We’re delighted to celebrate the winners of the 2026 NASS Awards, announced at the Chesford Grange Hotel on Wednesday afternoon.
The awards offer a wonderful window into the dedication, expertise and care across our special school community. Behind every entry are people finding creative ways to support children and young people, and stories that deserve to be shared.
Amid the demands of school life, it’s easy to move from one challenge to the next without pausing to recognise what’s been achieved. The NASS Awards give us that moment: a chance to celebrate colleagues, share good practice and reflect on the difference our schools make to learners, families and communities.
Thank you to everyone who entered this year. While only a small number of entries can be shortlisted, every submission helps tell the collective story of our schools and enables NASS to champion their work nationally. The quality of the entries and the inspiring stories behind them certainly didn’t make life easy for our judges!
A special thank you to our judges, Elly Chapple, Christine Lenehan, Margaret Mulholland and Rachel Barker, for giving their time and ensuring every entry received the consideration it deserved.
Finally, a huge thank you to our headline sponsor, Assured Partners, whose generous support makes these awards possible, and to our category sponsors, Edwin, Christie & Co and Nine Points Property. Thank you for helping us recognise and celebrate the fantastic work taking place across the NASS community.
You can read about all our finalists here >> Awards ceremony programme
Plus, keep an eye on our LinkedIn page as we will be spotlighting our finalists and winners over the coming months.
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Here are the winners of the 2026 NASS Awards
Breaking Barriers To Inclusion Award
Winner: Muntham House School – Therapy Hubs
Finalists
- Impact North West Schools – Building Partnerships
- Dawn House School – The Chimes provision
Innovation Award
Winner: Meath School – Pre-phonics Boost
Finalists
- Treloar School – SEN Teaching and Learning Framework
- Moor House School & College – The SHAPE CODING system
Outstanding Impact Award
Winner: TreeHouse School (Ambitious about Autism)– TreeHouse School’s approach to relationships, sex and health education
Finalists
- St Piers School – No more waiting – Always active
- Woodend Farm School – Juniper Approach
Special Contribution Award
Winner: Paul Lowe, School Chef, New Barn School
Finalists
- Natalie Potter, PSHE Leader, Orchard Education
- Charlotte De Oliveira, Headteacher, Howard House School (Young Foundations)