Empowering Professionals: Strengthening Autism Support for Educators and Practitioners

Working in the field of autism education and support is both rewarding and challenging. Professionals, whether they’re teachers, therapists, or specialists, are often at the forefront of creating inclusive environments for autistic individuals. However, despite the passion and dedication these professionals bring to their work, the complexities of autism can, at times,  feel overwhelming. That’s where support for professionals becomes essential.

Leading with Purpose

Lighthouse School is a pioneering, dynamic, and progressive autism-specific school. We strive for unequivocal excellence in everything we do, and as such. Our aim is to be recognised as a sector leader for autistic students, at a national level. We are committed to inspiring and enabling our students, delivering meaningful skills for life in a holistic, nurturing, and stimulating learning environment.

Why do we need to empower our educators in understanding Autism?

Latest statistics, from the Department of Education show that there are 166,041 autistic pupils in schools in England, an 8% increase since 2020 and more than 70% of these pupils are educated in mainstream schools.

Yet, the National Autistic Society’s Education Report (2021) found only 39% of teachers in mainstream school have received more than half a day autism training.

When exploring the voices of those directly impacted:

• only 1 in 4 parents of autistic children were happy with their child’s education.
• 70% of autistic learners thought that school would be better if more teachers understood autism.
• Just 53% of autistic children and young people said they have someone they can go to if there is a problem.

Raising Awareness and Extending Our Reach

Our Training & Outreach service shares Lighthouse School’s in-school expertise, specialist support strategies and evidence-based practice with the wider educational community. We advocate for neuro- affirming support, recognising the individuality of each autistic learner.

Founded in 2018, Lighthouse Training & Outreach service responds to the growing need for specialist autism support within the region. Our aim is to ensure early intervention and the right support, empowering professionals to change education of autistic children and young adults. We aim to share our established in-school expertise, specialist support strategies and evidence-based practice. The service aims to advocate for neuro- affirming support.

How we are empowering professionals

• Providing training for educators: Designing autism training for educators that explores up to date evidence-based practice, is interactive and practical and allows delegates to gain some understanding of the lived experience of autistic people.  By equipping educators with knowledge and strategies, we can create learning environments where autistic students feel understood, supported, and valued.

Excellent session, I enjoyed all content, and each section was insightful and to a high standard.

I really enjoyed all the resources that you made available throughout the course that I could take away and use in the future. I enjoyed that it was both group work and presentation.

• Developing an Autism Professionals Network: At Lighthouse school we recognised the need for a professional network dedicated to autism-specific education. Providing a platform to share evidence-based practices, offer mutual support, and learn from one another. Lighthouse Training and Outreach initiated regular meetings, held termly, to provide opportunities to create meaningful connections and engage in conversations that can impact students' educational journeys.

I have found the outreach service valuable to my own development in my job description. It has given us very informative information for our setting.

SENCO and Lead Practitioner

• Supporting Through Outreach:  Our proactive outreach service delivers expert, on-the-ground support where it's needed most. We provide immediate, practical recommendations during each visit, ensuring prompt action and real-time solutions. We work closely with organisations to develop strategies that align with each learner’s unique profile, promoting meaningful engagement and long-term success.

Thank you to the Outreach Team for your support with our student and the changes we have seen have been fantastic.

Mainstream SENCO

I have found the outreach service valuable to my own development in my job description. It has given us very informative information for our setting.

Mainstream Primary HLTA

Looking Ahead: New Partnerships

We are thrilled to be partnering with Red Kite Connect to offer training workshops focusing on key areas of need for autistic students. We look forward to collaborating with more passionate professionals to shape the educational journey of our Autistic Students.

Supporting Autistic Learners Emotional Wellbeing - Taster Session at 4pm on Wednesday 9th July - further information

Understanding Autism - Supporting Emotional Wellbeing at 9:30am on Tuesday 30th September - further information

If you are interested in any of the areas discussed in this piece please get in touch training@lighthousschool.co.uk

References

1. Department for Education, Special educational needs and disability: an analysis and summary of data sources August 2024
2. National Autistic Society, School Report 2021