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Autism Is Not Political – It’s Human

17th October 2025Website Admin

Autism Is Not Political – It’s Human

by Danielle Petar – Assistant Headteacher: Inclusion/SENDCo at Gesher

Like many people working in education and in the wider neurodiverse community, I was dismayed to hear recent comments by global political administrations linking autism to the use of Tylenol (paracetamol) during pregnancy. These claims have been strongly refuted by experts across the world.

Over the years, we’ve seen far too many myths about autism and other neurotypes such as ADHD—many of which have thankfully been debunked. But the persistence of misinformation is damaging. It undermines science, years of research, and, most importantly, the tireless work of the autistic community who have fought to break down stereotypes and have their voices heard.

Prominent autistic content creators spoke to Sky News after the claims went viral. Chelsea Webster, founder of The Autism Support Group, warned that such comments risk shifting the narrative around autism—from one of support and understanding to one that promotes fear and avoidance of diagnosis.

This is a dangerous path—one that views autism as something to “cure” or “eradicate.” As Ellie Middleton, autistic author and content creator, powerfully stated:

“I can’t take my autism out of me and have it fixed.”

Her words remind us that being autistic is not separate from who a person is—it’s how they think, feel, and process the world. It’s intrinsic to identity and should be recognised and valued, not “fixed” or “treated.”

This highlights the importance of understanding autism through the voices of those with lived experience. We should amplify autistic voices, not speak over them.

At Gesher, we hold that belief at the heart of everything we do. Our community—students, staff, families, and governors—celebrates the richness of neurodiversity. Every neurotype, whether neurotypical or neurodivergent, brings something valuable to our collective experience.

As part of our ongoing commitment to inclusion, all staff receive regular training throughout the year to deepen their understanding of neurodivergence. This training is delivered by people with lived experience—voices who can speak authentically about their strengths and needs. Whether through listening to our students, colleagues, or guest speakers, we ensure our learning is guided by those who truly know what it means to be neurodivergent.

This work extends to our students too. At Gesher, we support young people to understand who they are, find their voice, and advocate for themselves—first within school, and later as adults in the wider world.

So, what can we all do?

We can listen. We can learn. And we can give young people the tools and space to do the same—to be proud of who they are, to speak up for themselves, and to know we will always be their champions.

Ofsted rates Gesher School as Outstanding in every area for the third time

30th September 2025Website Admin

Pupils excel at this exceptional school.

We are thrilled to announce that Ofsted has for the third time rated us as Outstanding in every area. Inspectors highlighted that “pupils excel at this exceptional school,” acknowledging the highly personalised and holistic support we provide for our students. This achievement is a testament to the incredible dedication of our staff and the hard work of our students, as well as the strong relationships we foster with our parents and the wider community.

The inspectors noted, “the school has developed an ambitious curriculum that expertly meets the varied needs of its pupils.”

We’re proud that the report reflected our Project-Based Learning approach, stating that “most subjects are taught through well-considered projects that engage and excite the pupils”, and noting how our projects “offer real-world contexts and practical experiences, helping our students develop crucial language and communication skills”.

We believe every child deserves an outstanding school experience; a huge thank you goes out to everyone in our community who has supported us on this journey so we can make this happen.

Relationships, Belonging and a Network of Joy

26th July 2025Website Admin

Relationships, Belonging and a Network of Joy

Polly Ross

This is a story about a boy, his teacher, a wooden tree and a school full of love and learning. It reminds us that learning can and does happen anywhere and any way in a school when the culture is right.

Our School

Shefford Lower School is a large lower school in Central Bedfordshire with a significant SEND register. We don’t believe in an approach to SEND in which learners should either be in a specialist environment or a mainstream school. So, we have adapted our learning environment and teacher-student relationships to support a wholly inclusive mainstream specialist environment accessible to all young learners in our community.

We further believe that progress can take many different forms and that all children have an entitlement to leave us with every step, however small, recognised, captured and celebrated.

When I was young, my mother gave me a wooden Christmas tree. When I became a headteacher, with an office, I brought it into school where each December it was displayed, decorated and lit. By last summer it was looking tired and I kept reminding myself to throw it away.

Peter’s story (not his real name)

Peter is a young learner who receives a high level of adult support due to his complex needs. These include a significant speech delay, autism, social communication needs and self-care needs.

One day Peter came in because his Teaching Assistant wanted to mention something to me. As he waited, Peter saw the tree gathering dust on the top of a cupboard and gestured that he would like to see it. I had no idea that this would be the beginning of something magical!

