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<p>The Children and Families Act 2014, which came into force in September 2014, introduced
significant reforms to the Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) system.
The new statutory framework ensures that support is focused on needs and aspirations,
enabling all pupils, including those with autism, to achieve better outcomes in education
and adult life.</p><br /><p>Changes to the SEND system since September 2014 include
the publication of ‘local offers’ of SEND services by local authorities; the introduction
of streamlined education, health and care needs assessments and plans; and new statutory
protections for young people aged 16-25 in further education.</p><br /><p>The Act
also makes provision to ensure that parents, children and young people are able to
access impartial information, advice and support about the SEND system through a local,
dedicated and easily identifiable service. Among other things, this service offers
help in preparing for meetings with schools, health professionals, or other agencies.</p><br
/><p>The Department’s Free Schools programme has seen nineteen special free schools
open across the country. This includes several free schools that are specifically
for children with Autism, such as the Rise free school in Hounslow, the Lighthouse
free school in Leeds, and the National Autistic Society’s Church Lawton free school
in Cheshire. There are a further eleven special free schools due to open in the future,
five of which will specialise in provision for children with autism, including the
Heartlands Autism free school in Haringey and a second National Autistic Society free
school, the Vanguard free school in Lambeth. The other six will also offer some places
for children with autism.</p><br /><p>The Department has contracted with the Autism
Education Trust (2015-16) to deliver autism training to education professionals. The
Trust has now trained almost 80,000 education staff since 2012. The Department is
also providing grant funding for two additional projects (2015-16): a project by the
National Autistic Society to provide information and advice to parents and professionals
on exclusions; and a project by Ambitious about Autism on strategies for supporting
the transition from school to college.</p>
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