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school provision, as they were non-complex cases requiring a single agency response, and that input from ISIS should best be focused on support for more complex cases that required additional time and expertise.

In response to this, it was suggested that a multi-agency working party should be established to look at creative ways of addressing these referrals. There was a great deal of knowledge and skills within schools which was not being effectively harnessed and schools needed support to develop and share good practice. Following a series of discussions, it was thought that the best way for the ISIS team to provide support would be to assist schools in developing their own capacity to support these students. Specifically, it was suggested that this should focus on early intervention strategies to prevent issues from escalating to reduce the need for additional multi-agency support at a later point.

The autism champions modelThe Autism Champions Project was developed with the aim of supporting local schools to develop and share good practice by identifying a nominated staff member (champion) within each organisation who could take on the role of developing provision for these pupils. Following a training course, each champion was required to create a project to implement within their setting. The aim was to empower the autism champion to achieve sustainable, positive change for the pupils. Those selected to be autism champions included teachers, learning mentors, teaching assistants and family support workers. All had completed a basic foundation course in autism but often not had the opportunity to build on this training. So the team developed the autism champions training programme. This offered the opportunity to gain a more in-depth knowledge of the theories relating to autism and to provide a comprehensive package of practical strategies to support pupils in school and at home. The training consisted of seven two-hour sessions held bi-weekly that covered the following topics:

• Theory 1: Social communication, social interaction, language

• Theory 2: Thinking, sensory and motor

• Interventions: Learning strategies

• Interventions: Language

• Interventions: Social

• Interventions: ICT interventions and resources

• Interventions: Behavioural and emotional

In addition to this, the team provided individual supervision for each champion throughout the development and implementation of their chosen project. This typically consisted of two sessions per term, but more sessions were given in response to need.

The settings from which the champions were selected varied to ensure the widest possible reach within the local area. They covered both rural and urban schools and a local family support team. The projects selected by the champions also varied and reflected the need within their individual setting. The projects included:

• Setting up a parents’ support group

• Devising a handbook and resources to support continuity of practice

• Developing lunchtime play provision

• Supporting school-wide knowledge through the use of pupil profiles

Case StudiesCase study 1This was a two-form entry Church of England primary school. There were approximately 420 children on roll and the percentage of pupils with SEN or a disability (SEND) was above average. The champion was a class-based teaching assistant. The number of children with autism requiring support at the school was increasing and the champion was currently supporting individual children. However, the school was keen to use her knowledge and skills to support a wider range of children.

The champion worked with the mentor to identify two target projects. The champion had noticed that the strategies she used to support individual pupils were not necessarily implemented when they moved to a different class. The first project therefore aimed to improve consistency and continuity for pupils with autism and to reduce the reoccurrence of problems. The second project aimed to develop a support group for parents of children with autism. To address the first project, the champion worked on developing the use of effective individualised

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pupil profiles or pen portraits that would follow pupils from class to class. This involved observations and discussions with individual children and information from class teachers. With the mentor’s support, the champion devised a workable format and ensured that every child with a diagnosis of autism had an up-to-date profile. This information is now accessible for all staff and for student and supply teachers.

As a result of her improved knowledge and skills and increased confidence, the champion’s role has changed significantly. She is now non-class based and able to use her skills to reach more children within the setting. She is able to liaise with teachers to monitor the profiles she established and keep them up to date. Being the named person with responsibility for supporting pupils with autism has helped enhance her confidence. Furthermore, being non-class based and having a better understanding of the needs across the school has enabled her to be more equipped to plan the parent support group to address the specific individual needs of the families.

Case study 2This setting is an early intervention and family support project which provides alternative solutions for children aged 4–13 years and their families in a number of primary schools. The project works with a range of groups and has a variety of roles, including taking the lead professional role within a multi-disciplinary team. This involves working in partnership with schools and other organisations. This interdisciplinary contact has enabled the team to identify gaps in their knowledge of autism and strategies. Representatives from the organisation were invited to the autism champion training.

