New school opens in Basingstoke

The Austen academy is designed for children with an autism diagnosis

Author: Jonathan RichardsPublished 22nd Oct 2021

A new school in Basingstoke which caters for children with autism has opened.

The Austen academy in Shakespeare Road has 128 students aged from 5 through to 16 and is the first school in the area designed specifically for children with the diagnosis.

The Basingstoke school is funded by the Department for Education and operated by Catch22, a multi-academies trust and charity, which operates local The Ashwood Academy and The Coppice Spring Academy.

Austen Academy Headteacher Liz Cooper says;

“It has been a challenging couple of years for everyone, our students included. We are thrilled to welcome them and our community to a school which is the first in the area specifically designed to improve the future opportunities of children with autism. Our students are doing exceptionally well.”

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