Limpsfield Grange School
Tucked away on the edge of Surrey is a very special place. I was feeling sad, angry and in despair as I pulled up to a set of iron gates in the pretty village of Limpsfield for an open morning and tour of the school.
I pushed the large heavy wooden door and entered a building resembling more of a country house than the institution I had imagined. A cheery hello was called out from a small office and I filled out a few details before taking a seat in the homely, happy reception which doubled as a library with large fireplace and sofas. Over the next fifteen minutes I was joined by over twenty other parents all looking thoroughly relieved to be somewhere far better than they could have hoped.
All twenty four of us squeezed into the Headmistresse's office where we each introduced ourselves and gave a brief account of the horrific situation we found ourselves in. It was a total revelation for all of us to hear such similar accounts of isolation, fear, exhaustion and endless futile battles with 'the system'. We were all parents of autistic girls who are suffering in mainstream schools which don't know how to teach or support them. They may be excellent schools for many children but cannot accommodate the complex needs of our girls. Nearly every parent told how their daughter could just about 'hold it together' on reduced timetables at school but that the fallout at home was immense - violence against family, self injury, smashed windows, running away, breakdowns. All because our girls are not receiving the level of support they so desperately need. Many of us were close to tears to realise this is so common.
Limpsfield Grange is a maintained Surrey School for girls on the Autistic Spectrum. Shockingly it is the ONLY one in the country and is outstanding.
The school is run by Mrs Wild, an inspiring young woman, who spoke with such love, honesty and understanding of the girls in her care that each of us was begging to be given a place at her wonderful, uplifting, happy school. We felt for the first time that this was someone who would care for our daughters as well as we do and, even better, was trained and experienced in understanding the often baffling and upsetting behaviour our daughters display.
We were taken on a tour of the school including the grounds with alpacas and goats & residential areas with sleeping dogs. Every corner of the school gave off a warm, happy vibe. Most impresively Mrs Wild stopped a couple of the passing girls to ask how they felt about the school and we got a glimpse of how our girls might be under her guidance - charming, quirky, resilient, wonderful girls.
Each member of staff seemed to relish their job, was relaxed, intuitive and incredibly good natured.
With the tour over we squeezed back into the office to bombard Mrs Wild with questions as to how we deal with 'the system' to gain the help our girls need. For some they were in boroughs which didn't place girls 'out of area'. For others, like me, our girls would be to old by the time they got through 'the process'. It was a blow to hear because I could picture my daughter there finally receiving the level of support for her to meet her true potential rather than the stifling anxiety which plagues her daily and leaves her ready to walk in front of a car because no one will listen or understand.
And yet I still left that inspiring school happy. I'm delighted that some incredibly lucky girls actually get to experience a school which gives them every chance of living a full and rewarding life.
The Limpsfield Grange girls have written a book for teenage girls living with autism. 'M is for Autism' is availble from 1st July but can be pre-ordered from Amazon now. Please support them and buy it.
These wonderful girls are also being filmed by ITV for a documentary to air later in the year.