What is happening in Shropshire?
The ‘Autism in Schools’ project is a cross system project funded by NHS England, to improve outcomes for autistic pupils in mainstream schools. Shropshire Parent & Carer Council, Shropshire Council and Shropshire Telford and Wrekin Clinical Commissioning Group are working together as part of the North Midlands Autism in Schools pilot. Four Shropshire schools, all of which are part of The Marches Multi Academy Trust are participating in the pilot; these are Shrewsbury Academy, The Grange Primary School, Oakmeadow Primary School and The Marches School.
The pilot offers support for the training of school staff and leaders to ensure that mainstream schools offer environments in which autistic students can thrive, supporting good mental health and promoting inclusion for this group of young people. There are four key elements to the pilot;
• A Learning and Development Programme which seeks to develop a positive school environment for autistic pupils through reasonable adjustments and understanding.
• Developing school-based parent carer participation building on and supported by the Parent Carer Forums in each local authority area.
• Building a new relationship between Child Adolencent Mental Health Service and schools which is focused on developing autism friendly environments and practice.
• Hearing from Children and Young People with Autism and developing self-awareness and resilience.
The pilot will run in the Shropshire schools until the end of this school year.
You can find out more about the Autism in Schools pilot in Shropshire here
The Pilot is follows on from work orginally developed in the North East region, which was based on feedback from parent carers about their autistic children's experience of school. You can read more about the background to the Autism in Schools pilot on the links below:
North Midlands Autism In Schools Newsletters
Evaluation Reports
North Midlands Autism in Schools Year 1 Evaluation Report
Autism in Schools National Evaluation
Year 2 of the North Midlands Autism in Schools project started in September 2022. PACC continue to support the project going forward and will build on the learning from Year 1.