Pupils with autism at Queensmill School have created their own model city as part of a multi-arts project designed to give them opportunities to develop confidence and social skills.

The project is run by arts charity Create, and is part of its national connect:create programme.

The project took place at Queensmill School, a specialist school for children and young people diagnosed with autism with sites in Shepherd's Bush and Fulham.

Working with Create’s professional artists and volunteers from Deutsche Bank, the Queensmill pupils, aged 11-18, are working collaboratively to build trusting relationships with each other as they explore their creativity.

Create’s professional artist Daniel Lehan, pictured below led the young people in multimedia visual art workshops exploring the theme of 'Me and My Community'.

Using a range of different art forms including collage, painting and sculpture, the pupils created a model city inspired by their local communities, including shops, cafes, and local and London landmarks. The young people also created self-portraits to incorporate into the model.

According to The National Autistic Society, most people with autism have significant difficulties with social interaction and communication and are more likely than people without autism to experience anxiety. connect:create aims to counter these challenges through creative collaboration, which can improve social skills such as teamwork and turn-taking, decrease levels of anxiety and boost confidence.

At the end of the workshops, on Friday 25 May, the young people shared the completed project with staff and their families.

Create’s Co-Founder & Chief Executive, Nicky Goulder, said: "Collaborating on creative arts projects is such an effective way of stimulating interaction, ideas and self-expression. This is particularly important for those whose access to creative opportunities can be limited. We’d like to thank Deutsche Bank for making connect:create possible."

Deputy Head of Queensmill School, Andrew Nowak, said: "The work Create is doing is valuable because our pupils have significant challenges in terms of imagination, creative thought and working with others.

"Projects where we’re challenging the young people to work creatively, to work with their peers, to come up with new ideas outside their areas of interest, play a significant role in their education."

Queensmill School, which has its main site at Askham Road in Shepherd's Bush has also received a glowing report from Ofsted inspectors, who said: The school continues to be outstanding."

Inspector Francis McDonald-Gonzalez, in a letter to headteacher Freddie Adu, said: " The leadership team has maintained the outstanding quality of education in the school since the last inspection. Your vibrant leadership has enhanced the provision significantly since you became headteacher. This has included the addition of a girls’ unit, post-19 provision and supported work experience. These developments have provided pupils with new opportunities, including pathways to employment."

The letter added: "The pupils and their families that I spoke to reported that your school is a safe place to be, and that staff at your school genuinely care about everyone in the school community. Parents speak very highly of the school. They feel that the school's 'caring and loving environment' is 'an extension of the family'. One parent told us that getting her child into the school was like a mountain lifted from her shoulders."

You can read the letter in full here.

Mr Adu said: "We are very pleased with the findings. I would like to thank parents who contributed with their views of the school’s work. We are committed to sustaining and improving our work so that children and young people at Queensmill continue to thrive and progress and hope to maintain our relationship with you in doing so."

June 8, 2018