Helen Allison School supports autistic children and young people
Principal Adam Wadey with children from Helen Allison School
Wednesday 17 July 2024 – A National Autistic Society school in Kent is celebrating achieving a ‘Good’ rating from the Office for Standards in Education (Ofsted), including ‘Outstanding’ ratings for two areas of inspection.
Helen Allison School, in Meopham, was rated ‘Good’ in three areas of inspection, ‘Outstanding’ in two areas of inspection and received an overall rating of ‘Good’, following a recent visit by Ofsted. The school supports autistic children and young people from the ages of five to 19 years old.
Ofsted highlighted how pupils feel very happy at Helen Allison School because the staff understand their needs so well and build positive and trusting relationships, as well as working to ensure that every pupil learns in the right environment.
The report said: “Pupils across the school have highly positive attitudes to their learning… As a result of the careful support provided by the school, and pupils’ own commitment to their learning, pupils across the school achieve well.”
The report added: “Pupils enjoy the very wide range of enriching opportunities the school provides. They learn a range of musical instruments and have opportunities to perform within
school and in the wider community… As pupils progress through the school, their confidence in themselves builds, and they learn to take great pride in their talents and interests. Pupils across the school attend well because they enjoy coming to school.”
Ofsted highlighted how staff work closely with families, and carry out a range of informative assessments in collaboration with the therapeutic team, to make sure “that staff know exactly what to focus on for each pupil, and how to adapt the learning environment to ensure that pupils feel safe, happy and comfortable.”
The report added: “As a result, pupils demonstrate increasingly positive engagement with the world around them and achieve well, with many becoming increasingly able to engage with learning in key areas such as communication and interaction, early reading and mathematics.”
Adam Wadey, Principal at Helen Allison School, said: “Our recent Ofsted visit really captured the hard work and dedication all the staff at Helen Allison School have put in since our previous inspection. I was delighted to read the report and to hear that our pupils feel happy and enjoy their time at school. I am so proud of all the staff who do all they can to support our pupils, and I am so proud of our pupils who make such great progress during their time at the school. I am incredibly honoured to be the Principal of such an amazing school.”
Josh Fitzgerald, Director of Education and Children’s Services at the National Autistic Society, said: “We are delighted that Helen Allison School has achieved a ‘Good’ rating from Ofsted, including ‘Outstanding’ in two areas. We’re immensely proud of all our staff for their incredible hard work and dedication to our pupils. We will continue to do all we can to support autistic children and young people to thrive at school.”
Helen Allison School has been supporting autistic children and young people for more than 50 years, providing a high-quality education that helps each child reach their full potential.
Read the full Ofsted report here. For more information about the National Autistic Society and the charity’s schools, visit the website at www.autism.org.uk
