Leaders in SEND
Regional Networking & Development Conferences
These events are an opportunity for leaders at schools, colleges and settings across the country to come together for a day of sharing and development.
Each day will be a great opportunity to share and discuss interpretations and approaches to SEND and inclusion with other school leaders.
A unique networking and collaborative learning and development opportunity…
As leaders of specialist settings we find ourselves in the most challenging of landscapes. A maelstrom of issues including funding, recruitment, capacity and complexity seem to converge around our school communities and make for the most challenging of landscapes to deliver high quality, aspirational provision for the most vulnerable of learners. The power of community has arguably never been more important and our shared values of collegiality, collaboration and professional generosity provide opportunities to innovate and find shared solutions to common barriers and challenges.
2024-25 Programme
Across 9 meetings (1 in each of 3 regions each term): Keynote inputs, group coaching; illuminations and workshops led by practicing specialist school headteachers will explore innovative whole school approaches and practice in the following areas…
- Ambitious curriculum and defining success
- Strategic vs Operational - The realities of leading a specialist school
- School improvement at all levels
- Accountability Frameworks - A positive change?
- Workforce Development and building capacity
Spring 2025 Events
Building on the success of our autumn events in which leaders and practitioners came together to connect and collaborate, our spring events will continue the conversations and further explore key challenges and opportunities across the very live and dynamic education landscape.
For those who attended our autumn events, this is a wonderful opportunity to reconnect with others in the SEND landscape, and to continue the rich conversations from last time around. For anyone new to the EfL LearningShared community, or if this is your first time at one of our events, this is a fantastic opportunity to meet other professionals in the field, share best practice, and learn from colleagues.
Spring Theme: Doing more with less…
With the umbrella theme of ‘doing more with less’ we will focus on ambition for all, preparing for life and working with families and experts by experience. Lightning talk inputs will be followed by breakout sessions which will include the sharing of case studies and opportunity to share practice in round table discussions with colleagues from across the community. Our spring events will offer the opportunity to select the breakout group that is most relevant to your school / setting. The PMLD, SLD, generic and high functioning / SEMH groups will support more precise and focussed conversations about the live issues you face as a school leader.
Provocation and illuminations from our fantastic speakers including Diane Rochford OBE, Vijita Patel, James Waller, Louise Needham and Alistair Crawford will be supported by the sharing of case studies and innovative practice from a range of school leaders and experts by experience.
We’re thrilled to invite you and your colleagues to attend any of the following events during the spring term:
- Midlands: Wednesday 5th March 2025 High Point Academy, Friar Park Road, Wednesbury, WS10 0JS
- North: Tuesday 25th March 2025 Grange School, Matthews Lane, Manchester, M12 4GR
- London / SE: Tuesday 1st April 2025 Swiss Cottage School DRC, 80 Avenue Road, London, NW8 6HX
Full day events. Lunch and refreshments provided.
These events are an opportunity for Specialist School, Alternative Provision, College and MAT leaders to come together for a day of collaboration and development.
Our LearningShared Regional Leadership Networking & Development conferences feature:
- Key inputs from system and sector leaders
- Presentations and lightning talks from Specialist School leaders across the region
- Case studies of Innovative practice
- Round table discussions providing opportunities to connect, share and learn with colleagues from across the community.
- National updates from DfE and Ofsted
Agenda *
The umbrella theme for the day will be ‘doing more with less’ and exploring the realities of the current education landscape as a specialist school leader. At the heart of our LearningShared conferences are a series of workshops and roundtable discussions. Here’s an overview of the big questions and themes that we’ll be covering at the events…
Ambition and Aspiration
Panel discussion
Colleagues leading schools with very different contexts and cohorts explore what does ambition actually look like for learners with PMLD all the way through to those sitting their GCSE’s. Our panel will share a number of uplifting case studies where learners have fulfilled their ambitions and aspirations.
*What does aspiration look like for learners in your school?
*How do you know you are ambitious enough for learners in your setting?