Peter decorated this sad little tree, and then returned the next day, then each day, several times a day, beginning to talk as he did it, presenting it joyously to me and showing it to everyone along his way as he proudly walked it around the school en route to show his teacher.

He had found something in the school which brought him (and many others) joy. This tree was subsequently to become a powerful tool in his speech and language development. The creativity flowed and anything and everything became a potential decoration, from a kitchen spoon to flowers from the forest, bringing warmth and amusement to all.

After this had been going on for a month or two, someone suggested keeping the tree in Peter’s classroom as I may sometimes be in meetings,.This was until we realised that walking down to my office and saying hello was an important part of it!

The ritual continued. Peter’s confidence grew and his speech and language seemed to be coming on until one day he came in and said: “Hello Mrs Ross. Can I have the tree please?” A clearly enunciated sentence!

Reciprocal Joy

I started to take photos of this tree my mother had bought me and sent one to her to let her know it was not only still going strong but, in fact, supporting a child with additional needs to thoroughly enjoy his experience of school. My mother responded, telling me how beautiful it was, and so it continued. He would decorate a tree, show it to all around the school who would smile, share it with me and it would also make my mother’s day!

Just before his annual review I sent all the photos to his teaching assistant to share with his family at the meeting, following which she sent this reply:

Oh Polly, thank you for these pictures, they are really great. I will print them off for his review next week. He makes my day and fills it with joy every day–whether it’s through watching him carefully decorating his (your) beloved tree, some work he has done, learning he has remembered, or new vocabulary he has said to me. 🙂 Thank you for always being so supportive and welcoming when we come to see you. Helen

Educational Reflections

We realised, of course, that this had also been an exercise in relationships and belonging; Peter’s relationship with the TA and the pride she took in working with him and watching him grow. This, allied to the knowledge she developed about his interests through safe talk, had supported him to be successful. It has also facilitated relationships with other pupils and adults – and with me through his friendly visit each day.

This story is also about joy, which all learning should bring: the joy Peter brought to those around him in walking his tree through school; or that his TA gets from working creatively alongside him and making a difference; or that he brought to my office and many a meeting held there – and even the joy he brought to the lady, a retired art teacher, who had once given her daughter a small wooden tree.

Polly Ross is Headteacher at Shefford Lower School in Bedfordshire.

Professional Prompts

In the ‘Welcome’ editorial, we said that relationships and belonging would be two of the sub-themes of this How does Polly Ross’s piece illustrate these themes?

What are ways that students’ beliefs, interests and passions can be incorporated into the school context?

How can school leaders be more engaged and connected to students on a regular basis?

Hiring: Jewish Studies Role – Teacher or TA to Teaching Route

22nd July 2025Website Admin

Jewish Studies Role – Teacher or TA to Teaching Route

(KS2/KS3 teaching/support within a creative and amended curriculum)

Part-time with flexible working hours

Required for: ASAP

Working Days: Monday- Friday

Pay is based on experience: MPS for qualified teachers, UQT for unqualified teachers and TA salary based on roles and responsibilities.

Gesher School is a unique all-through school that provides a specialist, meaningful, and functional learning environment for young people with special educational needs. These needs include language, communication, and social-pragmatic difficulties. We specialise in autism spectrum challenges (ASC).

Young people are at the heart of Gesher School, where we foster a sense of belonging and community. Our school offers a happy, safe, friendly, and stimulating environment in which young people are supported to learn, interact and have fun. We believe that all young people have the potential to achieve, but that every child is individual and requires a tailored, young person-centred approach to learning.

The Gesher approach is warm, friendly, and nurturing. Emotional health and resilience, as well as developing young people’s independence and learning, are at the core of our vision.

To deliver and achieve these outcomes, we want to add a confident, enthusiastic and highly motivated Jewish Studies KS2/KS3 educator to join our expanding team at Gesher as a teacher and/or teaching support. This post would suit a passionate, dynamic and adaptable individual who ideally has experience teaching and leading within a SEND environment.

This post would suit someone passionate about creating meaningful personalised learning that meets all individual needs and interests. The right candidate would be open to working within a transdisciplinary team, including teachers, therapists, teaching assistants, parents, and carers.

It would be desirable for the candidate to have experience designing/delivering interactive learning opportunities that focus on engaging students and connecting them with their faith. In addition, the candidate would need to be an upstanding role model of positive morals and values to help the students build confidence in their sense of self and become builders of meaningful relationships.

This position offers fantastic opportunities to develop your skills as a practitioner within an innovative, supportive and collaborative team environment.

