Type of service: Day schools, Nursery and pre-schools, Outreach - education, Schools

Westlea is a mainstream school with a nursery and a Resourced Provision for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). In October 2012 there were 190 children on role including 7 children with statements for ASD and 7 children with statements for communication difficulties. Our staff within the provision is a long standing one. Our Lead Teacher has worked in our resourced provision for 8 years. She trains new staff within the school in order that all staff are fully aware of the needs of children with ASD. The other two members of staff have worked within the provision for over 15 years. The provision also has a dedicated Speech and Language Therapist. All staff within the school, whether in the provision or not, are given training in ASD. We have a Mid day supervisor who is responsible for the children within the provision at lunch time. Our ASD provision room has both indoor and outdoor facilities. Autism is different to many other special educational needs (SEN) in that sensory issues present a significant problem for children on the spectrum. With this in mind the main teaching area for pupils who find difficulty in integrating in the mainstream classroom has been carefully designed to be a low impact sensory area. Children are normally referred to our provision through the Local authority. Staff will visit children in other settings in order to make a decision about their suitability for our provision. Volunteers may be accepted.

Aimed at: Child

Specialisms: Has autism-specific elements

Other specialisms: Challenging behaviour, Learning disability