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Because children deserve better.

"Our responsibility is to ensure learners are not

"Our responsibility is to ensure learners are not merely prepared to navigate the world — but empowered to shape it."
— Katie Lockwood, ISA Journal Issue 37 🌟

Delighted to share that Katie Lockwood, Head of our Kirklees Academy, has been published in the ISA Journal — Issue 37, Summer 2026.

Katie's article, Rethinking the Independent Specialist in a Changing World, explores how independent specialist schools must evolve to meet rising demand, shifting legislation and, most importantly, the futures our learners are stepping into. It's a thoughtful, forward-looking piece that reflects exactly why Pivot does what it does.

We're also incredibly proud that the cover of Issue 37 features a photograph taken at Pivot Kirklees, credit to our brilliant photographer Mark Wheelwright at Dock Street Studio, Leeds.

A great moment for Katie, for Mark, and for the Pivot community.
Read Katie's article in the attached journal.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1DDQ1VuFTrrCfiE0GIFcYLviP0P4bRT1R/view?usp=sharing

#PivotGroup #ISAJournal #SEND #SpecialistEducation #Kirklees #WestYorkshire #IndependentSchools #PivotLife #Proud @dockstreetstudioleeds

What a day at Pivot Kirklees! 🏉 Yesterday we welc

What a day at Pivot Kirklees! 🏉

Yesterday we welcomed rugby league legend Eorl Crabtree, Huddersfield Giants icon, England international and one of West Yorkshire's finest, for a very special No Pen Day.

No worksheets. No desks. Just honest conversation about the realities of professional sport, life after rugby, resilience, setbacks, and why asking for help is a sign of strength — not weakness.

Our learners were brilliant. The questions they asked, the conversations they had, the way they engaged — we couldn't be prouder.

Huge thanks to Eorl for giving his time so generously. And to our very own Oliver Roberts, Ireland international, Pivot Site Lead, and today's host, for making it happen.

This is what the Pivot Outreach Programme is all about. 💚

#PivotGroup #PivotLife #NoPenDay #EorlCrabtree #HuddersfieldGiants #RugbyLeague #WestYorkshire #PivotOutreachProgramme #SEND #Community

Spent the morning at the Wakefield hub with Ollie

Spent the morning at the Wakefield hub with Ollie Roberts and Rebecca Hall, part of the Pivot Outreach Programme (POP). 🙌
What a visit. The spaces they've created for learners in and around Wakefield are genuinely impressive, and a real-life example of one of our 2030 Charter commitments in action: Number 2. Places - Expanding local access
Huge thanks to Ollie and Rebecca for the warm welcome and for showing me around. The work being done here matters.
More of this to come!
#PivotGroup #PivotOutreachProgramme #POP #Wakefield #SEND #WestYorkshire #Pivot2030Charter #PivotLife

This is what we mean when we talk about environmen

This is what we mean when we talk about environment.

Not a classroom. Not a corridor. A space designed to feel different, warm lighting, soft furniture, books, quiet corners. Somewhere a young person can breathe before they are ready to learn.

For many of our learners, the physical environment is not a backdrop. It is part of the therapy. The difference between a room that raises your anxiety and one that lowers it can be the difference between a day that works and one that does not.

We think about every detail. The lighting. The textures. The pace. Even the signs on the windowsill. 😉

#PivotGroup #SEND #TherapeuticEnvironment #SEMH #InclusiveEducation #WestYorkshire #Leeds

Yesterday's King's Speech included an 'Education f

Yesterday's King's Speech included an 'Education for All' Bill, placing SEND reform at the very centre of the new parliamentary session.

Special educational needs reforms will be legislated through the “education for all” bill, the King’s Speech has confirmed.

King Charles told Parliament that ministers “believe that every child deserves the chance to succeed to the best of his or her ability and not be held back due to poverty, special educational needs, or a lack of respect for vocational education”.

He added: “A bill will be brought forward to raise standards in schools and introduce generational reforms of the special educational needs system.”

At Pivot, we've been working at the cutting edge of specialist SEND provision for 10 years, so we're well placed to play our part as this legislation takes shape. We've already submitted our response to the government's consultation, and we're looking forward to contributing to what comes next.

The direction of travel is right. Now it's about delivery — and that's where experience counts.

#EducationForAllBill #KingsSpeech #SEND #SENDReform #SpecialistProvision #PivotGroup #Yorkshire

Our learners came to us with a request. They wante

Our learners came to us with a request. They wanted a budget to buy books.

So, Richard took the class to Waterstones, and they were, by all accounts, fantastic representatives for the school.

They made a beeline for the Manga section. Which tells you everything you need to know about what reading for pleasure actually looks like when young people get to choose for themselves.

Reading doesn't have to mean sitting quietly with a classic novel. It means finding stories that pull you in. Worlds you want to disappear into. Characters that feel like you. For many of our learners, Manga is exactly that, visual, imaginative, and genuinely gripping.
And the benefits are real. Reading for pleasure builds vocabulary, empathy and imagination without feeling like learning. It reduces stress. It gives young people a way to process the world at their own pace, in their own time.

The fact that our learners asked for this? That's the bit we're most proud of.

Well done to Richard and the class. Thanks also to Waterstones. Great shop and people!

#PivotGroup #SEND #ReadingForPleasure #PivotLife #Leeds #WestYorkshire #Manga #LifelongLearners #Waterstones

We are incredibly proud of one of our learners thi

We are incredibly proud of one of our learners this week. 🌟

Lacey organised a charity raffle as part of her English and Charity Enterprise project — and what she achieved goes far beyond a school project.

The cause was personal. Lacey's nephew Oscar passed away at just 15 days old due to a rare genetic disorder. During that devastating time, The Sick Children's Trust provided the family with accommodation at Eckersley House in Leeds, so they could stay close to Oscar when it mattered most.
Lacey wanted to give something back.

With the support of friends, family and Pivot staff, she put together 12 hampers and two vouchers — skincare, afternoon tea, candles, restaurant experiences, and a personalised Oscar's Star hamper — and ran a raffle that raised an incredible £1,042.

Last week, Lacey visited Eckersley House to present the donation in person. That money will sponsor a family room for six months. And in recognition of what Lacey and her community raised, the room will be named after Oscar.

The staff at Eckersley House said it beautifully: "This donation will support many families during a very difficult time."

We couldn't be more proud of Lacey, and of everyone who supported her. This is what community looks like. 💙

#PivotGroup #PivotLife #TheSickChildrensTrust #EckersleyHouse #Community #CharityEnterprise #SEND #WestYorkshire #Leeds

This week is Mental Health Awareness Week, and thi

This week is Mental Health Awareness Week, and this year's theme is community.

At Pivot, community is not a theme. It is the method.

Schools have a role in promoting positive mental health for all learners, whatever their needs.

At Pivot, we build something different: small, consistent, trusting communities where young people feel safe enough to learn. Where the adults around them notice, adapt, and do not give up.

Happy Mental Health Awareness Week to every school, family and organisation across West Yorkshire doing the same. 💚

#MentalHealthAwarenessWeek #MHAW2026 #Community #SEND #PivotGroup #WestYorkshire
#MHAW2026 #MentalHealthAwarenessWeek #Community #SEND #PivotGroup

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