YOUNG people at a Thurnscoe specialist school have been given an opportunity to tell the Government’s experts what they need in the adult world.

The Children’s Commissioner for England, Sir Al Aynsley-Green, made The Robert Ogden School for Autism the first stop on his three-day visit to children’s centres and groups in Yorkshire.

“This is a very important visit for me because it’s a centre of excellence and the message I’m taking away is how happy the young people are,” he said after meeting a group of older students who told him of their ambitions.

“Some people have no idea about the reality of children’s lives and there is a great misunderstanding among the public about autism.

“It’s important for me to hear their experiences because I can take it back to the people who need to know how to make things better so that they receive the right financial and emotional support to cope with adult life.”

The school is the largest specialist school in the UK for children with autism. It has 125 pupils and will celebrate its 30th anniversary next week. A new residential centre, Clayton Croft, recently opened to enable its older students to lead more independent lives.

Students presented him with a planted pot which had been made in the ceramics department.