Here’s a quick summary of what’s new this month. Please share your feedback on this update.
There is More Than One Type of Progress!
There are more children with additional needs in every class, and each one is on their own journey. Progress doesn’t always look the same – and different should be celebrated, never made to feel less. That’s the focus of episode 2 of our customer podcast, B Squared Unlocked, “There is more than one type of progress!”, where Dale and Jon explain how to recognise and celebrate different types of progress.
The world is changing too. We’ve updated our frameworks for the new Digital Skills and PSHE guidance, and our latest SENDcast Sessions focus on Executive Function, named as a standalone area in the SEND Reforms for the first time. When the government’s reforms update arrives, Natalie Packer will unpick what’s next in our FREE SEND Briefing – register now.
Our SENDcast podcast special episodes from the Tes SEND Show captured how people feel about the current SEND landscape. The message was clear: it’s a struggle, and we all need to do more to support ‘different’.
Read on to see how we can help you show progress for all your pupils. Need help with our software? Book a FREE 15-minute support session or email support@bsquared.cloud.
Episode 2: There is more than one type of progress!
Progress is the difference between two points in time. Simple, right? So is there really more than one type of progress? For pupils with SEND, very much so. Dale and Jon explain the different types of progress you can show, what each one tells you, and which report to use for the child in front of you, including:
- Linear and non-linear progress, and why non-linear matters for pupils with spiky profiles
- Using the yellows and oranges to show small steps when nothing is turning green
- How Evisense can show a skill being used beyond the classroom
- Why there’s no single report to run for every pupil with SEND
“Trying to have one set of values, one graph to represent all those children, makes no sense.” – Dale Pickles
What’s New This Month?
Digital Skills updated for the 2026 government standards
The DfE has published revised Essential Digital Skills Standards – the first full update since 2019. AI is now woven through almost every skill area, and there are new skills for everyday digital life, including collaborating on shared documents, understanding digital agreements, managing your digital footprint, and reporting and recovery.
We’ve checked every assessment point in Steps 4 Life, our post-16 assessment framework, against the new standards. The update is now LIVE in Connecting Steps. Some content has moved between skill areas and subjects, so your data will look a bit different.
Read more on the Digital Skills update
Watch Tor Desmond, our Director of Education,
explain what’s changed
Interested in adding Post 16 assessment? If your school doesn’t have the Academic Skills pack of our Steps 4 Life assessment framework and would like your assessments aligned with the new Digital Skills standards, email us at sales@bsquared.co.uk and we’ll send you a quote.
New ‘Set Starting Point’ screen for baselining
Baselining is the step that most often catches schools out, but without a starting point you can’t show progress!
We have created an easier way to set a student’s starting point (baseline) for each subject and profile. Our new Set Starting Point wizard guides you through setting the correct level. Every subject and profile that you wish to assess needs a starting point so that progress can be demonstrated and measured. Follow the how to guide
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
Did you know?
Bringing progress to life
A graph can tell you a pupil has made progress. A photo or video shows you what that progress looks like – the first time a child holds a pencil, joins in with a group, or uses a new skill out in the community. For many pupils with SEND, these are the moments that matter most, and they’re easy to miss in data alone.
Evisense is our secure, easy-to-use evidence of learning system. It showcases all your pupils’ achievements and brings small steps of progress to life. With a social media style feed, staff can capture photos, videos and observations in seconds, link them to assessment points in Connecting Steps, and share them with parents in just two clicks – so families can see what their child has achieved and feel more connected to their learning.
Try Evisense FREE for 3 months and see the difference it makes.
Students exceeding their storage quota? Here’s how to manage your storage in Evisense…
In order to upload photos, videos and audio evidence, a student must be assigned a premium storage tier in Evisense. Each tier has a storage quota. If a student reaches their quota, you will see a warning and the post will be saved as a draft. You can check on the Storage Management screen if your setting has purchased higher tiers and follow the guide to assign them. If none are available, please contact us for an upgrade. Follow the how to guide
If the warning message says your students are on no storage tier or on the Explorer tier, you can follow the same guide to assign a premium tier.
Have you tried our FREE Evisense Explorer?
Our secure, entry level social media style tool for two way communication with parents is free for pupils with a Connecting Steps licence.
Our October SENDcast Sessions are now available to view
This month, Victoria Bagnall from Connections in Mind shows how to spot and support Executive Function difficulties and rethink behaviour through an Executive Function lens. Each session is just £10 until 23rd October (special introductory price), then £15 – so buy now!
Your whole school can watch any time.
Catch up on our Working Towards the SEND Reforms series
Victoria’s sessions are part of our Autumn series, giving school staff, SENCOs and leaders the expert guidance they need to prepare for the changes ahead. Catch up on Ginny Bootman’s sessions on getting SEND reform ready, and Sara Alston’s sessions on building inclusion.
One subscription. Your whole school.
150+ expert-led training sessions.
✅ Practical strategies
✅ Policy updates
✅ Real classroom impact
All staff can watch and rewatch over 150 SENDcast Sessions, whenever suits them. A 1-year subscription is just £100+VAT for schools using B Squared software (£175 for everyone else) – great value for your whole school!
FREE SEND Briefing
The SEND Reforms: what’s next?
