News

Keep up to date with all of the latest news, headlines and features from across the SEND sector.

Advertising spotlight for Recognised Teacher / Practitioner of SEND Programme [stock image of holding hands alongside white text that reads 'Recognised Teacher / Practitioner of SEND Programme' on a purple background]
SENCO Support Service Advertising Spotlight [text reads 'SENCO Support Service']

News listing

stylised image of a pair of glasses sitting on top of a folded newspaper

What's new in AT?

Join our partners at Microlink PC for What’s new in AT? - a series of free, monthly webinars.

clip art image of screens displaying the word news

Hachette UK donates audiobooks to substantially increase RNIB’s library collection 

The Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) has received hundreds of new audio books that will be available to lend to people with sight loss.

scrabble type letters spelling out NEWS on a book

Mental health services still subject to huge regional variation Children’s Commissioner Report finds

A new report from the Children’s Commissioner’s team details the current trends around children and young people’s mental health services. The number of young people being referred for treatment has increased to 734,00 from 498,000.

nasen and whole school send logos [green text that reads 'nasen' above grey text that reads 'helping everyone achieve' on the left is black text that reads 'Whole School' and green text that reads 'SEND']

nasen Responds to the publication of The SEND and Alternative Provision Improvement Plan

nasen has today (Thursday 2 March 2023) responded to the publication of The SEND and Alternative Provision (AP) Improvement Plan: Right Support, Right Place, Right Time.

Pair of glasses resting on a newspaper

Young People’s experience of Alienation within the school system 

A new report highlights and discusses the educational experiences of young people across England.

free online webinar exam stress for year 11 and 13. Webinar sessions are Monday 27th February at 2pm, Friday 17th and 31st March at 8.30am and 27th March at 2pm. Speakers Katie Rose - The Youth Fairy Barnstaple & Bude - Monday Sessions Conor Warren - CEO of Spark UK - All Sessions Kerry Keenan - Mindfullness Practitioner - Friday Sessions

Free online webinar - Exam Stress for year 11 and 13 students

Free online webinar - Exam Stress for year 11 and 13 students

stylised image of a pair of glasses sitting on top of a folded newspaper

Reading Progress is now available in Microsoft Teams…and it’s free!

Microsoft Teams now comes fully-equipped with Reading Progress, a completely free tool that helps students develop confidence and reading fluency through personally-designed reading experiences.

scrabble type letters spelling out NEWS on a book

Report shows ongoing impact of Covid-19 on schools and young people

A new report commissioned by the Department for Education shows the ongoing impact that Covid-19 has had on schools and settings from Autumn 2021 to Summer 2022.

clip art image of screens displaying the word news

What a society that works for autistic people really looks like – National Autistic Society Report

The National Autistic Society have published ‘The Moonshot Vision’ report, an ambitious vision for what society would look like if it were autism-friendly.

close up of two people sitting at a desk

Survey results of Emotional Wellbeing of Deaf Young People published

In 2022, the National Deaf Children’s Society conducted an online survey aimed at deaf young people over the age of 13 across the UK.

a stock image of a group of five children high-fiving their teacher around a table

Beautiful, sensitive documentary should be seen by all education staff and students

‘Inside our Autistic minds’ is a documentary series of two episodes hosted by Chris Packham.

dad playing with child

Free child development training for Early Years practitioners

The government has released the first four modules of the Early Years child development training. This is an online programme designed to help practitioners improve their knowledge and understanding of child development

close up of two people sitting at a desk

Teaching Assistants and supporting SEND, a roundtable discussion with the Chartered College of Teaching and nasen

nasen’s CEO, Annamarie Hassall MBE will be joining Professor Dame Alison Peacock from The National College of Teaching next month, as the two organisations come together to host a joint roundtable discussion for Teaching Assistants. 

scrabble type letters spelling out NEWS on a book

Join the largest online British Sign Language Lesson

On the 15th March 2023, the British Deaf Association (BDA) and Signature, are inviting primary schools across the country to take part in the UK’s largest online British Sign Language (BSL) lesson as part of Sign Language Week.

clip art image of screens displaying the word news

Attendance continues to be a major issue for schools

The government has released the latest data on pupil absence which shows that the level of absence is still a concern, almost two years after the last Covid lockdown.

stylised image of a pair of glasses sitting on top of a folded newspaper

New elearning module to accompany mandatory training for health and social care professionals

The Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training on Learning Disability (LD) and Autism has been running since 2022 since the Health and Care Act introduced a requirement that service providers ensure that staff receive training on LD and autism.

a stock image of a group of five children high-fiving their teacher around a table

Family Hubs trailblazers announced

In 2022 the government announced the newly created Family Hubs to support communities and young people from birth to age 19, or 25 with an EHCP.

EEF Key Person Image [cartoon image of a person juggling 5 circles, each with text inside. Integrate (research evidence and professional judgment), Explore (Get beyond the surface of the problem), Select (Be an intelligent consumer - don't believe evrything you read. Focus (Think about what you will do and how. Learn (Build a rich evidence picture and expand your knowledge)]

EEF launches updated Early Years Toolkit

The EEF has launched an updated version of the toolkit summarising the best available evidence on key areas for learning and development within the Early Years.

Pair of glasses resting on a newspaper

New report highlights bullying still an issue across education

The first impact report from Diversity Role Models around their DfE project ‘Embracing Difference, Ending Bullying’ highlights that bullying is still very much prevalent within education settings.

close up of two people sitting at a desk

Safer Internet Day – 7th February 2023

The internet has become an integral part of daily life for children and young people and provides both positive opportunities and an open door to a range of damaging content and experiences.