Celebrating at the 2026 BESA Awards!

We are delighted that Speech & Language Link was recognised at the 2026 BESA Awards, celebrating the very best of the UK educational suppliers’ sector.  What a fantastic event it was; held at the unique and historic Armoury House, in the centre of London, with rooms buzzing with lively conversation.

The promising future of EdTech

To open the ceremony, Philip Hedger, CEO of LEO Academy Trust, delivered a rousing keynote speech about “Our Digital Promise” – a national ambition to move beyond the UK’s digital maturity gap and towards purposeful, pedagogy-first educational technology.  His message definitely hit home with the audience – that transactional procurement is not the way forward; lasting change can only happen when there is a real collaboration between schools and trusts, and educational suppliers.

The winners!

The awards themselves showcased an incredible range of organisations making a difference in education. Congratulations to all our fellow winners.

Of course, our highlight of the day was seeing Infant Language Link named winner of the Outstanding SEND Resource or Service award. Whilst we couldn’t quite take in the judges’ comments at the time as we walked up to receive the award on behalf of Speech & Language Link, we were delighted to have them sent to us afterwards:

“Infant Language Link is a highly robust, research-driven SEND service that excels in early identification. It is supported by clinical credibility and measurable impact at scale. Its combination of assessment, intervention and therapist support offers exceptional value and makes it one of the strongest system-level solutions in the category.”

And the finalists

We are also proud to see The Link Speech & Language CPD recognised as a finalist in the Outstanding Training and Career Development category, alongside some exceptional organisations from across the sector, many of whom have become friends over time. Being shortlisted is an achievement in itself and the event provided a chance to celebrate the creativity, commitment and meaningful difference these suppliers have made across the education sector.

A heart-felt thank you, and recognition for what truly matters

We are delighted to receive this recognition, but it’s important to say that we know that what matters most is the impact being made in schools every day. Thousands of teachers and support staff use Infant Language Link to identify and support pupils with language and communication needs, and the judges specifically recognised the package’s real impact on the children. In this vein, we would like to say a big thank you to all of those who use Infant Language Link to screen their children, those who use the groups, the listening activities and explore our resources, those who call us up on Help Desk when they are after a bit of guidance on how best to support their pupils. This award reflects your commitment to supporting children and helping them achieve their potential.

To read more about the BESA Awards and how BESA supports suppliers in making a positive change across the educational landscape, read here: The BESA Awards.