According to the National Autistic Society (NAS), around 700,000 people in the UK are on the autism spectrum. This means that along with their families, nearly three million people are affected by autism in daily life.
But while some young people with autism need a highly-specialised education, others can follow a more mainstream path and attend school alongside every other pupil.
According to a recent report by the BBC, the number of secondary school children in England being taught in classes of 36 or more pupils has trebled in the last five years. This is despite the fact, a Department for Education spokesperson said, school class sizes had remained stable since 2006.
“It’s difficult to learn because there’s so many people around you, so you’re not focusing as much on the lesson” said thirteen-year-old Silas Ennis. “Everyone in the class agrees that there’s too many people in the classroom.”