(UK) Cheshunt: Nursery/preschool receives autism inclusion award

Dec 11, 2021, In Your Area: Cheshunt school is first early years setting in UK to achieve National Autistic Society’s Autism Inclusion Award https://www.inyourarea.co.uk/news/cheshunt-school-is-first-early-years-setting-in-uk-to-achieve-national-autistic-societys-autism-inclusion-award/

London Borough Arlesdene Nursery and Pre-School in Cheshunt, Hertfordshire is the first early years setting in the UK to achieve a National Autistic Society Inclusion Award…. Autism is a lifelong disability which affects how people communicate and interact with the world. There are around 700,000 autistic people in the UK. Because it’s a spectrum, every autistic person is different and will have their own strengths and face varying challenges. … “The wellbeing of our children is important to us and we continually strive to provide a caring and happy environment where each child’s individual needs are met. We are absolutely delighted that our dedication and hard work has been recognised.”… Teresa Heritage, Cabinet Member for children, young people and families at Hertfordshire County Council, said: “Hertfordshire is fortunate in that it has many excellent education settings and Arlesdene nursery and pre-school is a shining example of early years excellence. It’s important that we deliver a high quality education across the county from early years through to 18 years of ages for all children and young people on the autistic spectrum. “This award recognises its commitment to embracing and celebrating that every child is unique. Everyone at Arlesdene should be very proud of themselves for the positive impact they make on the children and their families.” Christine Flintoft-Smith, head of accreditation at the National Autistic Society, said: “Arlesdene Nursery and Pre-school should be exceptionally proud of this achievement. They’re the first early years setting in the UK to achieve our new Inclusion Award. And their commitment to improving how they work with and support autistic people is really impressive. “We know that, across the country, autistic people are faced with not enough services, not enough understanding and not enough support. We hope other educational settings will follow Arlesdene Nursery and Pre-school’s lead and do their bit to create services and a society that works for autistic people.” The National Autistic Society’s Autism Inclusion Award for educational settings, is in partnership with the Autism Education Trust (AET) and its process involves scrutiny of evidence provided by the setting against the AET’s Standards and Competencies frameworks and anonymous surveys sent to parents and/or autistic people. For more details about the National Autistic Society’s Autism Accreditation programme, including the Autism Inclusion Award, visit their website: autism.org.uk accreditation.