• Stephen Hawking School is a special school for approximately 104 pupils between two and 11 years of age in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets.

  • The majority of the children are labelled profound and multiple learning difficulties.

  • A significant number of the children have additional sensory and physical impairments.

  • 220 students aged 4-19

Stephen Hawking School, London

A New Direction for Stephen Hawking

Gail Weir, Headteacher, Stephen Hawking School

A Journey of Advocacy and Learning

With 20 years of experience as a Headteacher across three special schools, I have dedicated my career to improving outcomes for children with complex needs. My professional journey has been shaped by invaluable collaborations with experts like Gayle Porter and Dr. Sarah Mosley.

Throughout my tenure, I have witnessed both the challenges and the triumphs of implementing Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC). I have navigated professional disagreements and overcome skepticism, but the rewards have always outweighed the hurdles. I have seen firsthand the life-changing impact of giving a child a voice—allowing them to feel safe, to express their personality (whether they are calling us "beautiful" or "boring"!), or to simply ask for space.

Challenging the Status Quo

One particular experience stays with me: a student previously labeled as "PMLD" who was initially denied the opportunity to walk due to low expectations. After we challenged those assumptions, she discovered the joy of moving around her classroom in her sling and eventually used her eye-gaze device to tell her mother, "I love you."

Stories like these have caused me to deeply reflect on the limitations of the "PMLD" label. While our previous curriculum was well-intentioned—using the traditional Pre-formal, Semi-formal, and Formal pathways—we have come to realize that these separate tracks often lead to different destinations. This was never our intent.

Our New Mission: One Pathway for All

Inspired by the Teach Us Too conference, we are now committed to removing the barriers we inadvertently created. We are currently reviewing and rewriting our curriculum to establish one unified pathway for every child, starting with a robust focus on literacy.

Our goal is to inspire our staff to see that every pupil deserves the same high expectations and opportunities. This shift requires us to be more creative, curious, and courageous than ever before.

Our teachers who attended the conference at Swiss Cottage are already fully engaged and eager to challenge the status quo.

With the support of Teach Us Too, we are excited to embark on this journey toward a truly inclusive curriculum where no child's potential is capped by a label.