Autism Professional Development for Staff

Our innovative staff development strategy is an area of strength. It equips and inspires staff to achieve our mission:

“To build safe, independent lives through support, understanding and enablement”

Every member of staff who works at Springfields is an Autism Practitioner. Therefore all colleagues are supported to understand and enable autistic young people through a bespoke training pathway in relation to their role within the Academy. You can find out more about our innovative and original approach to professional development below.

We appreciate that the history of autism is complex. Understanding today's perspectives on autism begins with recognising how thinking and research have progressed since the 1940s. This is in line with our school value of reflection- we look back honestly and move forward positively.

We actively seek and value autistic voices and integrate these into our training. Events such as A‑Fest and our Neurodiversity Networks showcase this partnership, whilst daily interactions with our autistic learners keeps lived experience at the heart of our professional growth. Although many early theories of autism now appear dated, awareness of them matters. Understanding Central Coherence helps us appreciate the significance of Monotropism, whilst awareness of Theory of Mind provides the backdrop for understanding the Double Empathy Problem.

We also hold an intersectional lens—recognising that autistic people are not a homogenous group but individuals whose experiences are shaped by overlapping aspects of identity including race, gender, class and sexuality. We keep the individual at the heart of everything that we do at Springfields.

We will continue to be led by the autistic community regarding aspects such as identity-first language.

autism training overview.pdf

staff development big picture.pdf

Our commitment to developing effective autism practice is reflected through our performance management targets. Through a personalised, autism-focused target, staff members develop their confidence, skills and experience in working with autistic children.

To reflect the contribution that every role makes towards supporting children with autism, the academy has developed a range of role-specific autism competencies. Staff are supported the achieve these competencies through our on-going professional learning programme.

Our autism competencies:

The Springfields Academy

Reach South Academy Trust

Autism Professional Development for Staff