Greg Smith MP has shown their support for the National Autistic Society’s call for urgent reform of the education system, to ensure that autistic children and young people can get the right school places that meet their needs.
Greg attended the National Autistic Society’s Let Every Child Learn event, at Portcullis House on Tuesday 23 January 2024, to learn more about the charity’s recent Education Report, which revealed a woeful lack of the right support for autistic pupils at school.
There are more than 200,000 autistic pupils in England, but only a quarter (26%) feel happy at school and three in four parents or carers of autistic children (74%) said their child’s school place does not meet their needs.
Without appropriate teacher training, autistic children are twice as likely to be excluded from school. While 87% of teachers surveyed felt confident supporting autistic pupils in the classroom, only 39% of teachers in mainstream schools have received more than half a day’s autism training. This falls to just 14% for secondary school teachers.
The barriers that autistic pupils can face at school include sensory overload, bullying, a lack of understanding from teachers and peers, and a lack of support with exams and during key transition periods.
At the Let Every Child Learn event, Greg heard from students about their experiences at school, viewed artwork by the National Autistic Society’s campaigners and heard about what the Government can do to make sure all autistic children receive a quality education.
There were speeches by the Chief Executive of the National Autistic Society, Caroline Stevens, the Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Autism, Sir Robert Buckland MP, the Director of the Cullum Family Trust, Peter Cullum, the National Autistic Society’s Celebrity Ambassador, Carrie Grant, and the charity’s Young Ambassador, Max.
Mel Merritt, Head of Policy and Campaigns at the National Autistic Society, said: “We were delighted to welcome Greg Smith MP to our Let Every Autistic Child Learn event at Parliament so they could hear directly from autistic people about how the education system isn’t working for them.
“There is no excuse – every child should be taught by a teacher who’s had training to understand autism. Too many autistic children are missing out on support to learn and enjoy school. We look forward to working together to make our vision for quality education for all autistic people a reality.”