Two members of the team attended the training sessions and it was agreed that they would both work on the champion target project. They decided to create a handbook for family support workers to help them work effectively alongside education professionals and ensure a continuity of approach between school and home settings. Through the handbook, it was hoped that those in the family support team would have a solid baseline of information and strategies to use before requesting additional support. The champions also worked with their mentor to create a bank of resources that they could share with colleagues. It was agreed that they would be given time within their own team meetings to disseminate information. The improved knowledge of

autism has enabled the champions and their team to be more confident in applying strategies when working with families at home and to more effectively support pupils. It is also beginning to reduce the need for educational professionals to provide additional resources for families to use at home as the support workers are now able to provide these strategies and resources themselves.

Case study 3This setting is a smaller than average sized primary school. The proportion of pupils with SEND is broadly average, although in some year groups it is much higher. The champion selected was a teaching assistant with a particular interest in working with pupils with autism and a strong desire to improve her skills. The school felt that they managed the needs of pupils with autism well within the classroom but they were experiencing an increasing number of problems over lunchtime. Pupils often found it difficult to settle during the afternoon sessions and this was affecting their work.

So, the champion decided to create a different kind of provision for specific pupils during the lunchtime. She worked with class teachers to identify the children who they felt needed support and decided to set up a club where they were able to do things that interested them in a small group, with some adult support. The group evolved from the pupils selected and their individual interests. Initially, the champion provided a variety of board games to encourage interaction, but then recognised there were more benefits when allowing access to laptops. The students all chose to use different programmes, appeared more relaxed than previously and were able to chat to each other about what they were doing. Most of these children had shown little interest in interacting together socially before but in this environment appeared happy and relaxed with each other. One of the children had a particular interest in gardening and his mother agreed to support the group by creating a gardening project. He was joined by other interested pupils who were not diagnosed with autism and this allowed him to share his interests confidently in a supportive environment.

All of the pupils said they looked forward to the sessions and the class teachers reported that they were much calmer when returning to the classroom for the afternoon sessions. The Champion was able to use the knowledge and skills she had learnt from the training programme and her profile as a source of support within the school has

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been raised, which in turn has enhanced her confidence in supporting and advising colleagues. The school ran this project as a pilot one day per week and its success means that they now hope to be able to involve more staff so they can offer this support for more lunchtime sessions.

Concluding commentsThe Autism Champions Project aimed to increase capacity within local schools by providing more in-depth knowledge of autism, combined with mentoring, to further develop inclusive provision within each setting. It appeared that each of the settings involved in the project now has a more solid base of knowledge and skills as well as increased confidence. This pilot has illustrated that with support, it may be possible for schools and organisations to address a diverse range of needs thus reducing the demand for individual children to be referred for additional specialist support. Although the pilot is in its early stages it seems that sustainable outcomes are emerging. Initial reflections on the project suggest that it has had a significant impact on the settings involved. In each case it has reduced the referral rate for children with less complex needs and improved inclusive provision within the setting.

One of the key aims of the project was to empower the schools and organisations to have a strong set of skills and the confidence to manage inclusive practices for themselves. As a group, the champions have reflected that having mentoring support for their individual projects was a key factor. This has also had a wider impact on increasing capacity and improving outcomes within the individual settings. For example, the autism champion asked class teachers to monitor the afternoon behaviour of those children attending the lunchtime group. The teachers reported that on the day the children attended the lunchtime group, they were noticeably calmer when coming into class after lunch.

Given the positive outcomes highlighted here, this model has the potential to improve inclusion for children with SEN in mainstream provision and so reduce the need for further costly, specialist referrals or changes in placement. This would help to achieve the aims set out by recent legislation and combat shortcomings that have been identified in relation to mainstream provision and inclusion practices. However, whilst the initial outcomes have been very promising, further evaluation is required to explore the specific benefits of the model. Future directions for

the programme therefore involve implementing it with another cohort to increase the impact within the local area and to collect data on referrals and outcomes for both the champions and the children they support. An evaluation of the champions experiences of the training programme and the mentoring could also highlight the benefits of the work and identify any areas for improvement.

References and further readingAudit Commission (2002) Special educational needs, a mainstream issue available at www.education.gov.uk/publications/standard/publicationDetail/Page1/LAR2894 (accessed 10 October 2013).

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Department for Children, Schools and Families (2008) Bullying Involving Children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities London: Department for Children, Schools and Families.

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The Autism Champions Project: strengthening capacity within and across schools