
The Gesher Trust - NoLimits
Gesher is an Ofsted Outstanding all-through school catering to children aged 4-16 with a range of mild to moderate special educational needs, including autism, ADHD, dyslexia and Downs syndrome.
What we did:
- Big Change funded Gesher Trust in 2021 to develop NoLimits, a new evidence-based model of teaching and learning for secondary school students and then to showcase it in other SEN learning communities.
- They have built an engaged community of multiple SEN schools across the UK, collaborating to improve the lives of children with special educational needs.
- Through training and roundtables, they have developed practices to transform the lives of thousands of young people in the UK with additional needs.
- Gesher have since launched THE BRIDGE - a journal for reflection, learning and continuous development of schools and staff which is shared with over 500 schools across the UK and worldwide.
The Spark
Children with special educational needs are invisible to society and let down by the current education system. Mainstream school learning and life in a ‘one size fits all’, factory style school is often inaccessible and damaging.
Despite the total number of children with special educational needs and disabilities standing at 1.32 million, 14.9% of the school population, there is a scarcity of special school places and desperate lack of SEN provision in the UK. Children are misunderstood, bullied, isolated, excluded from education and marginalised to the fringes of society.
Access to therapeutic intervention is at best infrequent but more commonly unavailable, and the focus on life skills, mental health and emotional wellbeing is poor.
When most young people are excited about the transition to adulthood, and all the opportunities that come with it, those with SEN face a very different set of prospects. They’ve often not been equipped with adequate skills for their futures, making them vulnerable and facing difficulties finding or maintaining employment.
Alongside these individual struggles, there is no national strategy or joined up thinking on the best way to educate children with SEN and measure progress. Specialist practice and expertise varies across the UK, meaning the provision can vary wildly in different local authorities. Teacher training degrees have limited content on SEN and staff in mainstream schools lack the knowledge, strategies and resources to support these children in their classrooms.
Gesher seeks to solve the problem of children with SEN being underserved by the education system and invisible to society. Their mission is to lead by example, influencing a redesign of the wider system to transform the lives of children and young people with SEN.
The impact
Big Change funded Gesher to develop NoLimits - the creation of a new evidence-based model of teaching and learning for secondary school students that is academically rigorous and then to showcase it in other SEN learning communities.
By creating a community of practice – made up not only of other SEN-specialist educators, but also future employers, Gesher are building a potential new kind of pathway for SEN young people through education and into work, ensuring that no young person is left behind. Working with an engaged community of multiple SEN schools across the UK, they are collaborating to improve the lives of children with special educational needs. Through training and roundtables, they have developed practices to transform the lives of thousands of young people in the UK with additional needs.
Gesher have since launched THE BRIDGE - a journal for reflection, learning & continuous development of schools and staff which is shared with over 500 schools across the UK and some in the US, Denmark and further afield.
They have embedded Project Based Learning and a therapeutic curriculum and have shown the impact that this is having on the learning experiences of young people who are differently able and who learn differently.
Over 150 people have visited Gesher over the last three years, with visitors from as far abroad as Hong Kong, Gibraltar, Israel, and Denmark. As a result, they have launched professional learning days to share their practice in the ambition that other schools and learning communities are inspired and are activated to think more deeply about the barriers to learning and inclusion within their communities.
Their community of practice has also led to the development of a new Life Skills scheme for SEND students, and to working with and advising Pearson Assessment on accessibility and inclusion.
The Big Changemaker
Ali Durban
Ali Durban is the co-founder of Gesher, and founder of the Gesher Assessment Centre. Ali's journey from exhausted SEND parent to co-founder of a thriving school community has transformed her into a ringleader for system-wide transformation. Ali has a special interest in alternative educational strategies that support the whole person. Her ambition is to transform SEN education in the UK, with clear pathways from primary school to employment. Tailoring education to provide nurturing, meaningful and functional learning environments.Ali currently chairs a SEND council for the Foundation of Education Development which is creating a 10-year plan and vision for UK education. Ali also sits on the Education Council for the Autism Centre of Excellence.
When most young people are excited about the transition to adulthood, and all the opportunities that come with it, those with SEN face a very different set of prospects.
Ali Durban