Our vision, mission and ethos:

Ambitious autistic students
Our role is to give students the resources they need to learn well, develop their skills, and become a rounded, confident young person.

Our vision We believe that every student with autism should have the same, or better opportunities to learn as other students.

Our mission
We recognise and build on a student’s strengths, teaching them learning skills that they can build on throughout their education and beyond. We help our student to minimise barriers, to understand their own challenges, and to develop strategies to help them through every stage of life.

We inspire students about school and learning through our flexible and engaging curriculum. We help students to acquire knowledge and skills that prepare them for positive and sustainable life goals such as further study, employment and independence.

We use the very best teaching practice to give our students the ambitious and full education they deserve. We base our approach on the National Autistic Society’s 50 years plus of educational experience and research: everything we do is backed by evidence.

Our ethos
Our schools are places where all people are respected, achieve beyond what is expected, are empowered to make positive choices about their own lives, and have rich and varied experiences. Our learning is truly personalised and capitalises on each student’s personal strengths and interests. We make a positive, inclusive contribution to our communities.

Local Governing Body (LGB)

The purpose of the LGB is to be a critical friend of the school, monitoring and reporting on vital areas such as safeguarding, pupil welfare and academic progress. It represents the board of the National Autistic Society by acting as a local presence with first-hand knowledge and experience of what’s going well at the school and what might be causing concern. Specifically, the LGB reports to the board’s education quality & development committee on:
 

• The welfare of the students, including any safeguarding and health and safety concerns
• The educational performance of the school and its pupils and the performance of the principal and staff
• The implementation and effectiveness of school policies
• Issues regarding the maintenance of the school fabric and its equipment
• The development of connections between the school and the local community, including the business community
• Possible initiatives for development of the school

The LGB will typically include:

• A National Autistic Society trustee who will chair the LGB
• The school principal
• A parent of a school pupil
• Two or three community governors
• A clerk to take care of the administration of the LGB

The expected time commitment for governors to fulfil their role (per term) is:

• One meeting of two hours with pre-reading to prepare;
• One visit to the school, to include preparation and a brief written report.
• There may be a need for one-off involvement in other activities for the school, such as attending school events.
• Essential training (paid for by the school) covering topics such as safeguarding. This may be a mixture of online and face to face training.

The term of office for governors is four years with an option for a further four-year term, totalling a maximum of eight years.

Note that all governors will be required to undergo a Disclosure and Barring Service check to reveal any past convictions and to sign a declaration of potential conflicts of interest and willingness to follow a code of governance.

To find out more email Bruce.Thompson@nas.org.uk