Preparing for life:
Meaningful outcomes for learners with additional needs
What do we deem as success for learners in our school communities? A question we often ask ourselves as school leaders and one that can be challenging in the face of the school system and accountability measures. Our 3 work shops share approaches to PfA across PMLD / SLD settings through to more generic specialist schools and SEMH provision and highlight meaningful co produced outcomes.
* How do you prepare learners for success beyond the school gates?
*How do you balance PfA and the traditional curriculum within the current accountability frameworks / system?
Working with families and Experts by experience
In each of our regions we will hear from a range of young people and adults with authentic lived experience about their journey and experience through school and how it has shaped their future. In addition we will hear from school leaders about their innovative approaches to capture and harness learner and family voice.
*How do you capture and harness the voices of learners with the most complex of needs?
*How do you reach families who perhaps find it more difficult to engage with home / school communication?
*What do you do to communicate and engage with the wider family members of learners with additional needs?
The Big Picture:
Policy updates from the DfE, Ofsted and other national organisations
In a period of significant change we explore policy and system reform that will impact on our schools in the coming months and years. LearningShared enjoys positive relationships with a range of colleagues and key stakeholders at the DfE, Ofsted and other national organisations. The session will share updates and provide members of the community an opportunity to feedback and as a community influence the national landscape.
Roundtable Discussion & Networking
As with all events we’ve run in the past, the emphasis of each day will be on discussion, learning and networking… giving you lots of opportunity to meet and forge relationships with new partners and collaborators for your professional networks. The format of the whole day is roundtable discussion and networking, both structured through our agenda and freeform during lunch and break times.
** This is a very unique opportunity to come together with leaders from across the region and country for a full day of shared learning and networking. **
* The day will be a great opportunity to share and discuss interpretations and approaches to SEND and inclusion with other school leaders. *
Speakers / Facilitators include * :
Diane Rochford OBE, Vijita Patel (Swiss Cottage School), James Waller (Sunningdale School), Alistair Crawford (NNSP), Louise Needham (Hollinwood Academy) and a variety of specialist school leaders.
** Illuminations & contributions from Specialist School leaders from across the Community **
As always the main focus of our events is on connectivity and collaboration as we believe in the collective power of our community and school based leaders and practitioners over soundbites and one off contributions from ‘experts’. Focussed networking opportunities punctuate the day and we encourage colleagues to share and celebrate practice from your setting and make positive connections and seek shared solutions to the challenges we all face.
Bringing together a large, powerful community of specialist schools & practitioners
The EfL and LearningShared community now comprises close to 900 specialist schools, colleges and alternative provisions across the UK, as well as a rapidly growing number of mainstream schools. Consequently these events will provide a unique and brilliant opportunity for us to come together to directly harness and tap into the phenomenal wealth of knowledge and experience that exists across the community.
These networking and development conferences are very much for you, and we sincerely want to make each event one of the most useful and informative professional development and networking events of the year for you.
* The precise agendas and speakers for each event may vary slightly. Please get in touch with any queries.
Cost
LearningShared subscribers: FREE
If your school or setting has a subscription to the LearningShared CPLD Programme then 1 (one) member of staff can attend 1 (one) of the events each term for FREE (no cost). Additional delegates can attend any event at a substantially discounted cost of £50 (ex VAT) per delegate / attendee. The school’s LearningShared subscription must be active at the time of the event.
Non-LearningShared subscribers: £150 (ex VAT) per delegate / attendee per event
If your school or setting does not have a subscription to the LearningShared CPLD Programme then the cost to attend any of the events is £150 (ex VAT) per delegate / attendee;
Alternatively the school can subscribe and enrol to the LearningShared CPLD Programme using the form below (£500 ex VAT if your school has EfL / £600 ex VAT if your school does not currently have EfL) to take advantage of the free and reduced attendee costs as well as to gain access to all the features and benefits of the LearningShared CPLD Programme. Learn more about the Learning Shared CPLD Programme here.
** PLEASE COMPLETE THE ONLINE BOOKING FORM BELOW TO REGISTER ATTENDEES FROM YOUR SCHOOL **
Further information
Download our leaflet about our
Regional LearningShared Events
(Click a leaflet to download)
