Our autism specific class was first introduced in 2008 and officially was opened in 2011.
Since then the class has evolved and developed, constantly reflecting the needs of the current enrolled pupils. The EA have allocated eight spaces within the class for pupils who range from Primary One to Primary Four in age. We have two permanent Learning Support Assistants who are shared amongst the pupils.
All pupils must have a diagnosis of autism and a Statement of Special Educational Needs. Admissions are based on referrals made by Educational Psychology and allocation of a space is at the discretion of the Special Needs department within the EA.
Admission to the class can be at any stage within Primary One to Primary Four where a need has been identified. It is highly advised that new parents arrange an appointment to speak with Mrs Ramsey and teaching staff prior to accepting an offer of placement.
Our class is part of the Model Primary School which strives to deliver a broad and balanced mainstream curriculum. Reasonable adaptions will be made in order to assist our pupils with learning at the pace of a mainstream curriculum.
Our classroom is rooted in the five basic principles of TEACCH. We know that our pupils with autism are visual learners and therefore our teaching styles and intervention strategies reflect this. We believe fairness is not treating every child the same. Strategies which work for one child may not work for another pupil. We believe in working closely with parents and guardians in order to help pupils achieve their maximum potential. The ASC is a caring and nurturing space, with a dedicated staff who work closely with the children to develop the best possible learning environment for each individual pupil.
Autism is not a disability, it's a different ability.
