Anderson School, Essex

Welcome to Anderson School.

Welcome to MyProgress ÂŽ

Our ground-breaking autism-specific school is opening in Essex on the Enterprise Campus in 2017

www.autism.org.uk/enterprisecampus

Gaining life skills and confidence at school is part of MyProgress 1

ÂŽ

Putting young people’s futures first We’re building a new kind of school. An autism-specific school focusing on young people’s futures and putting skills for life and employment at the heart of the curriculum.

Enterprise Campus

Anderson School

Lorna Wing Centre

Enterprise Hub

Anderson School in Chigwell, Essex will open in September 2017 to autistic students aged 11-19 and will be part of our Enterprise Campus. Situated on a 13-acre site, the campus will include the Anderson School, a Lorna Wing Centre for Autism and an Enterprise Hub. The campus’ facilities will also include our Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA) Centre, sixth form centre, workshop and training facilities and indoor and outdoor sports facilities.

“My ultimate aim for this campus is that every child that leaves school will go into meaningful paid employment or other activity.”

Mark Lever, CEO, The National Autistic Society

Our ambition is to transform the lives of autistic young people with the aspiration that all students leave the school ready for further education, employment or training. www.autism.org.uk/enterprisecampus

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A school with employment skills at its heart We have run autism-specific schools for over 50 years and are continuously innovating our education services. We now have a thriving employment offer too, helping 1,000 employers last year to understand autism better. This is why, together with our long-term supporter The Anderson Foundation, we’re excited to combine these two areas of expertise.

Our vision is that students will: • develop skills for life as well as wellbeing and independence beyond the school environment • develop a belief in the importance of what they can contribute to society • recognise and develop personal strengths, interests and skills • become empowered to make informed life choices through a structured approach to person-centred planning •

access a range of programmes from a core and extended national curriculum, vocational options, work skills/placements, enrichment, sport and leisure and life skills programmes

• become self-aware and self-regulate their personal barriers to learning • develop and maintain positive relationships.

Building emotional resilience through our social understanding curriculum, completing A Levels or engaging in social enterprise projects or work placements are all examples of the kinds of achievements our students will accomplish.

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Autistic adults want to work

Designed for wellbeing

Only 16% of autistic adults are in fulltime employment, though 77% of autistic adults want to work – many have skills and talents that are currently underused. That is why we decided to focus on vital skills for employment in our pioneering new school for autistic young people.

The wellbeing of autistic children and young people is at the heart of every design decision we make. From small class sizes to purpose-built calm, sensory and therapy rooms, we’ll make adjustments to each student’s environment to help them reach their full potential. All the details such as lighting, furniture and room sizes will be carefully considered and chosen to cause minimum stress and sensory overload. There will also be flexible workshop spaces that can change depending on the needs of the young people, community and local employers.

In partnership with the community We will develop community links through a range of local partnerships with employers, community groups, parents, local authorities and other schools in the region to provide a community hub as well as an education and outreach resource. These links will help develop employment and apprenticeship opportunities for our students and share campus facilities and expertise so the whole community benefits.

There will be a social enterprise on the campus offering both hands-on practical experience of work for young adults in the community and work experience opportunities for the students at the school. The Enterprise Campus will also have the expertise, understanding and facilities to support employers to adopt autism-friendly practices.

“Students benefit from excellent behaviour management approaches with the behaviour improving as a result of systematic, rigorous analysis of incidents and strategies by the speech and language therapists, psychology team and staff.”

Ofsted 2015, The National Autistic Society’s Helen Allison School www.autism.org.uk/enterprisecampus

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Pathways of learning tailor-made for each student Our curriculum will include the key stages of the national curriculum and a range of vocational and academic qualifications tailored to meet individual needs.

Three pathways Once a baseline assessment has taken place, a personalised route will be designed specifically for the student, taking into account the aspirations of the young person and their family and possible future employment opportunities.

There will be three main pathways: •

further education

•

vocational

•

life skills.

The ratio of academic, life skills and workrelated learning will vary depending on the needs, aspirations and the pathway the student follows. Where appropriate, students may be able to take some classes at mainstream schools and we can provide training and consultancy support for mainstream teachers in understanding autism.

