Yesterday, 8 January, Skipton and Ripon MP, Rt Hon Sir Julian Smith KCB CBE, delivered a compelling speech during the second reading of the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill in the House of Commons, advocating for greater support for autistic children and their families.
Julian highlighted two key areas of the Bill; the registration of children not in school and teacher training. He stressed the importance of these measures in ensuring no child is left ‘lost or hidden in the system.’
Drawing attention to the unique challenges faced by autistic children, particularly those with Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA), Julian urged the Government to consult closely with autism charities and experts to ensure that implementation reflects the realities faced by families.
Julian highlighted, “The inadvertent risk of penalising those families through fines or stricter rules, that can obviously add to the harm and the stress that those families are often having. And I would urge ministers and civil servants to reflect on that. Why should an autistic parent, be fined if they are doing all they can to get their children into school?”
Julian praised the efforts of organisations such as Ambitious About Autism for their work in advocating for a more detailed data profile on children not in school, which he argued would help local authorities and schools provide tailored support.
Julian also cited the work of the National Autistic Society, The Children’s Commissioner, The PDA Society and the Autism Education Trust.
On the topic of teacher training, Julian called for expanded autism-specific modules in both initial teacher training and ongoing professional development.
Julian said, “The more that individual teacher training programs can have specific models about the different aspects of autism and the challenges on school entry, the more that can be done on continuous professional development for all staff, teachers, administration staff, and receptionists is key.”
Julian concluded by emphasising that improving understanding of autism within schools is crucial to achieving the bill’s core goal of increasing school attendance.
You can watch Julian’s full speech here: https://fb.watch/w-jyFIab_Y/
