A HEADTEACHER has been left full of joy as pupils at an additional needs school celebrated their fantastic GCSE results.

Autism Anglia’s Doucecroft School in Colchester has shared the news with students they have gained level two qualifications and GCSEs in English, Maths and Science.

Doucecroft is run by charity Autism Anglia for children and young people with autism and additional complex needs, caring for those aged three to 19.

The school has always offered functional skills qualifications, but last summer achieved exam status for the first time in the school’s history.

Pupils who took the exams this year joined Doucecroft school after all having difficult experiences at mainstream schools, with headteacher Louise Parkinson proud of the success after the struggle.

She said: “We are so very proud of them. They have had to overcome so many difficult challenges to achieve this and it is so great to be able to share this success with them.

“Many young people who join our school have faced difficulties in mainstream schools or couldn’t attend school at all.

“They share with me they were made to feel they were the naughty ones, they didn’t fit in and struggled with friendships.

“Many mainstream schools often don’t have the provisions in place to enable these students to access the curriculum.”

Ms Parkinson also added how she believes even though children attend a special school, they shouldn’t have a ceiling put on them.

She said: “Children with autism or any learning difficulty should have the same chances as any child, to be able to achieve as high as they can and want to achieve.

“None of our students had experienced sitting in an exam room for two and a half hours.

“These students are now able to be more resilient and accept challenges because their confidence has been built up.  They are now in a school where they feel accepted.

“We have a very different learning environment to mainstream schools to meet the needs of our autistic students.

“The rules aren’t rigid and can be adapted to ensure the students have the freedom to learn in a way which suits them safely.”

Ms Parkinson also plans to introduce further qualifications over the coming years to ensure a wider variety of options.