Congratulations to our 2025 NASS Award winners!We are delighted to announce the winners of this year's NASS Awards, following an inspiring ceremony held at the Grand Hotel in Bristol on Thursday 2nd October.

Our annual awards are a wonderful opportunity to bring together our community and celebrate the outstanding achievements across all our special schools. They are an inspiring reminder of the extraordinary impact our schools have on children and young people, and of the passion, creativity and commitment that drive that impact every single day.

This year we had the most entries ever and our four judges faced the tough task of narrowing down the list. We greatly appreciate their dedication in thoughtfully evaluating each entry.

A final thank you to our headline sponsor, ASDAN, whose support makes these awards possible. We are also deeply grateful to AssuredPartners, sponsors of the Innovation category, and Edwin, sponsor of the Outstanding Impact category.

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.

Here are the winners of the 2025 NASS Awards

Breaking Barriers & Inclusion Award

Winner

Wings School Notts - Innovative and inclusive approaches to incorporating physical activity and sport into the daily curriculum

> Watch a short video about their winning entry

Finalists

  • The Children's Trust School - ‘SEE LIKE ME’- enhancing inclusion for learners with PMLD and sensory impairments 
  • Orchard Education - Cross-generational inclusion and visibility in the community through coproduction

Innovation Award

Winner

Northern Counties School - A new outcome measure tool to measure the impact of therapy on learners’ quality of life and access to education

> Watch a short video about their winning entry

Finalists

  • Swalcliffe Park School - Development of a Quality of Life (QoL) framework and establishment of the national QoL Network for best practice sharing
  • Quorn Hall School -Health of the Nation Outcome Scales Child and Adolescent (HoNOSCA) Mental Health Holistic Framework

 

Outstanding Impact Award

Winner

The William Henry Smith School and Sixth Form - The Smith Foundation Careers Programme

> Watch a short video about their winning entry

Finalists

 

Special Contribution Award

Winner

Kerry Taylor, Principal, Highgate Hill House School 

Finalists