15 June
Aurora Hanley School recognised for advanced practice in Autism support by the National Autistic Society
Aurora Hanley School in Bucknall, Staffordshire has been awarded Autism Accreditation by the National Autistic Society, the UK’s leading charity for autistic people.
The award was given in recognition of the school’s good autism practice, including supporting students to do things by themselves and giving students visual checklists on their desks which they were encouraged to use to record planned tasks.
It’s unusual for anywhere to be awarded Advanced Status on their first assessment, but that’s what Aurora Hanley School have achieved.
Principal Tracy Whitehurst said: “It was a proud moment for the Aurora staff team, pupils and the wider community to be recognised as demonstrating Advanced Practice in Autism support. We have always been ambitious for all our young people. We strive to provide unique access to a broad range of learning opportunities and experiences, so the accreditation just cements the hard work everyone has done.”
Autism Accreditation is an autism-specific quality assurance programme. It was set up by the National Autistic Society in 1992 to improve the support available to autistic people in organisations throughout the UK and across the world, including local authorities, NHS trusts, education authorities, schools, colleges and more. To gain Accreditation, organisations have to meet a standard of excellence and follow a framework for continuous self-examination and development. Over 500 organisations are now accredited.
Christine Flintoft-Smith (Head of Accreditation) said: “Aurora Hanley School should be exceptionally proud of their achievement. The National Autistic Society’s Autism Accreditation programme was launched over 25 years ago and sets extremely high standards, which the school has worked incredibly hard to meet.
“Autism Accreditation highlights good autism practice and we are very pleased to be here to mark Aurora Hanley’s achievement. It is a great thing in itself and, we believe, will inspire other organisations and services to improve the way they support autistic people.”
Find out more about Autism Accreditation on the National Autistic Society website: www.autism.org.uk/accreditation
