An Ellesmere Port school has earned a top honour from the National Autistic Society.
Hinderton School, in Capenhurst Lane, Whitby, has been awarded Specialist Advanced Autism Accreditation by the UK's top charity for autistic people.
The school, an autism-specific primary special school for children aged 4-11, was last year rated as Outstanding following an Ofsted inspection – the sixth time it has earned that rating. This makes Hinderton one of a very small number of schools nationally to have achieved this level of success.
The accredited Advanced award was given in recognition of the provision’s specialist good autism practice.
The report highlighted: “Staff at Hinderton School have a robust working knowledge of evidence-informed approaches associated with good autism practice. They can adapt these specialist approaches so that support is highly person-centred and tailored to individual abilities, interests, preferences, and challenges.
"Each autistic child develops skills in communicating and socially interacting with others. They become more confident in carrying out tasks independently and in being empowered to make their own choices, which helps them to have greater control and self-autonomy in their lives.”
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.
Liam Dowling, headteacher at Hinderton School, said: “Hinderton School has been accredited by the NAS for many years.
"Our involvement with the accreditation process has ensured our school keeps up to date with the best practice in autism education across the country and internationally. The support from our accreditation colleagues has helped the professional development of our own staff, and supported us to meet the changing needs of our children.
"We are incredibly proud to be awarded Specialist Advanced status for the first time, as it highlights the quality of provision we are able to provide for our community in Cheshire West. It is also testament to the dedication of our staff.
"Special thanks are due to Clare Thomas, joint deputy headteacher, for leading the accreditation process this year."
Christine Flintoft-Smith, head of autism accreditation at the National Autistic Society, said: “Staff at Hinderton School should be exceptionally proud of their achievement.
"The National Autistic Society’s Autism Accreditation programme was launched over 30 years ago and sets extremely high standards, which the school has worked incredibly hard to meet.”
Hinderton School is also a strategic partner for the Autism Education Trust and helps deliver training and support to schools across Cheshire West.
Find out more about autism accreditation on the National Autistic Society website at www.autism.org.uk/accreditation
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