder to the incoming ministers of the right of young people to have a voice in what is proposed. One of the key issues raised is the new target identified in the recent Schools Bill that “90% of children should reach the standard for literacy and numeracy” and that this may impact the resources and support available for pupils with SEND.
Meg, a member of the Ambitious Youth Network, said: “As the Government’s new education team start their jobs, we wanted to set them targets that we think will make life better for all autistic pupils. It’s important to have high aspirations, but for some autistic children and young people, it might be unrealistic to achieve the expected grades in English and Maths. Instead, we need to make sure that autistic pupils are able to achieve at their level so they can make progress in all areas of their lives.”
The letter calls for ministers to ensure that:
- All education staff are trained in autism and autistic young people are involved in the development of the training.
- Schools are unable to be awarded a good or outstanding Ofsted judgement without high-quality SEND support.
- Schools are more inclusive environments for all pupils, including inclusive uniform, attendance, and behavioural policies.
- Young people and families’ existing SEND rights are protected, and ensure they are enforced.
The charity says that getting the SEND review right is “critical” and it is now calling on the government to ensure the School Bill and SEND Review work together more effectively.
