Oak Lodge awarded Advanced Status Accreditation from National Autistic Society

Oak Lodge School have been awarded Advanced Status Accreditation from the National Autistic Society according to their expectations for specialist day schools, following a review in December 2019.

A copy of the full NAS Report on the school can be found here.

The NAS Panel committee found compelling evidence that autistic young people access high quality personalised programmes of educational and therapeutic support. Approaches employed within the school are informed by a strength- based ethos with a strong focus on well-being, promoting independence, emotional-regulation, and making choices.

The Panel also found that staff were highly skilled communicators and differentiate their communication to match the communication preferences of each student. The students are encouraged to be confident and assertive in expressing their feelings, opinions and choices. Activities are visually structured to enable students to carry them out with increasing independence.

The Panel concluded the school is clearly a centre of expertise in the education of autistic young people. Oak Lodge hosts a local multidisciplinary SCERTS study group. It works closely with its local authority and collaborates in strategic work with parties locally and nationally. It works with and provides training to a range of services including the police. It is actively involved in a variety of autism-related research projects.

Ginny D'Odorico MSc
Deputy Headteacher