Telford school praised for ‘high standards of good practice’
A Telford school has received official ‘accredited’ status from The National Autistic Society for the support it offers to autistic children and young people.
Queensway North, which is part of the Learning Community Trust, caters for students on the autistic spectrum, and those with social, emotional and mental health difficulties.
And after a detailed assessment as part of the National Autistic Society’s quality assurance programme, it has emerged with flying colours.
In a letter to the school, autism accreditation quality manager Stephen said: “Congratulations on demonstrating the highest standards of good practice in supporting autistic children and young people.”
Queensway North is the only school in Shropshire to currently hold the society’s accredited kite mark.
The assessment took place over three days, and examined the school’s performance in wide-ranging areas such as emotional support for students, sensory experiences, staff training, and the depth and quality of engagement with families.
Principal Julie Bravo said: “We are absolutely delighted to have received this official recognition of our hard work here, which is testament to the staff's commitment to offer the best possible provision to our youngsters.
“We were equally thrilled that the assessors recognised the safe, nurturing and happy environment that we work so hard to create, offering a sense of belonging to each child.
“Our objective is to reignite a thirst for learning in our students, within a challenging but inclusive environment, through a broad and balanced curriculum.”
The assessment report said: “Staff have excellent relationships with pupils and understand each individual child’s social, emotional and academic needs.
“There is a positive ‘can do’ attitude across the staff team and staff are obviously passionate about their work and caring of pupils. This ensures pupils are supported to reach their full potential.
“All staff have an excellent understanding of how best to support pupils based on a knowledge and appreciation of their autism.”
The report added: “The school is passionate about developing students’ communication and interaction skills through their ever-expanding enrichment activities and creative curriculum offer.”
Dr Gill Eatough, chief executive of the Learning Community Trust, said: “We are delighted to be the only school in Shropshire or Telford & Wrekin to carry this official accreditation.
“We pride ourselves on taking a holistic approach to teaching and learning at Queensway North, working in a hands-on fashion with students and their families.
“But it is always nice when we see our work being officially acknowledged by nationally-recognised assessors.”