We can offer you the following:

Paid half day Friday closure in the winter months
12 weeks paid holidays plus paid extra Jewish holidays throughout the year
Monthly well-being events and inset days
Additional days off awarded following long service
Protected time for planning and preparation
Regular social opportunities
A Competitive salary

You will be a fully integrated and integral member of the whole school team. See us in action here: https://vimeo.com/407682934/a9a6af1bc8 and http://gesherschool.com

Being part of our learning community, you will be able to use your creativity and shape the way our school provides excellent learning opportunities for our young people.

For further information, please visit www.gesherschool.com.

Please email [email protected] for an application form and any further information.

Interviews will be organised on a rolling basis. This ad may be withdrawn if a suitable candidate is identified.

Diversity is a core value of Gesher School. We believe the power of diversity enriches all of us by exposing us to a range of ways to understand and engage with the world, identify challenges, and to discover, design and deliver solutions. As such, we actively encourage people from a variety of backgrounds to apply for roles at our school.

Gesher School is committed to safeguarding young people and staff. Successful candidates will be subject to an enhanced DBS check.

The Post Holder Will:

be passionate and secure in their Jewish knowledge and confident with differentiating and personalising Jewish learning

be comfortable supporting or developing skills to plan and deliver high quality hands on learning within a supportive team environment

be comfortable with reading, writing, speaking and teaching basic Hebrew

be a proven, successful team player with excellent motivational and interpersonal skills

Main Areas of Duties and Responsibilities

To work within a team to deliver high quality Jewish Studies learning across KS2 & KS3
To promote the Jewish ethos, values and middot throughout the school and be a personal and professional role model for our students
Planning and supporting the implementation of Enrichment Days (school celebration of festivals), Tefillah throughout the school day and Shabbat/Havdallah/Chagim assemblies
To support children with their Hebrew Reading.
To work alongside the teaching and learning team to accelerate pupil progress and raise attainment
To support teachers with building cross curricular links, embedding Jewish learning within the projects.
To support the implementation of the B’nei Mitzvah program at Gesher.
To engage in performance management and attend training and meetings as part of professional development.
To keep informed of the latest Jewish Education trends and implement appropriate strategies/schemes through training staff.
To develop established and new partnerships beyond the school to support curriculum learning and development within the Jewish Community.
To liaise with parents and support them in their child’s Jewish education
To carry out responsibilities/duties with regard to Equal Opportunities, Safeguarding and Health and Safety Policies.

For further information, please visit www.gesherschool.com.

To apply, please complete an application form that can be found here: https://gesherschool.com/about-us/join-our-team/.

Please, complete and return your application to [email protected]. CVs will not be accepted.

Interviews will be organised on a rolling basis. This ad may be withdrawn as a suitable candidate is identified.

Gesher School is committed to safeguarding young people and staff. Successful candidates will be subject to an enhanced DBS check.

STUDENT MOVIE: Rise of the NutKing

19th May 2025Website Admin

Anaphylaxis Awareness Week 2025 in the UK takes place on 1st June to 7th June. This annual event focuses on educating the public about anaphylaxis, a severe allergic reaction, and provides support to those living with severe allergies. One such person who has experienced this first hand is our School Council Secretary, Liam. Following an anaphylaxis episode a couple of year ago, he had significant anxiety around the potential of a repeat incident, and felt a loss of freedom and independence in his day to day life.

To support with this, our school dramatherapist worked with Liam to process these feelings creatively. This long-term piece of work resulted in a short film called “Rise of the NutKing” that explores Liam’s experience of living with a nut allergy in a creative and metaphorical way. Liam had the following to say about his own real-life experiences:

“Anaphylaxis is nothing to joke about – people die every day as a result of severe allergy symptoms. However, we can stop this by helping raise awareness, and to help people afford the essentials to avoid the devastating impact of anaphylaxis. I hope my film educates in a way that revokes some of the fear that some people living with allergies may have, and makes it easy to understand in a fun way. Please share this movie with friends and family to teach more people about the dangers of allergens and how to deal with them.”

For more information on how to support individuals with significant allergies, please visit https://www.anaphylaxis.org.uk/.

Link to the Movie “Rise of the Nutking” Nutking Video

from Gesher School on Vimeo.

Hiring: Jewish Studies Teaching or Support Role

25th April 2025Website Admin

Jewish Studies Teaching or Support Role

(KS2/KS3 teaching/support within a creative and amended curriculum)

Part-time (2 days equivalent with the potential of more days depending on the candidate)

Required for: ASAP

Working Days: Monday- Thursday (the equivalent of 2 days within)

Pay is based on experience: MPS for qualified teachers, UQT for unqualified teachers and Support salary based on roles and responsibilities.

The Gesher approach is warm, friendly, and nurturing. Emotional health and resilience, as well as developing young people’s independence and learning, are at the core of our vision.

