News

As the Government unveiled its SEND reforms today, we share our initial concerns about what’s missing and our views on a set of proposals where costs appear to drive decisions and where the vital role of special schools risks being sidelined. Here's our full response and our determination to stand up for the children, families and schools who deserve better.

NASS CEO expresses her exasperation about the growing disconnect between political messaging and the lived reality of children with SEND, their families and the schools that support them. When special schools become the target of blame for systemic failures, it diverts attention from the real issues and creates a genuine risk of children being left without the specialist placements they need.

Quorn Hall School was a 2025 NASS Award finalist in the Innovation category for its pioneering use of the HoNOSCA mental health framework to deepen understanding of pupil needs and transform whole-school practice. In this guest blog, Anna Fitzpatrick, Deputy Headteacher and Head of Therapy, shares her reflections on how a therapeutic, evidence-led approach is helping students truly thrive.

A guest blog from NASS Partner Therapeutic Thinking reflecting on why prioritising relationships and wellbeing in special education has never been more important.

Wings School Notts won the 2025 NASS Award for Breaking Barriers to Inclusion. In this article, Adam Bailey, Assistant Head of Education and PE teacher, shares how the school achieved this transformation and the impact it’s having on students’ confidence, participation and sense of belonging.

Special schools work in uniquely complex environments, and this guest blog from NASS partner Access Insurance Services offers a helpful overview of how the risk and insurance landscape is shifting as we move through 2026.

We’re proud to be an official partner of the Schools & Academies Show, taking place at the Excel, London on 7th May

Swalcliffe Park School was recognised as a finalist in the Innovation category of the 2025 NASS Awards for the development of its Quality of Life (QoL) Framework and the creation of a QoL Network to share best practice across the sector.

Sue Marr, Specialist Teacher and Trainer at Moor House Institute, part of Moor House School and College, explains 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.

With the long-awaited Schools White Paper on the horizon, hopes are high — but so is the risk of disappointment. Drawing on the humour of a festive metaphor, NASS CEO Claire Dorer OBE reflects on what happens if we don't quite get what we want.

In our second feature on this year’s finalists and winners, we shine a spotlight on Orchard Education. Over the past two years, Orchard Education's learners and local care home residents have built meaningful connections - reading stories, sharing crafts, teaching knitting, exploring sensory toys and much more.