ALL schools strive to stimulate youngsters and meet their mental and physical needs as they grow and learn.

But in special schools, achieving this goal comes with extra challenges to support children who, through physical disability or learning difficulty, are unable to attend conventional institutions in the primary or secondary sector.

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In a world where finance is not easy to find and budgets are challenging for all, the high costs of ensuring the welfare and best possible learning environments for special needs children make life anything but easy.

This category seeks to celebrate the pioneering work being done by the area’s special schools despite the everyday difficulties they face.

We are looking for evidence of recent successes and improvements brought about through innovation or sheer dedicated professionalism and skill.

This could involve achievement in improving attendance, exam results, engagement with parents or the building of links with the wider community and local businesses.

Projects with impressive green credentials, interesting or original use of technology, or making strides in improving communication with pupils whose own disabilities impose particular barriers are all examples of the sort of evidence which is being looked for in this category.

Angela Banner, head teacher at Broadfield Special School – last year’s winners –said she was thrilled to win.

She said: “The recognition of the school’s hard work has given us as much pleasure as our outstanding Ofsted .”

Submissions could even highlight a special school’s success with one particularly challenging youngster.