This position offers fantastic opportunities to develop your skills as a practitioner within an innovative, supportive and collaborative team environment.

We can offer you the following:

Paid half day Friday closure in the winter months
12 weeks paid holidays plus paid extra Jewish holidays throughout the year
Monthly well-being events and inset days
Additional days off awarded following long service
Protected time for planning and preparation
Regular social opportunities
A Competitive salary

You will be a fully integrated and integral member of the whole school team. See us in action here: https://vimeo.com/407682934/a9a6af1bc8 and http://gesherschool.com

Being part of our learning community, you will be able to use your creativity and shape the way our school provides excellent learning opportunities for our young people.

For further information, please visit www.gesherschool.com.

Please email [email protected] for an application form and any further information.

Interviews will be organised on a rolling basis. This ad may be withdrawn if a suitable candidate is identified.

Gesher School is committed to safeguarding young people and staff. Successful candidates will be subject to an enhanced DBS check.

The Post Holder Will:

be passionate and secure in their Jewish knowledge and confident with differentiating and personalising Jewish learning

be comfortable planning and delivering high quality hands on learning within a supportive team environment

be comfortable with reading, writing, speaking and teaching Hebrew

be a proven, successful team player with excellent motivational and interpersonal skills

Main Areas of Duties and Responsibilities

To work within a team to deliver high quality Jewish Studies learning across KS2 & KS3

To promote the Jewish ethos, values and middot throughout the school and be a personal and professional role model for our students

Planning and supporting the implementation of Enrichment Days (school celebration of festivals), Tefillah throughout the school day and Shabbat/Havdallah/Chagim assemblies

To support children with their Hebrew Reading.

To work alongside the teaching and learning team to accelerate pupil progress and raise attainment

To support teachers with building cross curricular links, embedding Jewish learning within the projects.

To support the implementation of the B’nei Mitzvah program at Gesher.

To engage in performance management and attend training and meetings as part of professional development.

To keep informed of the latest Jewish Education trends and implement appropriate strategies/schemes through training staff.
To develop established and new partnerships beyond the school to support curriculum learning and development within the Jewish Community.

To liaise with parents and support them in their child’s Jewish education

To carry out responsibilities/duties with regard to Equal Opportunities, Safeguarding and Health and Safety Policies.

For further information, please visit www.gesherschool.com.

To apply, please complete an application form that can be found here: https://gesherschool.com/about-us/join-our-team/.

Please complete and return your application to [email protected]. CVs will not be accepted.

Interviews will be organised on a rolling basis. This ad may be withdrawn as a suitable candidate is identified.

Gesher School is committed to safeguarding young people and staff. Successful candidates will be subject to an enhanced DBS check.

Maccabi Fun Run

10th May 2024Website Admin

The PTC are going to be hosting a Gesher stand at this year’s Maccabi Fun Run, they are also wanting runners or walkers to raise funds for Gesher by taking part. Please see the attached poster with details of how to sign up.

The Community’s largest event returns on Sunday 23rd June! This year, Maccabi GB recognises the community’s strong urge to unite, celebrate, and show support for Israel. Get ready for an immersive Israeli experience with authentic cuisine, vibrant music, a blue-and-white celebration and so much more! While adding new festivities, we’re keeping the beloved elements of the Community Fun Run including the 1km, 5km and 10km runs, charity fair and Israel-themed family fun zone.

Join us for the Maccabi GB Community Fun Run & Israel Festival, and help us build a vibrant celebration that unites our community whilst participating and raising funds for your chosen charity.

Purim & Gesher’s Annual Staff Music Video!!

28th March 2024Website Admin

Last week was filled with joy as we celebrated Purim with parents, grandparents, and Gesher volunteers! From dressing up to delicious treats, our Enrichment morning was brilliant. Students enjoyed making Hamantaschens (triangular cookies with jam or chocolate inside) and Mishloach Manot (Food packages for friends), crafting puppets and masks, and we even had a petting zoo visit! As a lot of you know, part of Gesher’s tradition is our annual staff Purim video, featuring a hilarious mashup of songs from The Greatest Showman which you can watch below. We hope you all had a wonderful celebration!

Purim 2024: The Greatest Showman Staff Video from Gesher School on Vimeo.

Introducing Gesher and United Synagogue’s Lead Advocate for Additional Needs

31st January 2024Website Admin

We are delighted to announce that Gesher School have partnered with The United Synagogue so that we can work together effectively, to make Jewish Communities more accessible, not only for our Gesher children, but for all children and adults with additional needs. In line with this, we have appointed Rivka Steinberg to harness the expertise of Gesher School and share it with our communities, in the role of Lead Advocate for Additional needs. She will be spending her time both at Gesher School and the Finchley US office.

