West Gate School accommodates pupils with
ASD across the school but also offers 5 highly specialist ASD classes, 3 primary and 2 secondary in our National Autistic Society accredited Autism Provision.
There is also an ASD Base at the Learning
Centre.
A variety of approaches and strategies are employed to reduce anxiety and enable our pupils with autism to take part in activities across the school day as independently as possible. These are adapted to meet individual needs and interests:
• Use of structure to help individuals understand what they are doing, how long they might be doing it for and what they will be doing next. This may include pictorial or written timetables, objects of reference or photographs, timers.
• Clear visual supports. These are personalised to the individual according to their needs and progress as the pupil develops e.g. a laminated pictorial Velcro individual timetable to written can further develop into the use of conventional diary management and presentation.
•Low arousal environments teaching new skills in a calm distraction free environment with visual supports can maximise success in learning. The skills learned can then be generalised to more ‘real life’ environments. Each of our newly built classrooms has a side room where a pupil can work 1:1 with an adult if they find the proximity of the group difficult to manage. Dining hubs alongside the main dining hall enable pupils to eat their lunch in a small social group if the larger environment would be too problematic for them.
•Knowledge of the individual’s likes are used to motivate and engage them in their learning.
Parents and carers are encouraged to participate.
Learning and Curriculum Approaches
Underpinning all teaching and learning is an emphasis on the development of skills to enable pupils to operate as independently as possible in the future
Individual Education Plan (IEP)
Each pupil in the Autism Provision has a detailed IEP. The IEP contains targets to address their individual needs as a young person with autism. As such they contain targets for communication, social interaction, flexibility of thinking, independence skills and sensory issues. Speech & Language Therapists are often involved in setting communication targets. A multi-agency approach, including parents/carers, ensures consistency across settings.
Key Stage 5 students’ IEP focusses on needs relating to their autism, promoting independence and planning for the future when they leave West Gate. We work with local organisations e.g. YMCA
Flat 108 and have links with local colleges and employers.
There are 2 main strands to the Autism provision Curriculum:
The Core Curriculum
This includes English, maths, Personal Social Health Citizenship
Education (PSHCE), ICT and IEPs. Key Stage 5 classes are grouped on ability for Entry Level maths and English lessons.
A Broad and Balanced Curriculum
In Key Stage 1 & 3 this is delivered as topic work that covers history, geography, science, design and technology, art, ICT and PSHCE. In
Key Stage 3 and 4 through project weeks which cover science, geography, history, music, art, design and technology, religious education.
The arts, that include music, art and drama, enable us to work on priority areas such as interaction, sensory issues, communication, joint attention, awareness of self and imaginative play. The ASD
Base at the Learning Centre have a social communication session each week which is planned around the needs of the students.
These sessions involve communication games and activities and the use of published programmes e.g. Social Eyes.

Equal Opportunities and Inclusion
We aim for pupils with autism to have a range of opportunities for inclusion both within school and in the wider community. Community visits are encouraged e.g. shopping, crossing the road, using public libraries and cafes. In partnership with LA Independent Travel Training post 16 pupils are enabled to travel to school using public transport.
Developing an understanding of how to stay safe is built into the curriculum e.g. learning about road safety, safe use of electrical equipment. Kettles and boiling water is not available in classrooms but hot drink making is taught in Independent Living lessons
.
Home School Communication
We encourage close home school communication. We want to build a relationship with parents and carers so they can be part of the multi-agency approach to their child’s learning and well-being.
Home School Book
Person Centred Review
Parents can be supported through the review process by SENDIASS and Core Assets as part of the Independent Supporters Initiative.
Sensitive Issues
If there is an incident of inappropriate behaviour e.g. inappropriate touching and affection this is discussed with parents. Staff call parent, follow up calls if and when required and adaptations made in class to prevent/manage the situation should it happen again. Sex and Relationship education is delivered appropriate to student’s physical and emotional maturity. This is an area of PSHCE that parents are invited to discuss prior to delivery of lessons. Letters are sent home and parents invited into school to discuss. This enables consistency of approach in an area of social interaction that if taught well will aid in safeguarding and enable pupils to have a thorough understanding of consent.
Staffing
Staff receive both in house and outside training to support the development of their understanding of autism and to stay as up to date as possible.
High levels of staffing and individualised learning programmes ensure that the learning and social needs of each pupil are met.
The Autism Lead and Autism Teaching and Learning
Leads are available to support staff, pupils and parents across the school.
ASD Base at the Learning Centre
The Learning Centre is an annexe of the neighbouring mainstream college and is leased by
West Gate to provide the more academically and socially able students with ASD the opportunity to do
GCSEs and mix with mainstream pupils in the canteen and shared school facilities. Some students are taught in the Autism Base class with familiar staff and routines, other students join the main Learning
Centre and some students have a combination of both.