New Autism Unit Opening @ Cathays High
Cathays High School will officially open a unit dedicated to teaching life skills to pupils with autism on Thursday November 12, at 4pm.
The Life Skills room has a fully fitted kitchen and will allow pupils to practice abilities essential for independent living. It follows the success of the school’s ASD (Autistic Spectrum Disorder) base, which was first set up five years ago, under the school’s “Opportunities for All” commitment.
Its creation was aimed at aiding pupils with autism to access a mainstream secondary education. Since then, ASD pupils have grasped the opportunities offered and contributed to, and shared in, the successes and achievements of the school.
In the past two years ASD students have gained excellent grades at GCSE and have moved on successfully to further education courses. They have also taken part in the school’s many extra-curricular activities, such as week long expeditions to Snowdonia as part of the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme, valuable work experience placements, overnight visits to London’s West End theatres and acting in school productions.
Executive Member for Schools and Lifelong Learning Councillor Freda Salway said: “The Life Skills room is an excellent addition to the facilities and support already available to pupils with autism at Cathays High. The school’s "Opportunities for All" commitment is a commendable pledge that has already helped these students to develop their skills and grow in themselves. This new unit will add to that success and I’m confident it will prove invaluable to all those who use it.”
