Rosendale Primary School - UK

Rosendale Primary School, a three-form entry state school in Lambeth, London, serving 676 pupils aged 2–11, has been shortlisted for the Varkey Foundation's prestigious Global Schools Prize 2026 in the SEND & Inclusive Education category. Part of the Dunraven Trust, Rosendale holds an Ofsted Outstanding rating, with inspectors explicitly praising its SEND provision and noting that "pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), are exceptionally well prepared for secondary school."

The school's inclusion story is one of remarkable transformation. When SENDCo Ian Herlihy de Conde joined, the role had been vacant for a year, leaving families frustrated and let down. Within just eight months, he and the team had rebuilt trust and secured an Outstanding judgement that specifically celebrated SEND provision.

At the heart of Rosendale's innovation is BaSE21, a Specialist SEMH Resource Base launched in September 2025, which grew out of a pioneering bespoke provision called The Blue Room. Designed to support pupils who could not access mainstream classrooms due to complex social, emotional and mental health needs, BaSE21 was co-designed with pupils themselves, children voted on layouts, chose regulation-room equipment, and shaped their own curriculum. The local authority SENDCo was so impressed that they recommended formalising it as an official Specialist Resource Base, and it now supports eight pupils with personalised, trauma-informed provision.

Rosendale's approach is rigorously research-led. The school is a Specialist Partner of the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF), embedding evidence-based practice through the Zones of Regulation framework, Kagan cooperative learning structures, and the Principles of Instruction. Maths is taught to SEND pupils by qualified teachers in mixed year groups, not teaching assistants, reflecting the evidence on teacher impact. The school was also invited to present at the Festival of Education UK 2025 on making every child feel valued, with signature practices like student-designed welcome handshakes for catch-up groups.

Professional development is exceptional: yearly SALT training, twice-yearly autism training from the Lambeth Autism Advisory Service, in-class coaching from the Lambeth SEMH Lead, and trust-wide training days. Partnerships extend to Turney School (a local SEND specialist), CENMAC, trainee therapists, and the charity Contact, which co-hosts parent coffee mornings.

Pupil voice is embedded throughout children contribute to their own Pen Portraits, lead annual reviews, and are deliberately included in Ofsted inspection conversations. Families are full partners, through termly reviews, SEMH workshop series, a free Sunday football club, and nursery visits for new starters. Accessibility innovations include the sensory-friendly Blue Room, a Forest School in a limited urban green space, assistive technology, and adapted cycling proficiency equipment. SATs data shows SEND pupils at Rosendale consistently outperform the national average for all pupils.

If awarded, Rosendale plans to expand BaSE21, launch a SEMH outreach service for other schools, pilot short-term placements with reintegration support, and open inclusive holiday clubs to address the national gap in SEND holiday provision, turning local excellence into sector-wide change.