We’re still waiting for the government’s update on the SEND Reforms. As soon as it lands, SEND consultant Natalie Packer will unpick what it means for your school in a FREE live briefing, followed by a LIVE Q&A. Register now and we’ll let you know the date as soon as it’s confirmed.
Register for FREE
Have you listened to our FREE podcast?
Coming Up in November
November’s episodes explore: the emails, the silence and the hidden trauma of SEND; specialist and mainstream schools working as partners rather than separate pathways; why it takes a village to help a child; and how to make SEND practice more father-inclusive.
Here’s a reminder of our October Episodes
- From Communication to Burnout: Creating an Inclusive Environment for Autistic Learners – Joe Fautley
- Ensuring Behaviour Policy Closes the Gap – Adam Hayes
- From Pressure to Safety: Rethinking EBSA – Jack Mallaby
- Making Residentials Truly Inclusive: Supporting Children with SEND in Outdoor Learning – Nicholas Hands
- ND and Not Attending – Dr Joanna Grace
SENDcast Live at the Tes SEND Show
Our podcast studio was buzzing at this year’s Tes SEND Show – Dale recorded with 24 people over the two days! A selection of the show’s speakers shared short summaries of their sessions, so if you didn’t make it to the event, you can still learn from the experts who were there. We’ll be releasing all of these episodes for FREE over the coming weeks. Here’s the first two:
Samantha Asher – Big Feelings: Understanding Emotional Regulation through a Neurodivergent Lens
Simon Airey – They Aren’t Playing “Wrong”: Recognising the Importance, Logic and Joy in Neurodivergent Play
We also invited visitors to share their views on the SEND Reforms and the current SEND landscape. We’ll bring these together into one episode, so every voice is heard.
view the special episodesDyslexia – Raising Awareness and Understanding
Dyslexia Awareness Week (5-11th October) shone a light on dyslexia in everyday life – but our resources are here whenever you need them. Listen to 16 FREE SENDcast podcast episodes on dyslexia, or get our Dyslexia Training Sessions Bundle: three 1-hour sessions on supporting dyslexic learners with comprehension, supporting dyslexic pupils in the classroom, and building a whole-school dyslexia strategy – for just £30!
Explore our dyslexia resources
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It’s Easy to Show Progress with Connecting Steps
Rowden House School in Herefordshire supports young people aged 11-19 with severe learning difficulties, autism and challenging behaviour. Staff use Connecting Steps to baseline every student quickly, see exactly where each one is working, and plan next steps. Adding our Steps 4 Life assessment framework has helped the post-16 team show progress towards Preparing for Adulthood – whether students are building on existing skills, learning new ones, or applying them in different contexts. And because every teacher uses the same system, assessment stays consistent as students move between classes and key stages. The school is proud to be a B Squared Gold Partner. Read the case study
Get great rewards as a B Squared Gold Partner!
30% off Evisense
20% off Connecting Steps annual hosting
20% off SENDcast Sessions online training
Showcase your school, support others, and gain exclusive discounts and benefits from us.
Executive Function Assessment Framework
The upcoming SEND Reforms name Executive Function as one of five areas of development – the first time it has stood on its own. Schools will need to identify and evidence support for skills like attention, working memory, planning, flexibility and emotional regulation. Our Executive Function framework, developed with Victoria Bagnall from Connections in Mind, tracks progress across 11 areas and 5 levels, from age 4 through to preparing for university or employment. For schools already using Connecting Steps, it can be added from just £175 for up to 30 students. Find out more
PSHE Changes Now LIVE in Connecting Steps
Back in September we let you know that we’d rebuilt our PSHE assessment content to match the government’s new RSE and Health Education guidance – and it’s now LIVE! Primary Steps Plus, Progression Steps Plus and Steps 4 Life Academic Skills (our packs containing PSHE) have been substantially rewritten for 2026, so your assessment stays fully aligned with the new guidance from day one, at no additional cost for your school.
Read Tor’s blog on what’s changed
Two New FREE Assessment Frameworks for Schools in Scotland
Schools in Scotland using Connecting Steps can now track progress in Developing the Young Workforce and Skills for Learning, Life and Work – both based on Education Scotland guidance and both FREE. Developing the Young Workforce uses the Career Education Standard ‘I can’ statements, from talking about jobs in the community to preparing CVs and interviews. Skills for Learning, Life and Work is linked to Steps to Excellence, so the assessments you already make also show how each learner is developing these skills – there’s nothing extra to assess. Find out more
B Squared at the Tes SEND Show
As well as the SENDcast podcast studio, B Squared had its own stand at this year’s Tes SEND Show at the Business Design Centre in London. It was busy with teachers on the Friday and parents on the Saturday. We talked about the different types of progress pupils with SEND make, and how to show progress from starting point. We also heard how people feel about the SEND Reforms. Thank you to everyone who came to see us!
Visit the Tes SEND Show website
Come and See Us at the NASS Conference
B Squared will be at the National Association of Special Schools (NASS) conference on 11-12th November. NASS is a membership organisation for special schools in England and Wales. It supports and represents its members, shares effective practice for children and young people with SEND, and gives special schools a national voice. If you’re attending, come and say hello to Dale on our stand! Find out more
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