Everyone should be able to feel OK at school. But we know this isn’t the case for many autistic pupils.
That’s why Ambitious about Autism, in partnership with Zurich and the Z Zurich Foundation, created the Autistic and OK programme. The programme is designed to empower autistic pupils to take control of their mental health and wellbeing, understand themselves better, and feel OK .
We developed our Autistic and OK toolkit to run this innovative peer-led programme. This free resource is available for every UK secondary school and can be downloaded from our website.
We're excited to be part of the SEND Network connecting with teachers and SEND professionals to bring the benefits of the Autistic and OK programme to as many autistic pupils as possible!
As an experienced teacher and SENDCo, I have worked in primary and secondary schools in Suffolk, Norfolk and Essex. I have a particular interest in the implementation of SEND provision in mainstream schools and developed my research during the pandemic lockdowns to write my book 'Inclusive Education at the Crossroads: exploring effective special education in Global contexts,' with my co-author Professor Garry Hornby. I have since written short related papers for international publications. I'm also a great supporter of Special Needs Jungle which I follow keenly. I belong to the SEND Policy Research Forum, and the Division of International Special Education & Services (Dises). I am now continuing some independent research exploring the causes behind the growing rise in the number of children presenting with SEND and would welcome the views of other researchers on this subject.
