RUN A PTA – Autism-aware PTAs
Give as much information in advance as possible about fundraisers and events, to help autistic kids feel prepared. Provide a schedule and a map of the venue, both beforehand and on the day, and include visual information such as photos. Consider creating a ‘visual story’ describing what the experience will be like –
touchautism.com has a free tool.
If an activity involves food, Christine says: ‘Make sure there is more than one option, and that there are plainer ones available. Let kids know they can bring their own food if they need to.’
‘Being inclusive is a core part of
who we are’ Our ethos at Kingsnorth CofE Primary School is that all pupils should have access to our activities, regardless of need. We noticed that autistic children had stopped coming to our school discos, so the fi rst thing we did was introduce a quiet space in the library just outside the hall. Pupils could have time out to regulate, and go back in if they wanted to. Then we thought, how can we take this further? We held our fi rst silent disco last March, and the feedback from all the children was phenomenal. Several parents of SEND pupils said their children loved it because they could control the volume, and they didn’t feel different because everyone was wearing headphones. We now run two silent discos a year.
Get feedback from autistic children and their families. ‘Ask: “How did we do? How could
we do better next time?”’ says Christine. ‘Get them to help you develop an accessibility checklist of things to consider. That’s one way to make sure it’s sustainable, not a one-off.’
Queues and crowds can be a challenge for autistic kids. If you’re having a bake sale, organise a queue-jump system for pupils who need it.
Pacing of activities is key. Autistic children may need more processing time, or time out to regulate. ‘Make sure nothing happens too quickly, and that there are breaks,’ says Christine. ‘If you’re doing an auction of promises, for example, make sure it doesn’t run from start to fi nish with no pause.’
For our Christmas fair, we
introduced a SEND-only session at the start so pupils could go around the games and stalls without hundreds of other people in the hall. We kept the fl ashing lights off too. Instead of the group storytime sessions with Santa, SEND pupils had a one-to-one session with him. When we run Frozen Fridays, some pupils fi nd it diffi cult to queue, so we allow several children to come discreetly to the front.
In all our communications we say
that we intend our events to be fully inclusive regardless of cost or need. We state the provisions we have but invite parents to contact us if they have any questions or concerns. In everything we do, we have that conversation about how we can meet everyone’s needs; it’s a core part of our discussions. Karen Wilkins, SEND governor and PFA member at Kingsnorth CofE Primary School, Ashford, Kent (423 pupils)
50 SUMMER 2025 School Fundraising
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