Comets 

There’s still time for schools to take part in the Comets football training programme this term. If you have any primary or special schools that are keen to get involved, please email [email protected] and let us know. Lead Inclusion Schools are required to have at least two schools participate in their county. 

Once the training has been completed, schools will receive a Comets kit and equipment pack, giving them everything they need to start delivering the programme straight away. The pack includes footballs, bibs, emotion cue cards, and a range of fidget toys to help create an inclusive and engaging football experience for everyone. 

Lead Inclusion School Virtual Conference 

We’re looking forward to seeing you at our virtual conference, which will take place on Thursday 25 June. As shared within the prospectus, the expectation is for one member of staff to attend from each Lead Inclusion School.  

You can register for the conference here. When booking your place, please also choose two workshops that you would like to attend during the conference.  

Further information about the day will be shared shortly.  

Inclusive Health Check Week  

Save the date! Inclusive Health Check Week will be taking place from 21-25 September 2026. This week puts a spotlight on completing the Inclusive Health Check in the autumn term, ensuring the Check can be used as a developmental tool throughout the rest of the year. The Check can be completed by School Games Organisers (SGOs), School Games-eligible schools and active partnerships. Please use this week to encourage your network to complete the Check and make the most of the resources that are available through it. As set out in the new prospectus, the expectation is that 50 practitioners complete the Check from each county within the autumn term.  

As part of the week, we would like to share some stories from schools / SGOs that have completed the Check and used it to inform their development planning. If you know of any examples that we could share, please let us know by emailing [email protected]. 

Water Safety Champions 

As part of Inclusion 2028, we are recruiting young people to be Water Safety Champions. Water Safety Champions are a group of young people with and without SEND who will advocate for water safety in their schools by promoting the water safety code and awareness of how to stay safe in and around water.  

Schools taking part will receive resources over the next two years that the champions can deliver to their peers with the support of staff. This could be through small group activities or whole school events such as assemblies. In return for filling in a short reporting survey for us to let us know the impact of the work, participating schools will receive a certificate for their water safety champions.  

We recommend having between 6-10 champions per school who are aged 10 and above. If your school or any other schools in your area are interested in taking part, please contact [email protected], and we can send you further information/resources. 

Contract Amendments 2026/27 

The Lead Inclusion School contract amendment letters have been sent out via email. Please ask your Headteacher to sign the amendment and return it to [email protected] by Friday 15 May.  

New Reporting Sheets 

We have reset the termly reporting spreadsheets for tracking the progress of activity and CPD across all projects. Please use the reporting spreadsheet below to report any activity in your innovation projects that have been delivered since 01 April 2026. The links have been sent out via email. Please get in touch if you have any questions. 

Festival Dates and Locations 

If you have not already done so, please let us know your festival dates for your Inclusion Live Lab (Bupa), EE Disability FA Cup and Unified Champion Schools Festival (if involved), including the time and venue information by emailing [email protected].

Lord’s Taverners is launching a new national softball cricket competition for SEND and ALN schools across England and Wales, starting this May. Designed as an accessible and competitive alternative to table cricket, the eight-a-side format will give pupils a fresh opportunity to play, compete and build confidence through the game. 

Delivered by county cricket boards and foundations, the competition will progress from county rounds to 10 regional finals, with winners advancing to a National Finals Day on Thursday 02 July 2026 at the Uptonsteel County Ground, home of Leicestershire County Cricket Club.  

The competition will also act as a pathway into the Super 1s programme, supporting ongoing participation in community cricket. Delivered in partnership with the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), the initiative builds on Lord’s Taverners’ growing disability cricket offer, which reached over 28,500 young people last year alone. 

Find out more via the Lord's Taverners website.  

Strategic Lead Awards - Outstanding Inclusive Practice  

The Strategic Lead award nominations are now open and will be open until Friday 22 May. Please do nominate any leads you've been working with this term (there has been some excellent collaborative practice), or yourself for those of you who are Strategic Leads! We'd like to draw your attention to the award below. 

Outstanding Inclusive Practice Award 

Nominations for Strategic Leads who have shown outstanding strategic practice in creating inclusive football opportunities for girls with SEND. This includes developing innovative ways to remove barriers to participation, positioning CPD and training to build educator confidence, collaborating effectively with key partners, and using programmes that increase the chances and choices for girls with SEND to take part in football across a range of settings.  

The nomination form can be found here. 

Drowning Prevention Week 13–20 June 2026 

Drowning Prevention Week, led by the Royal Life Saving Society (RLSS) UK, is a national water safety campaign that takes place every June, just ahead of the summer holidays. The campaign focuses on educating children and young people aged 5-17 with essential water safety and lifesaving skills at a time when they are more likely to be outdoors and around water. 

We’re encouraging schools, carers, lifesaving clubs, leisure operators and water-related organisations to get involved and help spread these vital safety messages within their communities. 

RLSS UK exists to prevent drowning and enable everyone to enjoy water safely. Through education, training and community engagement, they work towards a future where drowning is no longer a risk. Find out more and download free resources.