Here’s a quick summary of what’s new this month. Please share your feedback on this update.
Get Ready for a More Inclusive New School Year
As the school year draws to a close, it’s a good time to celebrate how far your pupils have come, and think about what next year could bring. With the proposed SEND reforms taking shape and Ofsted placing greater emphasis on progress from starting point, inclusive assessment has never mattered more. At B Squared, we’ve been busy – adding five new frameworks and rolling out a year’s worth of updates to Connecting Steps and Evisense – there’s now more in our software to help you than ever before.
See everything that’s new in our year-in-review
Looking ahead to September, our range of SENDcast Sessions can help your whole school feel confident and prepared. Sara Alston’s latest sessions on building a more inclusive classroom and whole school culture of inclusion are ideal for any teacher or leader. There’s also expert guidance on identifying SEND needs, reducing SENCO admin, the new Ofsted Inspection Framework, and understanding the Curriculum and Assessment Review – whatever your focus for next year, there’s something to help you get there.
Before all that though – enjoy a well-earned summer break! And when you get a moment, catch up on our FREE podcast. With 300 episodes covering everything from sharing best practice to understanding SEND policy, there’s always something great to listen to.
An Inclusive Assessment System for ALL Your Pupils
Connecting Steps now covers 22 assessment frameworks – from Early Years all the way through to Post 16. Whether you’re supporting pupils with SEND, tracking pupils working at Age Related Expectations in a mainstream primary, or assessing other areas like executive function, communication and interaction, or emotional wellbeing – there’s a framework for your pupils.
This year alone we’ve added five brand new frameworks, reflecting the latest thinking on SEND support and bringing even more of your pupils into one system. As the proposed SEND reforms take shape and Ofsted places greater emphasis on demonstrating progress from starting point, having an inclusive assessment system that covers all your pupils has never mattered more.
Find out more about all our frameworks in our year-in-review
New School Year Admin for Administrators
A quick reminder: There are a few admin tasks the software administrator in your school will need to do in our administration portal MyBSquared to make sure Connecting Steps and Evisense are ready for the new academic year. The good news is we’ll automatically extend your current registration groups into the new school year, so at the start of term you just need to check your groups and make any adjustments needed for individual students. We’ll also send you an email reminder. How to prepare students for the next school year
Our top picks from this year
- Five new assessment frameworks – This year we’ve added Executive Function, Social Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH), Personal Development for Alternative Provision, The Bell Foundation’s English as an Additional Language (FREE for Connecting Steps users), and Maths for Life (FREE for Maths for Life subscribers). Each one reflects the growing diversity of pupils in schools today and helps you build a more complete picture of every learner. Find out more
- Multiple Subject Donuts Report – See a student’s progress across all subjects at a glance. Left donuts show achievements at the start of your date range; right donuts show where they are now. An icon flags level changes, so progress or regression is easy to spot.
How to guide - View One Page Profiles in Connecting Steps – Access a student’s One Page Profile directly from the Student Assessment screen. Profiles are created in Evisense and can be viewed or downloaded as a PDF – without switching tools. How to guide
We’ve shared a full summary of every Connecting Steps update this year in our year-in-review – B Squared updates this school year.
Not using Connecting Steps? Book a FREE online demo to find out how to show progress from starting point for all your pupils.
Book a FREE online demo
Our top picks from this year
- Evisense Explorer – FREE Parental Communication Tool – Evisense Explorer is included FREE for all pupils licensed in Connecting Steps. Post class blogs, newsletters, event reminders, and progress updates in a secure, private space. Parents can comment and respond. Upgrade individual pupils to Evisense Premium at any time to add photo, video, and audio. Get started
- View Student Achievements When Linking Assessment Points – See each student’s current achievement level when creating a post and linking to assessment content. When you publish, you’re also prompted to update their assessment in Connecting Steps – right there, without switching tools. How to guide
- Post Progress Updates from Connecting Steps into Evisense – Share visual progress updates directly with parents in just a few clicks, without leaving Connecting Steps. A quick way to keep families informed and build active parental engagement. How to guide
See a full summary of every Evisense update this year in our year-in-review – B Squared updates this school year.
Have you tried our FREE Evisense Explorer?
Sign up today and see how it can boost parental engagement in your school.
Build a More Inclusive School with Sara Alston
This month’s SENDcast Sessions are led by Sara Alston, a SEND consultant and trainer with 40 years of classroom and leadership experience, and co-author of The Inclusive Classroom. Sara’s sessions are practical, grounded and immediately usable – ideal preparation for the new school year – whether you want to make practical changes in the classroom or shift the culture across your whole school.
Click to hear from Sara what’s
covered in her training sessions
NASS Award Winners on SENDcast Sessions Watch for FREE
The NASS Awards celebrate outstanding achievements in independent special schools.
We’re sharing three FREE sessions featuring this year’s winners.
Kerry Taylor, Principal
Highgate Hill House School
NASS Special Contribution Award – See how outstanding personal leadership and dedication have driven a safer, happier and more ambitious school environment
Watch FREEMeasuring Therapy Outcomes
at Northern Counties School
NASS Innovation Award – Hear how a groundbreaking tool was developed to measure therapy outcomes for children with complex needs.
