About us
Helen Allison is a positive, friendly school that’s been bringing out the best in children on the autism spectrum for over 50 years. We provide a stimulating, high quality education that helps each child reach their full potential.
Welcome to Helen Allison School
At Helen Allison, we provide a stimulating, high quality education that helps each child reach their full potential.
We welcomed Simon Collins as our school’s new Principal on 1 July 2019. Simon has a strong record of leadership in a number of prestigious schools, including Gravesend Grammar School and the famous BRIT School for Performing Arts and Technology in London.
He also has experience in developing education provision, helping support the opening of ADA, the National College for Digital Skills, and opening a brand new school in Hayes, Middlesex in conjunction with Global, the media brand behind some of the UK’s biggest radio stations.
Most recently, he was Education Director for Acumen Education, which invests in affordable education in developing countries.
Simon will be adding his personal introduction to the school shortly.
School facts
- Primary, Secondary and Post 16
- Girls and boys
- 83 places
- Minimum staff to student ratio of 1:3
- An average of eight students in a class. Classes are matched in terms of peer relationships and ability.
- Teaching and caring for children on the autism spectrum since 1968.
- On-site Psychology department, assistant Psychologists, Principal Speech and Language Therapist, Specialist Speech and Language Therapist, Speech and Language Therapy Assistant, Lead Occupational Therapist, , Occupational Therapist and Occupational Therapy Assistant
What makes us different?
At Helen Allison we specialise in autism. We stand out because every person who cares for and educates your child in our school is fully trained in autism.
We understand how autism affects your child, and we have over 40 years’ experience and knowledge to draw on to help them to learn, thrive and take their full place in the world as adults.
Whatever the learning capabilities of your child are, we will help them make progress and achieve qualifications, from entry level literacy and numeracy to A levels and other Level 3 qualifications.
The school has a well-established and highly specialist on-site therapy team. Our transdisciplinary team deliver an outstanding and highly effective service to support our children and young people. Our teaching staff, support and care staff and therapists work together every day. We are a team. Your child knows every one of us well, and we all know your child well too. It’s one of the reasons we’re able to make such a big difference in your child’s life.
The multidisciplinary approach ensures that we can provide a bespoke package of intervention to meet the ever changing needs of our students. Therapeutic approaches and interventions are embedded into the daily lives of our students and form part of their waking day curriculum.
Specialist interventions on offer include but are not limited to: Intervention using the Sensory Integration approach, Lego Therapy, Therapeutic Listening, Rebound Therapy, Sensory circuits, Schools Massage programme, Social communication groups, language groups and The Bridges curriculum.
We’ve put in place some exciting collaborative therapies at Helen Allison. Our speech and language and occupational therapists have identified children’s sensory needs and prescribed a sensory diet where appropriate. We have used this alongside an innovative programme of Therapeutic Listening®. Many students also benefit from daily sensory circuits to alert, organise and focus them for the day ahead.
Our aim is to equip every pupil with strategies to overcome their barriers to learning; to nurture each young person’s talents and interests and to develop their self-esteem and well-being. We are committed to ensuring that children’s’ anxieties and sensory differences are recognised, understood and fully supported.