Author: Jerry Leger

Inside the Schools Network National Conference UK – Where Special School Leaders Are Quietly Rewriting the Rulebook

The way the National Network of Special Schools continues to schedule Liverpool seems a little obstinate. The same Delta Marriott on Queen Square, year after year. It was the same early-morning group of business managers balancing coffees that were obviously the second of the day while wheeling overnight cases through the lobby.

Perhaps this consistency is the key. The conference circuit treatment that mainstream secondary heads receive is typically not extended to special school finance officers. They therefore appear when something is made especially for them. And they continue to appear.

Detail	Information
Event Name	National Network of Special Schools (NNoSS) Annual Conference 2026
Dates	29th & 30th April 2026
Venue	Delta Hotels Marriott, One Queen Square, Liverpool, L1 1RH
Conference Day Timings	08:00 – 16:00, Thursday 30th April
Member Price (Day Only)	£90 + VAT
Non-Member School Price	£190 + VAT
1½ Day Package (with B&B)	£344 + VAT
Audience	School Business Professionals in special, hospital, and alternative provision settings
Format	Keynote speeches, practical sessions, exhibition, networking
Related Network	SSAT — The Schools, Students and Teachers network
Sister Initiative	National Secondary Leaders Network (NSLN), £395 annual school subscription

The 2026 edition takes place on April 29 and 30, with Thursday serving as the main conference day. The organizers are correct to claim that it’s the only event of its kind in the nation because most people outside the industry are still unaware of how isolating this work can be. SEND funding formulas, hospital placements, transport contracts, and a host of other tasks that don’t fit into any typical finance qualification are frequently handled by a business manager in a special school. Most of the time, they are improvising. No one else would provide a space for them to compare notes, which is why the conference was created.

The perception that these networks are important to people other than their immediate members has gradually changed. Examine the bigger picture. With almost 3,000 member schools, SSAT was founded in 1987 as the City Technology Colleges Trust under Sir Cyril Taylor. Through the framework of the Church of England, the National Secondary Leaders Network provides support to more than 70 schools. The Trust Network hosts its own conference on estates. Each of these resulted from someone determining that a specific group of leaders weren’t being adequately served by the system.

There’s a fascinating tale buried in the history of the SSAT. The initial goal for City Technology Colleges was 200 in 1992. Only fifteen were ever constructed. Cyril Taylor advocated for something different instead of calling the project a failure: technology colleges, specialized schools, and the entire architecture that came after. It serves as a helpful reminder that rather than making big announcements, British education reform typically comes in the form of workarounds and subtle rebrandings. Even though they wouldn’t characterize themselves as such, the networks gathering in Liverpool in April fit into that same pattern.

You can also learn something from the NNoSS pricing structure. A member school delegate will pay £90 plus VAT. £300 for commercial attendees who are not students. The gap is intentional. It indicates who is welcome but expected to provide subsidies, as well as who the day is for. Given the current state of school budgets, even £90 is a decision that some heads must approve. To be honest, what so many people do is a form of voting.

As this industry develops, it’s difficult to ignore the fact that the most insightful discussions seldom take place at the keynote address. They take place in the hallway outside, in between classes, when a business manager from a hospital school in Newcastle discovers someone from a Devon alternative provision who resolved the transport invoicing nightmare from the previous year.

The brochures are unable to adequately convey that. As always, those little unplanned moments will determine whether the conference lives up to expectations this year. The justification is the program. The point is the people.

May 1, 2026

Inside Hertswood Lower School – The Borehamwood Campus That Quietly Changed Everything

The name Hertswood Lower School has special significance for anyone who grew up in Borehamwood in the early 2000s. It wasn’t the entire school. It was only half of it. Depending on the year and the schedule, students in Years 7, 8, and occasionally 9 would walk between two campuses, one at Cowley Hill and the other at Thrift Farm Lane, which are about 400 meters apart. Even now, there is a feeling that the split had a greater influence on a generation of students’ personalities than the curriculum ever did.

Compromise gave rise to the school itself. In order to replace Borehamwood’s previous three-tier system with a more straightforward one, five local schools were combined in 2000: Lyndhurst, Furzehill, and Holmshill middle schools, as well as Hawksmoor and Hillside upper schools. This type of administrative decision appears neat on paper but is somewhat disorganized in reality. The lower and upper sites originated because the new institution retained two of the old footprints.

