National Association of Special Schools (NASS)

If you tuned into the BBC One Show last night, you might have seen Greg from Aurora Woodlands being awarded Gold in the Unsung Hero category at The Pearson National Teaching Awards! Greg was honoured for his outstanding work supporting young people through the onsite forest school, designed for learners with SEMH needs and autistic spectrum conditions. Greg designs and delivers a bespoke phonics and numeracy programme that enables previously hard-to-reach students to learn key skills almost without realising – while also developing practical, social and emotional skills as they work together in the outdoors! Read more about Greg here: 🔗 https://lnkd.in/e7GaG9Kp The Aurora-Group

♻️ Is your school ready for the new UK recycling changes? New legislation is set to transform recycling practices across the UK starting 31st March 2025. Schools, like other organisations, will need to adapt to meet these changes. In our latest guest blog, Robert Walton, Partner in the Real Estate team at RWK Goodman, breaks down what this means for schools and outlines practical steps to prepare. #Sustainability #Recycling #SchoolManagement

Last week we were delighted to share that we achieved OUTSTANDING in all areas by Ofsted for residential care. ‘Managers and staff have created a highly aspirational culture that helps children to achieve their full potential and improves their life chances’. Read the full story and report here: https://lnkd.in/eFqJsEaF #Ofsted #Outstanding #ResidentialCare #DeafEducation

One of the key findings highlighted in Education Support's 2024 Teacher Wellbeing Index was around relationships with parents and its impact on staff morale and wellbeing. Our interactive webinar on Monday 2nd December will explore ways for educators to navigate challenging conversations with parents. Using role-play and practical strategies, the session will focus on building trust and tackling sensitive topics with confidence. Open to non-NASS members, find out more and book one of the last remaining spaces here: 🔗 https://lnkd.in/eBS3QtEs

Did you know that as many as 1 in 10 children in the UK have speech and language difficulties? 💬 Therapy Lead at AHS Prep, Rukhaiya Ebrahim, explains two of the therapeutic strategies we use to support these vital skills. Rory Vokes-Dudgeon Cavendish Education Group #LondonSchools #SEN #SEND #SpeechAndLanguage #SaLT

We were delighted to welcome Tom Morrison MP for Cheadle to our campus last week! As part of UK Parliament Week, our focus at Inscape House School was on learning more about democracy. Mr. Morrison talked to our young people about being an MP, advocating for others, as well as his experience with homelessness and social housing. It’s not everyday that we get such an important guest at school, so our students came prepared with lots of questions and debate topics. They were curious to know about his experience as an MP including: what it is really like, how a day in Parliament is, what his favourite thing about being an MP is, how you get chosen to represent a constituency, what his plans are for the future. Students also recommended lots of useful ideas. Some pupils suggested that people shouldn’t be told how to vote in Parliament. Others expressed that there is an issue with ‘lost media’ and how we’re losing access to information and media from the past. However, one of the most popular suggestions was making public transport more comfortable for everyone. Huge thank you for visiting us. Looking forward to working with you on improving the lives of people in our amazing local community.

📺Stay tuned for The One Show revealing The Pearson National Teaching Awards Gold winners this week! 📺 Sixteen amazing individuals from across the UK will be honoured with Gold awards in the 2024 Pearson Teaching Awards for their dedicated work in education. A selection of these will be presented throughout the week on the BBC’s The One Show, starting tonight. We're especially excited to cheer on two of our own Silver Award winners who are in the running for Gold! 🌟 🏅 Greg Smalley, Aurora Woodlands School – Unsung Hero category 🏅 Tracy Whitehurst, Aurora Hanley School – Special Needs Education category Don’t miss it! https://lnkd.in/enG5peDu #TheOneShow #PearsonAwards2024 #SENDEducation

In special schools, where an holistic approach to education is often prioritised, arts-based education offers far more than a creative outlet for children and young people with SEND. It has a profound and wide-reaching impact, including fostering confidence, enhancing communication skills and improving motor skills. The arts provide a safe space for students to explore and express emotions, share ideas, practice decision-making, build self-esteem and connect with others in meaningful ways. Art Bytes, a national art and EdTech programme for year 5 and year 9 pupils, is an initiative that celebrates these achievements, creating opportunities for every young artist, regardless of ability, to shine. In this guest blog for NASS, Lucy Byrne, Founder of dot-art, talks about Art Bytes’ mission to celebrate creativity on an equal footing and how special schools have embraced the programme’s inclusive approach, with many educators noting its positive effect on pupils’ confidence and self-esteem. This year, the programme celebrated a remarkable achievement when a young student from, Helen Allison School(The National Autistic Society), a special school in Kent, was crowned the national primary winner. Read Lucy's blog 👇

🔔 Final 4 places available! On Monday 2nd December, we are hosting an engaging and practical webinar that is designed to help you confidently approach challenging conversations with parents and carers. Rachael Courage and the team at dialogue have designed this session with an innovative, interactive format, incorporating role-play with professional actors to explore research-based strategies and practical models for building trust and effectively addressing sensitive topics. ➡️ Learn effective techniques for broaching difficult subjects with parents and carers. ➡️Gain confidence in managing tough conversations while maintaining safety and professionalism. ➡️Understand how parents' lived experiences may influence their responses and how to navigate these dynamics with empathy. The webinar is open to everyone, not just NASS members. Book your place: 🔗 https://lnkd.in/eBS3QtEs

NASS CEO Claire Dorer OBE responds to the Government's proposed reforms to children's social care announced yesterday. While she acknowledges the urgent need for change, Claire expresses concern over the lack of clear, detailed plans. She calls for evidence-based policy, greater collaboration and “sophisticated discussions” about the role of profit in the sector, to ensure the reforms lead to meaningful improvements for children and families. Read her full response 👇