David Gilbert
David's L2M Bikeride page
Fundraising for Ambitious about Autism
Story
Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.
Inspired by our our family London to Brighton ride, I've somehow been talked into taking part in Rapha's London to Manchester cycle ride. The ride is 350km (220m) in one go, starting at midnight on August 31 from Saracens' Allianz Park and ending in the Peak District the next day. Probably very late the next day.
Im raising funds for Ambitious about Autism, a fantastic charity that provides educational support for children and young people with autism. We all spend a lot of time, effort and, in some cases, money to ensure our kids have the best possible schooling and education. This is something that is far more complicated for children with autism but with special educational care, they can succeed at school and beyond. Ive set out below some facts that were news to me, and may be to you, about autism. You can find out more about how Ambitious about Autism supports the education of children and young people with autism at www.ambitiousaboutautism.org.uk
I know some of you sponsored Marianne, Cameron and me for London to Brighton, for which we are most grateful. And if that's your sponsorship limit done, that's fine. But if you can donate for this fantastic cause, I'd be hugely appreciative.
Any donations, of any size, would be just brilliant.
Thanks so much
David
How common is autism?
It’s common: the UK estimate is that it affects about one in 100 children
How do children with autism fare at school?
- 70% of children with autism are educated in mainstream schools; the rest are in specialist provisions (which isn’t necessarily a bad thing: different environments suit different children).
- Over 11% of children with special educational needs in state funded schools have a diagnosis of autism.
- The number of Statements/EHCPs that list autism as the primary need has increased by 3% since 2010
What about quality of teaching?
- 60% of teachers in England do not feel they have had adequate training to teach children with autism.
- 35% of teachers think it has become harder to access specialist support for children with autism
Another problem is that children with autism are at risk of exclusion
- A survey conducted by the charity found that 40% of parents reported that their son or daughter had been informally and illegally excluded in the last 12 months and 20% had been excluded formally .
- Government statistics show that children with a statement of special educational needs are six times more likely to be excluded from school than children with no special educational needs
Sadly, children with autism are also at risk of bullying
- Primary school pupils with special educational needs are twice as likely as other children to suffer from persistent bullying
- Fifteen-year-olds with statements of special educational needs are more likely to be excluded by a group of schoolmates or called names – a form of victimisation that is often referred to as “relational bullying”
What about academic achievement?
- In 2012-13, 61% of all GCSE pupils achieved five A*-C grades, including English and Mathematics.
- In the same year, 26% GCSE students with autism achieved A*-C grades in those subjects.
How do people with autism do after school?
- Fewer than one in four school leavers with autism stay in further or higher education.
- 77% of young people with special educational needs such as autism who take A-Levels or equivalent exams will go on to higher education, employment or training
- 17% of nineteen-year-olds with a disability (as compared with 7% of non-disabled nineteen-year-olds) report being ‘fairly’ or ‘very’ dissatisfied with their life so far
None of these facts are inevitable – Ambitious about Autism aim to make these statistics a thing of the past, so that children with autism can succeed at school and autism should not be a barrier to a good education and a healthy, happy rewarding life.