Information	Detail
Former Name	Hertswood School (Lower Site)
Parent Institution	Hertswood Academy
Original Location	Thrift Farm Lane, Borehamwood, Hertfordshire
Current Location	Cowley Hill, Borehamwood, WD6 5LG
Established	September 2000
Type	Coeducational secondary academy
Age Range	11 to 18
Headteacher	Peter Gillett
Student Enrolment	Approximately 1,222
Houses	Cavendish, Darwin, Nuffield, Somerville
Academy Status Granted	January 2013
Site Closure	2019 (merged into single Cowley Hill campus)
Department for Education URN	138747
Latest Ofsted Inspection	February 2025 — Good

The younger years were managed at the lower site on Thrift Farm Lane. The worn pavement near the gates, the somewhat worn-out prefabs at the back, and the staff cars jammed into areas that weren’t really intended for them were just a few of the small details that made it stand out when you passed it during school hours. Instructors carried folders in their arms as they moved between the two campuses. Pupils followed suit, sometimes showing up to class a little breathless. It worked. It was successful. However, it was never refined.

There were prosperous and challenging years. The academy was deemed “inadequate” by an Ofsted inspection in 2017, citing issues with welfare, behavior, and personal growth. This decision stung the community and, depending on who you spoke to, was either harsh or long overdue. In 2018, a monitoring visit observed that the leadership was at last bringing things back into order. The school had recovered to a Good rating overall by the time of the most recent inspection in February 2025, which is the kind of recovery that doesn’t happen by accident.

The conclusion of the lower site was well-planned and subtly poignant. The academy declared in 2013 that it would move all of its operations onto Cowley Hill, with the sale of Thrift Farm Lane serving as a major source of funding for the new construction. In 2015, construction got underway. The new building opened to students in September 2019 after a few delays, which are almost always the case with public projects this size. Homes now stand where classrooms once stood after the old lower site was demolished.

It’s difficult to ignore how infrequently former students bring up the new buildings without first bringing up the old ones. The state-of-the-art ICT, the open learning areas, and the gleaming restaurant are all impressive.

However, if you ask anyone who was there prior to 2019, they will talk about the chilly mornings, the walks between locations, and the friends they made while they waited for a teacher to open a portacabin door. You get the impression that what actually closed in 2019 wasn’t a building when you watch this happen from the outside. It was a unique aspect of being a student in Borehamwood; it was a little chaotic, a little inconvenient, and difficult to forget.

May 1, 2026

Pacific Mini Games 2009 – Table Tennis, The Quiet Tournament That Rewrote Vanuatu’s Sporting Story

Watching table tennis in the Pacific is a unique experience. The squeak of rubber soles on a court that had likely been cleared of folding chairs an hour earlier, the small hall, the pace. That quality was present in Rarotonga in late September 2009. Outside, the palms close to the Tereora complex were being affected by the trade winds as usual. Four tables in the room were illuminated by fluorescent lights, and for nearly two weeks they were at the center of a quiet, intense story that, although it didn’t make headlines around the world, was very important to the people in the room.

The eighth Pacific Mini Games took place from September 21 to October 2, 2009. Twenty-one countries showed up. There were fifteen sports on the schedule. Table tennis has seven medal events, which may seem insignificant until you consider the significance of each event for countries that don’t often receive much attention.

Quick Reference – Pacific Mini Games 2009 Table Tennis	Details
Host City	Rarotonga, Cook Islands
Edition	8th Pacific Mini Games
Dates	21 September – 2 October 2009
Venue	Sokala Hall / Tereora complex area
Participating Nations (Table Tennis)	Vanuatu, New Caledonia, Tahiti, Fiji, Cook Islands, Kiribati, Samoa, Tonga
Events Contested	7 medal events
Standout Players	Yoshua Shing, Anolyn Lulu, Priscila Tommy, Ham Frexly Lulu
Dominant Nation	Vanuatu (men’s & women’s team gold)
Total Medals at Games	415 across all sports
Final Day of Play	Thursday, 1 October 2009

Vanuatu entered the competition with confidence rather than arrogance and emerged with a performance that would be remembered for years. In finals that were closer than the scores indicated, their men’s and women’s teams defeated New Caledonia to win team gold.

It’s likely that anyone who saw Yoshua Shing perform that week recalls the serenity. He moved as if he had already decided the outcome before the game even began. At the table, Ham Frexly Lulu had a distinct energy that was sharper, more responsive, and almost impatient. Anolyn Lulu and Priscila Tommy exuded a subdued authority on the female side. It’s difficult to ignore the fact that athletes from smaller federations with fewer resources occasionally play with greater clarity than competitors from more well-funded programs. Coaches in the area continue to argue over whether that is due to coaching, culture, or just plain stubbornness.

