Supporting mainstream school staff in England to meet the needs and address educational inequalities in autistic girls

Autistic girls often experience educational inequalities and inadequate support in schools that lead to poor educational, health and wellbeing outcomes. In response, education policy requires mainstream schools to adopt inclusive practices for children and young people (CYP) with special educational needs and disabilities, including autistic CYP, where possible. However, teachers report complex barriers to inclusive practice provision, including a lack of training and resources, mental health deterioration among CYP post-pandemic and a lack of how to support autistic girls to engage in mainstream education. This study adopted a neurodiversity approach to explore challenges that 17 mainstream school staff faced and provides recommendations for inclusive practices for autistic girls in mainstream schools. Three themes and one subtheme were developed through thematic analysis of interview and group interview data: (1) Ineffective and inconsistent training; (2) Time as a barrier (subtheme: Pastoral support demands and mental exhaustion); (3) Future training recommendations. Future research should explore how to tailor training to staff needs and the specific needs of ethnic minorities and LGBTQ+ autistic girls. Recommendations will have practical significance in advancing understanding of action that must be taken in schools and by policymakers to achieve inclusive practices for autistic girls in mainstream education settings.