I doubt there is a single one among us that does not understand, and fully agree with, the importance of a high-quality inclusive education and the need for rapid school improvement to achieve this. 

I also suspect there is no one in the sector that believes the SEND system is not broken.

The cost-of-living crisis and the wider funding environment for schools has led to a situation where children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), while the most vulnerable, are left the most exposed. With the Schools Bill now canned (though, we are told, the main thrust is still intact and deliverable without new legislation) and the much-needed SEND Review not yet fully out of the starting blocks, the accountability stakes are high - arguably higher than they have ever been.

So, what’s the answer - what do we do in the face of these acutely challenging conditions? Accept that we have to dilute the provision? Make reductions to staff even though we know they are the ones making the difference to these children’s lives? Increase class sizes in an attempt to make the budget add up?

Inclusive education

Morally, we cannot do any of these. But financially, the sense is that the sector is being herded that way. And as a small academy trust of three specialist schools focusing on autism, we are right at the sharp end of that quandary. 

We recently announced to our staff and parents that, later this month, we would be parting ways with our original sponsor - the National Autistic Society (NAS). The re-energised accountability system driving the move towards “strong trusts” requires a much more significant commitment to governance than was needed 10 years ago when our trust was formed. 

And while we have clearly benefited hugely from NAS’ expertise over the past decade, and will continue to have a common interest in driving educational excellence for autistic children and young adults, this move towards independence provides us with an opportunity to look again at how best to provide the specialist education that we offer through our three schools - and particularly against the backdrop of what otherwise looks uncannily like the perfect storm.

Granted, there are logistical challenges in setting up a back-office support system from scratch, and the challenges that change brings from a human level for our staff and partners. And, of course, it’s important that we have provided reassurance to our families and children that our commitment to providing the very best education to autistic children remains undimmed. 

But how often in education do we really get the opportunity to take stock, review and make significant changes that respond to the needs of the current school community and also plan for strategic growth?

Reworking the trust agenda

The global pandemic has forced the whole education sector to think differently. And the aftermath of returning to a “new normal” has generated a melting pot of new complexities - we can see the impact on early language acquisition, social skills, standards on literacy and numeracy, attendance and the rise in parental complaints.

That is why, as we enter the new calendar year, we are looking forward to it with new energy and drive, as we seek to put in place the things that we know will really make a difference to the lived experience of the pupils we serve. 

Things like the roll-out of trauma-informed training because - let’s face it - we’ve all experienced trauma in the past few years and we need to know how to support each other; staff as well as pupils. 

Things like a real commitment to staff training at all levels so that role satisfaction and career progression are realities for everyone and impact positively on teaching, learning and preparation for adulthood. 

And things like new partnerships with other specialist academy trusts, so that we can all share what works best in what appears to be the early dawn of a new era of collaboration, where we all raise our sights and look to support the system as a whole, not just the patch that is in our back yard. 

To paraphrase Professor Brene Brown, the brave leader embraces their vulnerability because it is the bedrock of creativity and change. We now need to embrace our vulnerability as a sector and use it as an opportunity to do things differently. Those first steps are bound to be challenging in all manner of ways, but we see the current environment, together with our newly minted independence, as an opportunity to make even more of a difference in our schools. 

Dr Nic Crossley is chief executive of the NAS Academies Trust