Addington Valley Academy Awarded Autism Specialist Accreditation

We are pleased to share that, following a 4-day inspection process in November 2024, Addington Valley Academy (AVA) have been awarded the ‘Autism Accreditation Specialist Award’ by the National Autistic Society. This has been a school development goal since they first opened so Principal, John Reilly and his team are very proud of their achievement.

The National Autistic Society is the UK’s leading charity for autistic people, providing the UK’s only autism-specific quality assurance programme of support and development across organisations throughout the UK and across the world, including local authorities, NHS trusts, education authorities, schools, colleges and more.

The accreditation process sets extremely high standards for autism practice, ensuring an ongoing commitment to understanding autism and focussing on the key areas of:

• Social communication, interaction and relationships
• Functional skills and self-reliance
• Sensory experiences
• Emotional wellbeing

The inspection included observations of teaching and student support practices, oversight of key person-centred documentation, planning and policies, feedback from parents and carers and discussions with key people within the school including students.

During the inspection, AVA were able to evidence that specialist approaches are used effectively to ensure students are supported in developing and thriving in the 4 key areas of the accreditation process. Furthermore, the minor areas for development were identified as ones which can be addressed swiftly and were existing areas of focus within their school development plan.

The full report can be found here but some highlights from the  feedback report include:

‘The strong relationships between staff and students stood out as a strength of the school.’

‘Staff are confident in talking about how they support autistic individuals in their communication and social interaction and what progress has been made, several senior leaders spoke fondly of the progress they have seen around specific students…’

‘…staff have a working knowledge of evidence-informed approached associated with good autism practice…they can adapt these specialist approaches so that support is person-centred and tailored to individuals…’

Students engage in activities which are ‘…purposeful and engaging and which promote their independence and emotional wellbeing, as well as their social communication skills.’

‘The school are aspirational in their commitment to the wellbeing of their students…’

‘Addington Valley is an amazing school.  The pupils are always put first, the structure of the school day is suited around the classes which works amazingly well…’

 ‘Addington Valley is an absolute godsend. The school is an excellent environment for young people with autism and my son has thrived since joining the school…’

Christine Flintoft-Smith, Head of Autism Accreditation and Projects at the National Autistic Society, said: “We are delighted that Addington Valley Academy has achieved the Autism Specialist Award. The team should be exceptionally proud of their achievement and commitment towards improving support for autistic people.”

Principal, John Reilly, thanked the school community for their support: ‘Thank you to all students, staff, parents and carers who contributed by providing their feedback as part of the assessment process. We value your feedback, and we are sure you will celebrate this significant achievement for Addington Valley Academy’.