Welcome

Welcome to the National Association of Independent Schools and Non-Maintained Special Schools.

The National Association of Independent Schools & Non-Maintained Special Schools (NASS) is a membership organisation working with and for special schools in the voluntary and private sectors within the UK. NASS is proud of its role in improving opportunities and standards for independent and non-maintained special schools. Some of our achievements include:

• Successfully lobbying the Government to include Non-maintained special schools in centrally funded initiatives e.g. standards fund, teacher threshold, and devolved formula capital. NMSS now receive over £7 million a year from central government.
• Central partner in the development and launch of the National Contract for Placement in Independent Schools and Non-Maintained Special Schools. The contract was launched in 2004 and amended in 2007. It is used by over 100 Local Authorities and over 100 schools.
• Central point of contact for the sector for Government. NASS has been part of the Special Schools Working Group, gave oral evidence to the Education and Skills Select Committee report on SEN and sits on the board of a number of national organisations.
• In 2007, NASS launched "Making Sense of Mental Health", a report of a study of the emotional wellbeing of pupils with SEN. NASS commissioned the University of Northampton to undertake a study of practice and policy in member schools. We will be using this report to generate funding for further work on curriculum and resource development.
  
  Download "Making Sense of Mental Health" report here

The NASS website provides details on all our member schools plus information on a range of issues relevant to special educational needs.

New NASS report indicates that independent and non-maintained special schools can provide services for children with SEN at lower costs than Local Authorities

17th October 2011. A new report from Baker Tilly, commissioned by the National Association of Independent Schools and Non-Maintained Special Schools (NASS), has challenged Government suggestions that local authority provision is cheaper than independent and non-maintained special schools for students with special educational needs.

The report has found the cost of non-maintained and independent special school (NMISS) provision is between £102,000 and £112,000 per student per year, compared to a cost of £118,000 for local authority education, care and health provision. The report has also suggested that NMISS schools are capable of offering better outcomes for students - including better physical, health and educational outcomes, along with the increased likelihood of students being able to live independently or requiring reduced amounts of care.

The study is believed to be the first of its kind to be conducted, due to local authority costs often being hidden through being split across departmental budgets for education, health and social care, transport, and funding of school infrastructure.

NASS has claimed that the findings show the Government to be wrong in suggesting that NMISS school places are always a more expensive option than local authority provision. The association has urged ministers to ensure parents are not prevented from accessing NMISS schools, which play a valuable role in supporting some of the most vulnerable children and young people, many of whom have very complex needs. They have called on the Government to carry out further research into the cost and value for money of provision for children with SEN.

Claire Dorer, chief executive of NASS, said:

"Ministers challenged us to present evidence that our schools were not a more expensive option than Local Authority provision. We rose to this challenge and can now demonstrate that our provision is often cheaper than the Local Authority alternative. It is important that this report now forms a stepping stone to ensuring a level playing field between the non-maintained and independent special schools sector and local authority schools.

"We know that parents have had roadblocks put in their path when they have attempted to place their children into non-maintained and independent special schools. This needs to stop. The Government now needs to conduct its own research, and make sure that local authorities are putting every option on the table for parents and their children."

Jim Clifford, Head of Non Profit Advisory Services, at Baker Tilly comments:
"This is a robust and carefully constructed piece of research that demonstrates a key point: that the costs of State-funded non-maintained or independent provision for education of those with more complex difficulties is not more expensive than the properly supported State equivalent. Indeed it may be the case once this study is supplemented by a proper evaluation of the wider impact of both types of provision, that the non-maintained and independent version is more effective."

Download the report here.

Calling All Special Academies!

Did you know that you are now eligible to join NASS?

NASS is the only national organisation working exclusively with special schools which are not maintained by the Local Authority. We have 15 years experience of offering support, advice and information to special schools and currently have over 200 members across England and Wales. Visit our Joining NASS page for more information.


CASPA (Comparison and Analysis of Special Pupil Attainment)

We are pleased to advise that NASS is now an official distributor of CASPA and support provider to its member schools and is able to offer its members a significant discount on CASPA licence prices.
If you would like to know more about purchasing a CASPA licence through NASS, please go to the CASPA webpage.

Special Schools facing up to trying times ahead

Article by isbi educational consultants available here

Make sure you view the Calendar page for upcoming Conferences, Training Events and much more. If you are a member of NASS, don't forget to check the Members' Zone.