Watch FREECareers Service
at William Henry Smith Foundation
NASS Outstanding Impact Award – Enjoy student testimonies on the difference an outstanding careers service is making for young people with SEND.
Watch FREEExpert SEND Guidance for the Year Ahead – Coming This Autumn
We’re building our Autumn speaker programme around the theme ‘Working Towards the SEND Reforms’ – giving school staff, SENCOs, and leaders the expert guidance they need to navigate the changes ahead with confidence.
We’ll be hearing from Abigail Gray, Ginny Bootman, Victoria Bagnall and Natalie Packer.
Look out for the full programme announcement soon.
B Squared customers can get a 1-year subscription for your whole school to access
150+ expert-led training videos for just £100+VAT!
“The SENDcast Sessions are absolutely brilliant – high quality, practical and so easy to fit in around a busy school week.”
“As a busy teacher this was easy and engaging to watch, thought provoking, simple yet empowering at the same time.”
Our June Episodes
- Removing the Fear of Reading – Vicki Edgar
- Empowered: Student Self-Advocacy in Schools – Claire Cannon & Alice Phillips
- Leadership in Social Impact Education – Ed Robbins
- It’s Not What It Looks Like: Screen Time and Neurodivergent Children – Dr Daniel Weisberg
Coming Up in July
July’s episodes cover SENCOs in senior leadership, supporting neurodivergent teachers, Developmental Language Disorder, specific learning difficulties, and trauma-informed practice in everyday school life.
300 Episodes of the SENDcast
We’ve recently hit a huge milestone – 300 episodes of the SENDcast! From classroom strategies to national policy debates, from early years to post-16 provision, it’s already been quite a journey. Thank you to every listener, every guest, and every school that’s been part of it. Here’s to the next 300!
Catch up on all episodes
Don’t Miss Our Latest Special Episode
Dale is joined by Beverley Walters (Programme Director of the Tes SEND Show) and Jane Friswell (SEND Consultant and former nasen CEO) to discuss what makes the Tes SEND Show the unmissable annual event for the SEND community. Now in its 34th year, the show takes place on Friday 9th and Saturday 10th October at the Business Design Centre in Islington, London, with 42 CPD-certified seminars, a SEND Leadership Summit, and over 150 exhibitors.
Listen to the special episode
SENDcast is a Finalist at the BESA Awards 2026!
We are delighted to have been announced as a finalist at the BESA Awards 2026 in the Outstanding SEND resource or service category! The BESA Awards recognise outstanding contributions within the UK education supplier sector, and it’s an honour to be recognised alongside so many talented entries. The awards ceremony takes place on 9th July 2026 in London – please keep everything crossed for us! Read the full story
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Executive Function Trial – Don’t Forget Your Feedback!
If your school signed up for our FREE Executive Function framework trial (10th June to 10th July), we’d love to hear how it’s going. Schools that provide meaningful feedback will receive 30% off the Executive Function framework if they order by 30th September 2026. Submit your feedback
Join Our Growing Community of B Squared Gold Partners
We’re delighted to welcome our three newest Gold Partners – Hugh Gaitskell Primary, Icknield Primary, and Rowden House School – to our growing community of schools showcasing best practice in SEND assessment. Gold Partners receive 30% off Evisense, 20% off Connecting Steps annual hosting, and 20% off SENDcast Sessions training, plus their school’s logo and case study on our website and a free annual consultation with MD Dale Pickles. See if your school qualifies
Connecting Steps Reaches the BESA Awards 2026 Finals!
We’re thrilled to share that Connecting Steps has been shortlisted as a finalist at the BESA Awards 2026! The awards recognise outstanding contributions within the UK education supplier sector, and it’s a real honour to be recognised for the work we do helping schools show progress for every pupil. The awards ceremony is on 9th July – wish us luck!
Read the full story
B Squared is Now a Member of the Alliance for Inclusive Literacy
We’re pleased to have joined the Alliance for Inclusive Literacy as a Member Organisation, another step in our commitment to supporting inclusive education for all learners. The Alliance brings together organisations from across the UK to challenge inequalities in literacy education and drive meaningful change – so that every pupil, regardless of their needs or communication method, has the opportunity to develop reading and writing skills. Find out more
Come and See Us This Summer – Three Shows on 3rd July!
On 3rd July, we’ll be at the Festival of Education (Wellington College), NASEN Live (Vox, Birmingham), and the Autism & ADHD Show (Exhibition Centre, Liverpool) – all on the same day. Come and say hello if you’re at any of them!
- Festival of Education – 2nd–3rd July, Wellington College
- NASEN Live – 3rd July, Vox Birmingham
- Autism & ADHD Show Liverpool – 3rd–4th July, Exhibition Centre Liverpool
Events This Autumn
For the Autumn Term, look out for us at the National Neurodiversity Show Scotland (11th September, Glasgow) and the Tes SEND Show (9–10th October, Business Design Centre, London), where both The SENDcast and B Squared have a stand and we’ll be recording a series of podcasts live at the event – come and say hi!
View all upcoming events
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