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“The National Autistic Society’s MyProgress® system tracks what children can do. This helps to celebrate their achievements, such as taking part in smal group activities and joining in with lessons.”

Ofsted 2015, The National Autistic Society’s Robert Ogden School

MyProgress®

Employment and enterprise

As with all The National Autistic Society schools, the pedagogy of Anderson School is informed by The National Autistic Society’s MyProgress® methodology. This has been developed through over 50 years of experience and research to ensure best practice in teaching young autistic people.

The school will work in partnership with our other seven schools and the wider organisation to strengthen and develop expertise and innovative thinking.

Autistic people can have strengths which can benefit a range of businesses and industries. These could be accuracy, tenacity and the ability to see things in a different light, which can be great for problem solving. But all too often, employers do not recognise this potential or understand how to support autistic people and get the best out of them.

MyProgress® guarantees that children will use tried and tested approaches that we have developed and used in our network of schools over many years – we know they make a difference. We will also take opportunities to pilot new and innovative interventions to facilitate the development of social understanding, resilience and independence.

Not only will we partner with local employers to provide work placements, apprenticeships and internships but we will be running our own social enterprise schemes from the campus which young people will be fully involved in.

We have also started to gather information on skills shortages in the area, so that we can tailor training towards filling those that are relevant to our students.

www.autism.org.uk/MyProgress®

www.autism.org.uk/enterprisecampus

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Referral and assessment Our aim is to offer a rapid assessment process. We carry out an initial learner assessment which will address complex social, emotional and mental health needs to help us devise a proactive and personalised programme.

We also aim to work with families to ensure our interventions take place when needed. We will observe learners at their current school or at home, to maximise opportunities to gather information from teachers, therapists and parents or carers

Eligibility for a school place As a specialist provision, all of our students must have a diagnosis of autism (including pathological demand avoidance (PDA) and Asperger’s syndrome) as part of their Statement of Special Educational Needs or their Education, Health and Care plan.

School places will be considered for autistic children and young people aged 11-19 whose academic potential cannot be fulfilled in mainstream settings.

This includes: • autistic pupils whose anxiety prevents

them from accessing the mainstream curriculum

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•

pupils with clear, vocational aspirations who require specific educational support and careers guidance to support their career path.

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autistic girls who would benefit from a bespoke curriculum to meet their individual needs.

Referral and admission process flowchart Referral form received from local authority (LA)

LA, parents and child invited to visit school

Assessment completed

Assessment presented to admissions panel Decision made as to whether the school can meet the child’s needs

Decision yes

The National Autistic Society initiate a contract and send a letter to the LA including details of the fee level, contractual terms of the placement and proposed start date

Decision unsure

Decision no

Request advice from senior admissions panel

Letter to LA explaining why school is unable to meet the child’s needs at this time

Signed contract received from LA

Transition work begins

All relevant documentation sent to LA and parents/child

Pupil starts school

www.autism.org.uk/enterprisecampus

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Get involved We’re looking forward to hearing from you. Please get in touch with any questions you have, referrals you would like to discuss or plans that we can be a part of.

Get in touch by completing our online form at www.autism.org.uk/ schoolenquiry

“This is an exciting opportunity to create a thriving school at the heart of the community through working in partnership with other local schools, community groups and employers” Gary Simm, Principal, Anderson School

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Growing in confidence and independence is part of MyProgress ÂŽ

www.autism.org.uk/enterprisecampus

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About us The National Autistic Society We are the leading UK charity for autistic people (including those with Asperger syndrome) and their families. We provide information, support and pioneering services, and campaign for a better world for autistic people. We have been providing specialist autism education for more than 50 years; no one understands autism better than we do. www.autism.org.uk

The Anderson Foundation The Anderson Foundation is the charitable foundation of the Anderson Group of Companies. The Anderson Foundation and its donors have been long-term supporters of our work at the National Autistic Society. Our new Anderson School at The Enterprise Campus represents the culmination of a shared vision to create a ground breaking, state-of-the-art education facility for young autistic people to prepare for the world of work and adulthood. www.andersonfoundation.org.uk

3315 040117 The National Autistic Society is a charity registered in England and Wales (269425) and in Scotland (SC039427) and is a company limited by guarantee registered in England (NO.1205298), registered office; 393 City Road, London, EC1V 1NG.