In a previous chapter of my life, I spent many years working in scientific research. My interest in improving the quality of education and health services for children with Special Education Needs and Disability (SEND), developed, when my eldest daughter was diagnosed with a physical disability in 2005 and with it the requirement to become a strong advocate for all her additional needs. I trained with IPSEA (Independent provider of SEND legal advice) to develop a strong knowledge of the SEND legislation and I have used my broad knowledge and skills gained over many years, to advise parent carers on SEND matters. I have also worked for voluntary organisations, specialist settings and parent advocacy with Local Authorities.

My personal and professional experiences have seeded a desire and passion to share the knowledge acquired in my own journey and to work closely with leadership in the community, to enable all children and adults, to lead a high quality of life, regardless of their additional needs. This is all about breaking down barriers so that children and adults with needs, are more fully integrated and supported to embody Jewish life in ways that are meaningful to them without feeling compromised.

It is no longer enough that we raise awareness outside of Gesher School, neither can we allow this vital work to be regarded within the framework of a charitable agenda. Rather we need to actively share Gesher’s expertise and resources so communities will make room for difference, engaging wholeheartedly in access and inclusion work, so that children and adults will be enabled in all facets of Jewish community life. It’s about seeing the ‘ability’ in Disability.

I am very excited to be part of Gesher School and to really make a difference as the Lead Advocate for Additional Needs. Some of the projects we are looking at include:

Supporting the preparation of Inclusive services, Chagim, sessions and events
Sharing strategies, resources and tips
Engaging more members and families in US.

If you have any suggestions or you would just like to be in touch with me directly then please do reach out to me at [email protected].

Hiring: Educational Psychologist Consultant

15th September 2023Website Admin

Required for: As soon as possible

Hours and Pay: Pay dependent on experience. 2 days per half term

Condition of employment: Permanent/Contacted/Freelance

‘Therapists, teachers and teaching assistants work together seamlessly as one team. They truly understand how to meet pupils’ complex special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). While staff are nurturing, they also have high expectations of all pupils. As a result, pupils work hard and learn well’. – OFSTED September 2022.

Gesher School is a unique all-through school providing a specialist, meaningful and functional learning environment for young people with mild to moderate special educational needs. This includes ASC, ADHD, Down’s Syndrome and MLD.

We are seeking to appoint an experienced, enthusiastic and innovative Educational Psychologist to join our team.

The successful Educational psychologist will:

Assess children’s learning and emotional needs
Design, develop and support therapeutic and behaviour management programmes
Work collaboratively with colleagues to advise on the best approaches and provisions to support learning and development
Support parents, teachers and others involved with the education of children and young people
Write reports making recommendations on action to be taken
Attend regular meetings involving our multidisciplinary team on how best to meet the social, emotional, behavioural and learning needs of the children and young people in your care
Develop and apply effective interventions to promote psychological well being, social, emotional and behavioural development, and to raise educational standards.
Make recommendations on students Educational Healthcare Plans (EHCP) and contribute to the annual review/ EHCP process
Work with children and young people who are experiencing problems that hinder their successful learning, participation and opportunity to flourish at school and other extracurricular activities.
Promote and support children/young people’s emotional well-being and mental health and work alongside other key professionals to reach a shared understanding of the children/young person’s needs, and what support and interventions can enable their progress, which includes observations, interviews and assessments of the child.
Provide and support in-service training for teachers and other professionals.

The Successful candidates will have:

Honours degree in psychology or equivalent, recognised by the British Psychological Society as conferring eligibility for Graduate Basis for Chartered Status, a professional postgraduate qualification in Educational Psychology (MSc or Doctorate)
Registered member of HCPC (Health Care Professions Council) or registration in process.
Excellent communication, organisation and time management skills.
The ability to work well as part of a collaborative team
A right to work in the UK
A passionate commitment to ensuring all children are given the opportunities to shine and achieve educationally;
They are able to work collaboratively in the best interests of the child/young person with other professionals;
They understand and can articulate what constitutes high quality inclusive education provision; They are open-minded and have a sensitive approach when dealing with children and young people
Experience and expertise in autism and supporting staff in managing challenging behaviour is also essential.

See us in action here:

https://vimeo.com/407682934/a9a6af1bc8

You will join a supportive staff team where teamwork, flexibility and a positive personality are essential attributes.

For more information relating to the above role, or to apply, please contact Victoria Rutter, Head of Therapies 0207 884 5102 or email [email protected]