Resourced Provision

At The Alderton Junior School we have an enhanced provision (ASC) for 8 pupils. The ASC supports autistic pupils with an Educational Health Care Plan (where the primary need is Autism) in accessing mainstream school.

What is the Autism Support Centre (ASC)?
Some mainstream schools across Essex have extra support available for pupils with special
needs and disabilities.  These are called ‘Enhanced Provisions’.  These are not the same as
special schools: Enhanced Provisions provide a safe space for pupils to overcome their
barriers to learning within a mainstream school. The dedicated ASC teams support pupils to
build their attendance in mainstream lessons over time. When in the ASC, pupils can access
their work and complete timetabled interventions that meet their specific needs.

Across Essex, there are eight primary Autism Support Centres and four secondary Autism
Support Centres.
To have a placement in one of the Autism Support Centres a child must have:
 *  A diagnosis of autism
 *  A finalised Education Health and Care Plan for children or young people with autism
       as the primary need
 * The cognitive ability to access the mainstream academic curriculum with appropriate 
       support from the autism support centre to overcome their barriers to learning.

Places within the ASCs are requested via the annual review process. All requests are
carefully considered by the Essex Autism Panel.
The purpose of the ASC is to ensure that the pupils attending the centre make progress as
detailed within their Education Health and Care Plan.  The ASC provides enhanced support
using evidence-based strategies, to enable the pupil to spend increasing amounts of time
accessing the classroom and engaging with their peers in a mainstream setting.
Please note that pupils who are currently educated within Alderton Junior School mainstream setting must follow the same process, to ensure equity for all students in the county.

What does a day in the ASC look like for our pupils?
ASC pupils are greeted every morning by the ASC team. Pupils who are not yet able to
attend morning class time remain in the ASC to complete structured activities.

Throughout the day, pupils are encouraged to complete their individualised timetables.
These visual timetables are created with the pupil’s input and are tailored to meet the pupil’s
particular interests and provisions set out in their EHCP/One Plan. Most pupils will attend
core subjects, or complete the work set in the ASC. All pupils have the option to return to the
ASC should they become dysregulated- the ASC is a supervised safe space where they can
regulate with access to the right resources. To help avoid dysregulation, pupils have
timetabled regulation time built into their timetable.

ASC pupils can attend break and lunch time in the ASC. Some pupils prefer to be
accompanied to the canteen to collect their food. Some use mainstream areas to socialise
with their peers. During social time, pupils are encouraged to engage in Social and
Communication activities. Activity stations enable pupils - who may at times struggle to interact with peers - to work in pairs or small groups to complete activities such as card
games, jigsaw puzzles and board games.

The amount of time spent in the ASC will vary for each child, depending on their needs.
The overall aim is to support each child to overcome any barriers they face in attending the
mainstream classroom. Therefore, the amount of time spent in the ASC will reduce
overtime, as the child is more able to spend increasing amounts of time in their mainstream
classroom. If you have followed the Admissions application process and you have further enquiries, these must be made directly with the Admissions Service on telephone number: 0345 603 2200.   

If you would like to make an appointment to visit or chat about the ASC and discuss its
suitability for your child please email office@ajs.efspt.org