FAQs and information reports

The school plans to work with the National Autistic Society to gain the Autism Accreditation.

At The Cavendish School we will celebrate ‘neurodiversity’, which advocates that neurological differences should be recognised and respected, as with any other human variation. We will encourage, support and teach individuals to effectively communicate, self-advocate and participate in the wider community. Throughout our planning, we have drawn on the latest research into autism and the team’s expertise in education and experience of working with young people with autism and their families.

As part of the Trust's planning for The Cavendish School, the 2018 discussion forum brought together over a hundred families, professionals, researchers and educators to explore and discuss designing educational environments for children and young people with autism.

External events

Event one

Event two

Event three

Key information websites

National Autistic Society

Autism Education Trust

Help Guide

Preparing for adulthood - preparingforadulthood.org.uk

Launch your career - launchyourcareer.com

Cambridgeshire moving on document - cambridgeshire.gov.uk

Preparation for adulthood booklet as well which has lots of useful information in it – cambridgeshire.gov.uk

Your questions answered

Free schools are new, state-funded schools that are independent of Local Authority control and are set up in areas with demonstrable need. Special free schools are free schools that provide specialist, full-time education for students with a specific special educational need, either with, or in some specific cases, without, an Education, Health and Care Plan. Once open, free schools have the same legal status as academies and are funded and held accountable in the same ways.

Young people with autism have the same aspirations as ‘neuro-typical’ children, including a need to communicate, a desire for friendships and meaningful relationships, being employed in purposeful activities, being independent and happy. The Cavendish School will support every student as an individual to develop and flourish to the best of their ability, academically, socially, emotionally and personally. At the heart of the school will be relationships and their importance in supporting the growth of each young person. The bespoke curriculum will reflect the needs and interests of each individual, alongside a programme of opportunities including extra-curricular which is centred around each student.

There is no definitive answer to this question as each young person is an individual with a unique set of needs, strengths and interests. When a parent expresses interest, our team will start an investigatory process to learn about their child. The aim is to establish whether The Cavendish School would be right for each individual, and whether the school can meet their needs within the cohort of students. Each student who attends The Cavendish School will have a bespoke programme of learning that is tailored to their own needs and interests. We will use a range of evidence-based practices, pedagogies and strategies, as appropriate, to provide an individualised approach to social and emotional development.

The Cavendish School will be run independently from Impington Village College and will receive dedicated funding. The school will have its own Headteacher, staff and specialist therapists, providing a broad range of skills and experiences to support the specialist programme. It will be linked to Impington Village College and other schools within Eastern Learning Alliance, but will be inspected separately by Ofsted.

The Cavendish School will cater for both girls and boys. The presentation of autism in girls can be very different from boys. Many of the diagnostic systems and stereotypes of autism are based on boys, so there are likely to be many girls with autism in schools whose needs are not identified or understood. We have developed a programme which responds to gender-related autism spectrum condition (ASC) differences, including support for anxiety and general mental wellbeing. Please find out more here.

The Cavendish School will offer quality education for children from age 7 to 18, giving families the security of knowing that their child will have an appropriate school place until they leave education. Each student will have the benefit of a bespoke programme that is planned around their needs and interests as an individual. Each student will have access to a full range of facilities, and a variety of extra-curricular opportunities including those open to mainstream students and those specifically offered to young people with autism. A work experience programme will be developed, especially designed to support each individual as they set out on their very important journey from school into employment.

At The Cavendish school none of our practice is based within the fundamentals of ABA. We do not encourage pupils to mask their autism as we see and champion that neurodiversity is something to be celebrated and appreciated. At TCS we offer a safe environment to support our pupils to develop their own strategies and understanding to enable them to self-regulate and self-advocate allowing them to flourish and thrive.