@nasschools.bsky.social
NASS is a membership organisation representing over 450 special schools in England and Wales providing support, advice, information, events, training and a strong voice for non local authority maintained special schools.
In this guest blog, Tim Handley from Edu Intelligence explains how connected data can help special school leaders turn scattered information into clear evidence of what’s working, what’s driving progress & use it in inspections, annual reviews & provision decisions
www.linkedin.com/posts/nasssc...
We’re very proud to share that Claire Dorer OBE, our CEO, has been named in the 2026 Women in Trade Associations Top 100 Powerlist!
trade-association-forum.euwest01.umbraco.io/community/wo...
The UK Government has announced plans to introduce statutory requirements for schools on protecting children with allergies.
Next week we’ll be discussing what the proposed changes mean for schools with allergy expert Sarah Knight. members.nasschools.org.uk/events/693bd...
NASS members can join Sarah and The Allergy Team for a NASS Insights session on Tuesday 10th March, 3.30 pm to 4.30 pm, to talk through the changes, answer questions and share practical steps for getting your school ready. Book your free place: members.nasschools.org.uk/events
New statutory allergy guidance is coming in September & will bring significant changes to how schools manage allergies.
The Allergy Team is co-producing the new guidance and, in this guest blog, explains what to expect & what special schools can start doing now.
www.linkedin.com/pulse/your-s...
@beyondautism.bsky.social @ambitiousautism.bsky.social
Lots of briefings and analysis this week for our members on Schools White Paper & SEND Consultation.
We’ve also been hearing from leaders across our special school community about what these proposals could mean for their learners, families & schools👇
www.linkedin.com/posts/nasssc...
'Policy announcement by leak has created the worst of all worlds'
@warrencarratt.bsky.social on how a week of SEND reform leaks have likely caused entrenchment - and indicate a worrying narrative for the path ahead.
www.tes.com/magazine/ana...
The Govt is announcing this policy from a data void, with no formal evidence on costs, price or value to back its claims. In 2024, @nao.org.uk reported that while overall spend on ISS is rising, it’s due to more LA placements, not higher cost per pupil. School fees are not ‘spiralling’.
In announcing its plans to move EHCP funding from individual to band-based as part of future SEND Reforms, Government has chosen to focus attention on independent special schools. That framing deflects from the reality that this will affect all special schools- www.nasschools.org.uk/nass-respons...
In announcing its plans to move EHCP funding from individual to band-based as part of future SEND Reforms, Government has chosen to focus attention on independent special schools. That framing deflects from the reality that this will affect all special schools- www.nasschools.org.uk/nass-respons...
Today's announcement to move EHCP funding from individual to band-based as part of future SEND Reforms will affect all special schools.
Read our response: www.nasschools.org.uk/nass-respons...
You can read NASS’s full response to the announcement, a shameful attack on special schools that overlooks the crucial role they play in transforming children’s lives:
www.nasschools.org.uk/nass-respons...
Government has announced plans to move EHCP funding from individual to band-based as part of future SEND Reforms. In announcing the change it has chosen to focus attention on independent special schools. That framing deflects from the reality that this will affect all special schools. Read more ⬇️
Quorn Hall School was a 2025 NASS Award finalist for its innovative use of the HoNOSCA mental health framework to deepen understanding of pupil needs & transform whole-school practice ⬇️
www.linkedin.com/posts/nasssc...
We call on the Government to engage with special schools in any plans to introduce banded funding to avoid a catastrophic loss of specialist provision.
Suggesting an upper figure for a price cap in the absence of any meaningful data about the cost, price and value of specialist provision is a reckless act of politicking. ⬇️
To treat all special school provision as if it is the same is an attack on specialism and an attack on the children whose lives are transformed by it. ⬇️
We are deeply disappointed to see media leaks this morning suggesting that the Government intends to impose a price cap on special school fees as part of the forthcoming Schools White Paper and SEND reforms. ⬇️
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
The plan to give all teachers SEND training can’t ‘undo environments that continue to overwhelm, exclude and destabilise the very children they are meant to support’, writes Thomas Keaney, making the case for therapeutic education
Ahead of the government’s Schools White Paper, @dcpcampaign.bsky.social is calling for a system that gives schools and colleges the funding, training, and support they need - with families treated as partners.
You can read more here:
www.theguardian.com/education/20...
#SEND #FightForOrdinary
Article in today's Tes magazine from NASS trustee and CEO of TCES Group (The Complete Education Solution), Thomas Keaney, on why their special schools are mobile phone free and the positive impact it is making in preparing young people for life.
What does success really look like for autistic young people – and who decides?
In this guest blog, Kiran Hingorani (CEO, @SwalcliffePark) shares how their Quality of Life framework helped make them a 2025 #NASSAwards Innovation finalist.
Read more 👇
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We’re pleased to share this blog from Sue Marr, Specialist Teacher and Trainer at @moorhouseinstitute.com, explaining why oracy matters for learners with speech and language difficulties, including DLD, and what a stronger focus on spoken language could mean for inclusion and learning in schools.
Sustainable change depends on understanding what works in practice, where barriers persist, and how partnership, workforce development and shared expertise can be strengthened nationally. There are no better experts than those already leading this work.
We would have liked to see this expertise more fully inform and co-create the reforms set out in the upcoming Schools White Paper. #SENDReform
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Special schools already provide highly specialist support and share expertise across the system. This collaborative work is strengthening inclusion, but it happens despite the system, not because of it. #Inclusion
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The Schools Minister’s comments yesterday are a welcome recognition of the essential role special schools play in supporting pupils with SEND and the need for closer working between mainstream and specialist provision. #SEND #SpecialSchools
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