This prestigious national award recognises excellence across the full breadth of AP, including schools, pupil referral units and specialist AP providers.
We are delighted to announce that Bright Heart Education has won Alternative Provision of the Year at the nasen Awards 2026.
The award was presented at The Vox in Birmingham on Friday 16 October, bringing together people from across the education sector to celebrate their work supporting children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). It was a wonderful evening and a proud moment for our team.
Now in their tenth year, the nasen Awards recognise the individuals and organisations helping to improve education for children and young people with SEND. This year’s awards attracted hundreds of nominations across 18 categories, reflecting the breadth of work taking place across the sector.
The Alternative Provision of the Year category recognises provision that supports students’ social, emotional and academic development, helping young people facing significant barriers to education rebuild confidence and engage with learning.
With schools, organisations and specialist providers contributing so much across the country, we are especially proud to receive this recognition for the quality of our alternative provision delivered across 25 local authorities currently.
At Bright Heart, we work with children and young people whose needs and circumstances can make accessing education particularly challenging. Some have spent considerable time out of school; others need a carefully adapted approach because of anxiety, SEND or complex medical needs.
Our starting point is to understand the individual and to provide a safe and nurturing space.
Positive relationships are central to this work. A young person who has experienced difficulties in education may need time and consistency to build trust with a tutor. Feeling understood can help them take part more confidently, attempt something challenging and begin to recognise their own capabilities.
Our specialist tutors, supported by our Education Consultants (with QTS), combine this nurturing approach with purposeful teaching. We want students to make academic progress while developing the confidence and independence to take their next steps.
Progress looks different for each learner. It might mean engaging regularly with tuition after a long absence from education, working towards qualifications, or preparing for a return to school or a move into college. Each represents an important step towards a young person’s future.
Reflecting on Bright Heart’s award, Simon McQueen, Co-founder & Director, commented:
We are immensely proud to receive this award, which recognises the dedication, expertise and care of our tutors and wider team.
At Bright Heart, our mission is to transform the lives of students with special educational needs. We strive to achieve this through nurturing, highly personalised education, underpinned by rigorous quality assurance and professional oversight. Our specialist tutors are supported by QTS-qualified Education Consultants and robust, proprietary systems that help us monitor progress, engagement and safeguarding, and intervene early when additional support is needed.
We are hugely grateful to the local authorities, schools and families who place their trust in us. This award is wonderful recognition of what we can achieve together.”
This award recognises the care, patience and expertise that our team and specialist SEND tutors bring to their work every day. Their commitment to understanding each student and adapting support makes our provision possible.
We are also grateful to our local authority and school partners. Effective alternative provision depends on collaboration, clear communication and a shared commitment to finding the right support for each learner.
To the families who place their trust in us: thank you. Your insights and involvement help us understand your children and support them more effectively.
Above all, we recognise the efforts of the young people themselves. Reconnecting with education can take considerable courage, and we are proud to support them as they work towards their goals.
Bright Heart has attended the nasen Awards previously, being recognised for our inclusive work with stakeholders in the category Co-Production with Children and Young People and their Families:
We extend our deepest thanks to our tutors, partner schools, local authorities, and families who have made this journey possible. Most of all, we are grateful to be able to support young people with a range of needs and help them transform their lives.
If you are a local authority or school seeking award-winning alternative provision, please get in touch with us.
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