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Applications for the 2025/26 School year are now open!
Please complete this form before October 20th to register your interest in taking part.
All schools who have completed the form will be contacted in early November with further information and next steps. Please direct any queries to autismfriendlyschools@asiam.ie
What is the Autism Friendly Schools Project?
AsIAm, in cooperation with the Joint Managerial Body and Irish Primary Principal’s Network, began conducting an Autism-Friendly Schools Pilot with 118 National and Secondary Schools across Ireland. Participating schools were supported in reflecting on their practice, identifying challenges and solutions, creating an inclusive culture and building knowledge and understanding of Autism among staff and students. To date, we have worked with over 500 schools across the country.
What is the aim of the project?
The project aims to support schools in the provision of inclusive educational placements for Autistic children and young people alongside specialist provision. It is designed to reaffirm good practice and support those wishing to foster a school culture that is inclusive of autistic students.
The project will cover the following areas:
• Teaching and Learning
• Inclusive School Culture
• Leadership and Management
• Staff professional development
How can I apply?
Once a school has applied (via the link above) and been accepted onto the Autism Friendly Schools Project, they will complete the following steps:
1. Release two staff members (preferably one mainstream class teacher and one special education/learning support teacher) to attend 3 workshops over the academic year (two online and one in-person).
2. Use the Autism Friendly Schools toolkit for in-school assessments and the development of strategic planning for inclusion. Participants will get access to an online toolkit to support engagement.
3. Promote the AsIAm Autism Friendly Schools CPD course and make this available to all staff/colleagues.
4. Actively promote the school’s participation in the Autism Friendly Schools Project among the wider school community, via social media, BOM meetings, PTA meetings, Autism awareness events/activities etc.
Please note: there will be no provision for travel expenses/sub-cover. As we are a charity, the programme is dependent on investment from starting and returning schools to cover the cost of the three training days. The data compiled from the online toolkit will be anonymised and no school or individual will be identifiable. This aims to form a national perspective on how primary and post-primary schools are engaging in Autism-friendly practices.Returning schools who are signing up for year 2 or 3 can contact us at autismfriendlyschools@asiam.ie to confirm their place if they haven’t already done so.
