EfL LearningShared 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.
Building on the success of last year’s programme which attracted over 750 leaders and practitioners from all across the community, our aim for 2024-25 is to deepen the opportunities for networking, discussion and collaboration by providing multiple opportunities for colleagues to come back together over the course of the year to explore, share and develop conversations around the current landscape and key issues in the Specialist Sector.
Doing more with less…
Our umbrella theme for the year tackles the reality of delivering the best education and opportunities for learners against a backdrop of budgets that continue to be squeezed to breaking point.
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
We’re thrilled to invite you and your colleagues to attend any of the following events during the Autumn term:
- Midlands: Friday 29th November 2024 Ivy House School, Moorway Lane, Littleover, Derby, DE23 2FS
- North: Thursday 5th December 2024 Hawthorns School, Manley Grove, Mottram In Longendale, SK14 6PJ
- London / SE: Fri 6th December 2024 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…
Ambitious Curriculum – Defining Success
In this session we will deep dive into the question of what success looks like for learners with a broad range of additional needs and how we define pathways that lead to aspirational long term outcomes. Delegates will be invited to share innovative practice and positive case studies from their setting.
*What does ambition look like for learners in your setting?
*Do your curriculum pathways lead to positive outcomes beyond the school gates?
*How do you evidence and articulate progress and successful outcomes for learners?
*How do learners and families contribute to curriculum design and the creation of their pathways and learning journeys?
Strategic V Operational – The Realities of running a Specialist School
As Specialist settings increasingly become a ‘catch all’ for elements of health and social care it can become increasingly challenging for school leaders to lift their heads up from the day to day challenges and cast a strategic eye on longer term issues and opportunities. In this session we will hear from school and Trust leaders about how they keep at the cutting edge of innovation and reform in the system.
* How do you balance the operational pressures of being a specialist school leader with the more strategic, outward facing aspects of your role?
*What are the key connections that support and challenge your strategic thinking?
Accountability Frameworks – A Positive Change?
After 100 days of the new government we have seen some pretty significant changes in how schools will be held to account. In this session we will share Ofsted updates around what to expect in the coming months and also hear from school leaders who have experienced and led inspections since the changes have come into effect.
*What does accountability look like across your setting / Multi academy Trust?
*How do you engage in the wider regional / national conversation around system change? e.g. DfE Curriculum and Assessment Review?
*How does EfL support conversations with external agencies e.g. Ofsted / LA / MAT Leaders?
Workforce Development and building capacity
The challenges of recruitment and retention are felt most acutely in the specialist sector with many settings regularly operating at 80% staffing and colleagues are perhaps reaching leadership and senior positions in school with less experience and expertise than they would have in the past. School leaders will share their approaches,strategy and successful case studies for workforce development .
*How do you recruit and retain staff in your setting?
*What CPLD opportunities are there for your workforce?
*How does Inquiry support workforce development at your setting?
DfE Curriculum and Assessment Consultation
Our Autumn regional conferences provide a unique opportunity to engage with and contribute to the live DfE consultation on curriculum and assessment. Lightning Talks, panel and roundtable discussions will support us in capturing the voice of the specialist sector and feed this directly to the Review panel chair and inclusion rep who will be joining us in person and virtually at our Swiss Cottage event on Dec 6th.
*What are the opportunities / risks for the specialist sector?
*What successful / innovative approaches to curriculum and assessment would you like to share with the panel?
*Are there opportunities and examples to share with our mainstream colleagues?
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), Liz O’Shaughnessy (New Bridge MAT), Cheryl Gaughan (JMAT), George Turner (Ivy House School), Charlotte Stubbs and Lewis Kirk (Uffculme School), Min Sanghera (Nether Hall School) 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)
