Throughout this week staff and pupils at Invergordon Academy have organised a number of activities to promote World Autism Awareness Week 2019. Posters were put up around the school and a powerpoint has been shown on the school plasma screens which gives information about Autism (ASD) and how to support ASD pupils to manage everyday life. There has also been a block of work done with all the PSE classes throughout the week, using a variety of resources and videos to help our pupils to understand more. During some of these classes an S4 pupil who has a diagnosis of ASD volunteered to share her experiences of the disorder. Staff have been busy too and on Tuesday night they all took part in a training session which highlighted strategies to support pupils with ASD, some of which came from the experiences of staff members with children of their own who have ASD.
As a school we are continually looking at how we can improve our inclusive approach and meet the emotional and learning needs of all pupils. We have a commitment to increase the level of understanding and strategies to support our pupils. This week we have secured a further training session for all staff in August 2019 which will be run by the experts at the Educational Psychology department. We have also committed to creating a sensory room which will be attached to our Nurture Room (nicknamed ‘The Pier’). This room will allow pupils with ASD a chance to relax during times they are finding difficult.
Unrelated to the fact it is World Autism Awareness Week, our YPI (Youth Philanthropy Initiative) finals on Tuesday were won by Leighton Mackay and Kyle Clark who were representing the Friends of Autism Highlands charity. The two S2 boys pitched an excellent presentation in front of nearly half the school which secured £3000 for the charity. The boys will now represent the school and the charity at the national final next term.
For more information about Autism please visit:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/15655232
Invergordon Academy 