Kaleidoscope founder Dr Nicole Ponsford FCCT named nasen Changemaker of the Year
Trophy held high: Dr Nicole Ponsford celebrates being named nasen Changemaker of the Year 2026
We’re delighted to share that Dr Nicole Ponsford FCCT, Kaleidoscope’s Founder and Director of Research & Impact, has been named Changemaker of the Year at the nasen Awards 2026, sponsored by B Squared.
The award marks a special moment in a career spanning 26 years of teaching, school leadership, professional learning and research into inclusion.
Presented at a ceremony held at the Vox Conference Centre, Birmingham, the nasen Awards celebrate excellence across the education sector and recognise individuals, teams and organisations making a positive difference to the lives of children and young people with SEND.
The Change Maker award acknowledges organisations demonstrating exceptional practice, innovation and impact in supporting inclusive education and improved outcomes for learners.
Nic’s brings together classroom experience, academic enquiry and lived experience as a parent and carer. Her work focuses on understanding whose perspectives are heard, whose experiences remain overlooked, and how education can respond.
Commenting on the achievement, Nic said:"I am utterly delighted to receive this national recognition. This award reflects the dedication, passion and hard work of our entire team, alongside the children, young people and families we are privileged to support every day. To be recognised by nasen in this way is a tremendous honour and reinforces our commitment to ensuring every child and young person can achieve their potential."
The award was presented during the nasen Awards 2026 ceremony, which brought together education professionals, schools, organisations and advocates from across the UK to celebrate excellence in SEND provision. Receiving this award highlights Kaleidoscope’s continued commitment to delivering high-quality support, championing inclusion and creating opportunities for children and young people with SEND to thrive.
The expertise behind our work
Inclusion and belonging require careful investigation. Understanding how people experience education means asking meaningful questions, listening across communities and interpreting findings with care.
That is the foundation of Kaleidoscope’s work.
Nic’s research developed Kaleidoscopic Data™, an approach that examines inclusion through five lenses: Identity, Environment, Experience, Voice and Social Capital. Developed through research with school communities and lived experience groups, it brings academic rigour and practical understanding to questions that matter in everyday school life.
This foundation informs how we design our research, interpret evidence and support leaders to act. It also means being clear about what findings can tell us, where their limits lie and when further listening is needed.
Looking beyond the averages
An overall picture of a school can conceal very different experiences of belonging, safety, relationships and participation.
Kaleidoscope brings together the perspectives of staff, students and parents and carers to help leaders understand those differences. Our work asks whether inclusion is working, for whom, and where barriers remain.
Through research, learning, innovation and impact, we support education communities to move from listening to informed action, and to check whether that action makes a difference.
A moment to celebrate
Nic also founded the Global Equality Collective (GEC), Kaleidoscope’s sister organisation and knowledge partner, bringing together over 550 individuals and organisations specialising in inclusion, SEND, belonging and equity.
Across this work, collaboration matters. We are grateful to the educators, researchers, partners and lived experience communities whose contributions continue to shape our questions and deepen our understanding.
Thank you to nasen, category sponsor B Squared and everyone involved in the awards. Congratulations to the other winners and finalists whose work is improving experiences and opportunities for children and young people with SEND.
For Nic, the evening brought surprise, tears and, eventually, dancing. For our team, it is a moment to celebrate our founder and the expertise, care and determination she brings to Kaleidoscope.
Interested in working with us? Explore our research, evaluation and partnership work at kaleidoscope-research.org.
