Blog posts by SSAT

At the end of last week we received the very sad news that Barry Cooke has died.

Congratulations to St Mark’s CE Academy in London, Salesian School in Surrey and Chorlton High School in Manchester, who have become the latest schools to be recognised for ‘transforming’ practice in all areas of the Framework for Exceptional Education.

Within any organisation, implementation matters. Leaders may be generating inspired, ground-breaking ideas, but without effective implementation, they will remain only that, an idea. Implementing change in schools is complex, requiring every member of staff to play their part.

Implementation matters. Even the greatest idea remains only an idea until it is successfully implemented. Effective implementation is the cornerstone of all meaningful and sustainable change in education, whether your focus is classroom, curriculum or culture.

As an international student who has lived and studied in both the UK and Spain, I’m very interested in comparing the two education systems.

Special schools provide excellent outcomes for some of our most complex learners. They are led and staffed by colleagues who understand the needs of individual learners.

Whoever comes into power next month, there are a number of key priorities that need to be added to the in-tray of the new cabinet.

We know that the SEND figures are rising year on year. We know that we will have a legacy of poor mental health resulting from the pandemic for years to come. We know that most LA’s high-needs budgets are overspent. We know that specialist provision and specialist services are at breaking point.

Hearing that I had failed to secure a place for the twins at my first choice was a hard blow. My Mum said that in her day, parents accepted where children were offered a place.

An important job for any parent is choosing their child’s primary school. It is the start of their schooling journey and one in which you want them to develop a love of learning.