Pacific Mini Games 2009 - Table Tennis — Pacific Mini Games 2009 – Table Tennis

The schedule itself seems like a little play. Three days are allotted for group rounds. Qi Wang of Fiji will play Kenji Morin of Tahiti in the quarterfinals on October 1st, while Frexly Lulu will play O.”an Belrose. There were some memorable moments in the women’s bracket, such as the quarterfinal match between Anolyn Lulu and Louisa Manico of the host Cook Islands, which local fans openly hoped would result in an upset. The hall was noisy even though it didn’t. When a hometown player defeats a favorite, Pacific fans make a certain noise. It’s not courteous applause. It’s more truthful.

It must have hurt that New Caledonia, the dominant force in many regional sports, finished second in the team competitions. Through Tuarikirau Thunot and Tinihau-O-Terai Klouman, Tahiti experienced flashes of genius. Xuan Li from Fiji contributed experience that consistently seems to translate well at this level. The week served as a gauge for the smaller countries, including Kiribati and Tonga, which is essentially the purpose of the Mini Games.

In retrospect, the 2009 competition seems more like a turning point than a footnote. Expectations were changed by Vanuatu’s twin golds. When the Cook Islands hosted their first Mini Games, they demonstrated that they could plan a multisport event without the mayhem that some had feared. Additionally, Pacific table tennis still relies on the memories left by the players, the majority of whom are now retired or coaching. Even now, there is a feeling that the sport in the area has never fully recovered the intensity of those two weeks in Rarotonga.

May 1, 2026

Swimming Australia Faces a Quiet Reckoning as a New Generation Pushes the Sport Into Uncharted Water

The way this nation views swimming is distinctly Australian. This is more than just a sport. It’s a backyard custom, a national habit that kids pick up before they can spell. Swimming Australia, an organization that has been subtly influencing the nation’s relationship with the water since 1909—long before the majority of the world had figured out what competitive swimming was supposed to look like—sits at the center of all of that.

It’s difficult to ignore how deeply the sport permeates everyday life when strolling past any neighborhood pool on a Saturday morning and observing parents in folding chairs and children in bright caps lined up by the blocks. Everything above it is fed by that grassroots layer. There are about 750 clubs, about 66,000 members, coaches who frequently work for almost nothing, and yearly volunteers. Despite appearing chaotic on the outside, this system consistently produces world-beaters.

Information	Details
Organisation	Swimming Australia
Founded	1909 (as Amateur Swimming Union of Australia)
Headquarters	Belconnen, ACT
President	Chris Fydler
Chief Executive	Rob Woodhouse
Head Coach	Rohan Taylor
National Team	Australian Dolphins
Registered Members	Approx. 66,000–100,000
Affiliated Clubs	Around 750–1,100 nationally
International Body	World Aquatics (since 1909)
Major Sponsors	Tech Mahindra, Arena
Upcoming Events	2026 Australian Swimming Trials (June), 2026 Short Course Championships (Sept–Oct)

Just the past few weeks have been bizarre and brilliant. In less than twelve hours, Andy Donaldson swam fifty-five kilometers down the Ord River while battling heat, currents, and, reportedly, thousands of freshwater crocodiles. At the Australian Masters Nationals in Brisbane, Cam McEvoy, who already held the world record in the 50-meter freestyle, swam the two fastest 25-meter freestyle swims ever. Nine minutes, two seconds, and six seconds. It’s the kind of number that prompts you to pause and read it again.

As this develops, it seems like Swimming Australia is in one of its more intriguing stages. The president is Chris Fydler, an Olympic gold medallist. The daily operations are managed by Rob Woodhouse. The national team is coached by Rohan Taylor. Even with the marketing partnerships, streaming deals, and polished Dolphins branding that were introduced ten years ago, the culture still feels more like a club than a corporation because a large portion of the leadership is made up of swimmers.

Nevertheless, the organization has experienced difficult times. The organization has had to address issues regarding athlete welfare that other Australian sports have only lately started to raise, and the historical allegations of sexual abuse that have surfaced over the years continue to be a part of its story. Though the current leadership appears more open to discussing it than previous administrations, it’s still unclear if the cultural reforms have gone far enough.

The odd generational overlap is what makes Swimming Australia intriguing today. A few days ago, 1956 Olympian Brian Wilkinson, Dolphin number 104, passed away. Junior Dolphins, who weren’t around when Ian Thorpe last raced, are being selected for the 2026 Pan Pacs. Everything is under threat from the Brisbane 2032 Olympics, a massive deadline that is already influencing budgets, training facilities, and selection procedures.

Perhaps the next ten years will be the most pivotal period in the organization’s history. Money is coming in, talent is piling up, and the nation has, for better or worse, made the decision that it expects to succeed in swimming. Nobody has yet to provide a complete answer to the question of whether the system can handle that burden while simultaneously fixing what needs to be fixed. From the outside, it seems like everyone is aware of the risks. And that’s what keeps the sport progressing in its own subtle way.

May 1, 2026