Northern Counties School on Tankerville Terrace has scooped an Innovation in Education Award at the National Association of Special Schools Awards in Bristol, recognising its contribution to improving special education assessments.

The therapy team at the school, which is part of the Percy Hedley Foundation, has worked alongside the NHS, local authorities and national charities to develop a new tool that more accurately captures the impact of therapy on their students with complex needs.

The school already uses national Therapy Outcome Measures (TOMs) to assess each child’s ability and progress in four key areas: activity, impairment, participation and wellbeing. However, the school has adapted the measures to create the Paediatric Learning Disability and Complex Needs MDT scale for learners with profound disabilities, sensory needs, and communication challenges. This scale helps support families, guides therapy and informs commissioners.

Now published in the widely-accepted TOMs manual, the scale is used across the school and is gaining national recognition through conference presentations, training programmes and professional publications.

“Gaining national recognition for our work is an incredible achievement,” Martin Lonergan, headteacher of Northern Counties School, told JesmondLocal. “Every member of staff at Northern Counties works tirelessly to improve the lives of our pupils, and the development of this new outcome measurement tool is just one example of that commitment.

“Through our multidisciplinary approach, every student receives access to tailored therapy, ensuring we enhance their quality of life in every possible way. I’m immensely proud of our team and what we’ve achieved together.”

Northern Counties School cares for around 100 students, aged between 3 and 19, who have special educational needs, including autism spectrum conditions, hearing or visual impairments, receptive or expressive language difficulties, and profound and multiple learning disabilities. Following its most recent inspection by Ofsted in 2024, the school was rated outstanding in the areas of “Behaviour & attitudes” and “Personal development”.