Our judges want to hear the story behind your school’s commitment to SEND provision in 2025–26 – not the policy document, but the living, breathing reality. This is your chance to show why you are proud to work where you do, and how you have built a SEND approach that is thoughtful, purposeful and genuinely transformative for the young people in your care.

Bring it off the page. Use examples. Include evidence where it strengthens your case – but do spare us the endless bullet-pointed statistics. Above all, paint a picture. If our judges were to walk through your doors on an ordinary school day, how would they see and feel the importance of SEND in the way your community learns, collaborates and treats one another?

The questions below should shape your entry. Keep the spotlight firmly on SEND provision, rather than drifting into the wider story of the school.

• What makes SEND provision in your school special?
  What is its purpose, its scope, its ambition? How do you identify needs early and respond with precision and care? What is distinctive about your approach to support and inclusion – and why does it stand out in a crowded field? Tell us about the achievements that matter most: the breakthroughs, the improved outcomes, the quiet successes that have changed a child’s trajectory. (Around 200 words.)
• What SEND challenges did you face in 2025–26 – and how did you tackle them?
  No year is without its hurdles. What particular complexities did you encounter, and how did you rise to them? Show us how you ensured that pupils with a wide range of needs enjoyed a positive, ambitious school experience. Tell us about projects or initiatives of which you are especially proud – and how you worked alongside families and external professionals to get it right. (Around 150 words.) 
• What difference does your SEND provision make?
  How do you measure the success of your provision? Whether it is academic progress, growing independence, improved attendance, stronger wellbeing or smoother transitions, how do you know it is working? And perhaps most importantly, how does your SEND provision equip pupils for life beyond school? (Around 150 words.)