News

Over the last year we have been working on our new framework Steps 4 Life, designed for pupils working towards functional skills, life skills and employ-ability skills. These frameworks can be used from Key Stage 3 onward. We are now at the stage where we would like to invite schools to trial our Living Skills pack. We are around 80% of the way through content creation and would like feedback on the content we have developed so far.

Our Engagement Steps assessment framework, for pupils not yet engaged in subject-specific learning, has been shortlisted as a finalist for this year's ERA awards. It was recognised in the category Special Education Resource or Equipment including ICT. The winners will be announced at an awards dinner on 22 March at the National Conference Centre in Birmingham.

The virtual SEND conference is for all professionals working with pupils with SEND, not just our customers. We are dedicated to supporting SEND and ensuring professionals have access to high quality information and guidance that they can access and afford. It will provide useful content at classroom level, tips from like-minded professionals, for the everyday challenges SENCOs & teachers face in helping children with SEND.

As part of our ongoing commitment to deliver the best knowledge/help for our teacher customers, we now offer FREE training webinars. These webinars are designed to help you get the most out of our products and help our users use the software more effectively.

Visitors to B Squared's stand can meet our special guest headteachers from Firpark Secondary School (North Lanarkshire) and Ashton Secondary School (Glasgow) to find out how our assessment framework for the Curriculum for Excellence can be used to support learning.

This issue includes analysis of the pre-key stage standards, guidance on how to manage assessment now the P Levels have been removed and tips on how evidence of learning can enable meaningful communication with parents. Plus sign up for our next FREE Connecting Steps training webinar taking place at 4pm on Tues 3rd July.

Our Managing Director, Dale Pickles was ‘caught on camera’ at The Welsh Autism Show in Llandudno. B Squared was exhibiting at the event to promote Autism Progress, our observational assessment framework designed to help support individuals with autism.

This issue explains how you can use one assessment platform for pupils working across different curriculums in your school! Plus sign up for our FREE Live Webex on Thurs 8th March to find out about our NEW Rochford Review Ready assessment framework for pupils not yet engaged in subject-specific learning.

School budgets are being squeezed relentlessly. The National Education Union showed 94% of 1,800 school staff surveyed have spent their own money on classroom resources! How do senior leaders decide where to spend the budget? Where is the smart money being spent?

This issue includes details on B Squared's new Engagement Steps assessment framework for pupils not yet engaged in subject-specific learning. As well as exclusive access to a FREE 3-month trial of Evisense and details on what we've been up to so far this term.

We are thrilled to share the news that Evisense has been shortlisted for not just one but two BETT Awards 2018! Evisense is a finalist in the categories Whole School Aids for Learning and also Special Educational Needs Solutions. The winners will be announced at the BETT Awards 2018 ceremony on 24th January at Tobacco Dock in London.

This issue includes details on what we've been up to during this 'busy' year in Education! As well as information on product updates, special offers and the new assessment frameworks we are developing.

Richard Aird OBE gives his own, personal interpretation of how he wishes to see SEND provision for SLD/PMLD/CLDD develop as a consequence of the RR recommendations.

At the end of November Dale Pickles, the Managing Director of B Squared was invited to beautiful Budapest in Hungary to deliver a keynote lecture on profiling Autism to the Hungarian Autism Society and the Secretary of State for Education.

We are pleased to announce that our most requested feature for Connecting Steps has now been added…. uploading Evidence!

Our Director, Dale Pickles, has studied the final report of The Rochford Review and prepared the attached response. He gives his personal analysis, identifies some of the positives and discusses how we plan to adapt to the recommendations.

This issue includes details on Autism Progress, our innovative autism profiling tool and the launch of Evisense, our new evidence capture software. New features and special offers are also highlighted.

We are pleased to confirm that Autism Progress, our new and innovative tool for profiling autism, is now available to order!

We are currently developing a framework to assess pupil progress within the Curriculum for Excellence. It will be available as part of our Connecting Steps assessment software.