NASS Findings… Where Do We Fit?

In a recent session with the Wates Group, our CEO Jo was pointed to the NASS ‘Reaching My Potential’ Report from June 2023. This study discusses the difference made to society if all individuals with complex SEND receive special education provision that meets their needs.

There are some interesting key headlines which we think our wider community should know about… and in fact the whole of society! While the impact of accurate provision for every individual with SEND is immeasurable, the team at NASS (National Association of Independent and Non-Maintained Special Schools) have managed to quantify the impact in several ways:

“The average net value across their lifetime for a learner with complex SEND as a result of having their needs met could be at least £380k”

1. On learners themselves

Individuals report a better quality of life and engagement with communities. This covers social involvement, and work and volunteering opportunities.

Learners are more fulfilled by being properly understood and providing for at school.

2. On families

Families often bear the brunt of failings in education settings. Individual needs being sufficiently provisioned means they have a better quality of life and are happier, and this effect is also felt in families. There is a reduced dependency on families for this sort of provision, alongside reduced financial, emotional, and physical toll that comes with insufficient provision outside the home.

3. On wider society and the economy

The researchers estimate an average of a £380,000 financial return per person back into the economy when individual needs are met effectively. This means that, with proper investment into this provision in earlier life, the better life outcomes and opportunities produced means that these individuals give back and contribute to society and the economy. It’s not really surprising!

And this is only for complex SEND, imagine how that number might change when including the whole SEND spectrum…

So where do we fit?

Provision of educational tools

By producing and supplying our videos and downloadable resources for free, we are reducing the financial burden on parents, schools, and support groups. This could result in the final financial return of £380,000 being even higher, as the initial cost of providing sufficient specialist support is reduced.

Support for families and educators

Our experts who create and present our series all have extensive specialist training and experience. This means that the pressure on families and educators is reduced, as they gain confidence in using our content. This was found in an independent report undertaken for the Teach Me Too project, where educators who felt ill-equipped to support a child with Down’s syndrome gained confidence and knowledge through using the project.

Direct impact for learners

While parents and educators benefit from the security, confidence, and knowledge these resources provide, the most concrete impact is for the learners directly. Greater understanding of key social skills, changes in behaviour, and strategies for dealing with unsafe situations means that our learners can be safer, grow up more independent, and thrive in life - however this looks for them.

Listen to Susan Ainsworth, Learning for Life user, talking about how impactful the project is.

Impact on wider society

Where our learners learn more from our content, they are more able to take part in work and volunteer opportunities, and safely spend time within their communities. This is undoubtedly good for society, not only financially, where we can bring more of our learners into the workforce and contributing to the economy. Our community being a part of teams in cafes, offices, hotels, education settings, and more, their presence and active contribution to society is clearer, more accepted, and normalised.

This helps us as a wider society to move past outdated stereotypes where our community can’t have jobs, leave home, live independently, or have loving, happy romantic relationships.

What’s next?

For parents and educators, sign up. Our work is freely available, and has benefitted thousands of children and young people across the UK and globally, with a range of additional needs.

For Learn and Thrive, we’re committed to keeping our work free. We’re committed to creating new content. We’re committed to ensuring all of our work leads to providing our community with ways to be safer, engage with their communities, and live fulfilled lives.