The four Centres for Excellence (CfE) in SEND are each hosting Communities of Practice (CoPs) covering topics within their individual themes (People – Weston College, Community – City College Norwich, Careers – Oldham College and Specialist Support – Natspec). These CoP are open to anyone working in Education and Skills with an interest in improving experiences for learners with an inclusion need (SEN). The focus of the CoPs is to share and identify effective practice and to work collaboratively as a community of professionals to address challenges.
In addition to our CfE and Employer Spoke events, you might want to check out joint school and FE ‘Specialist Spotlight’ CPD events delivered by nasen which are part of the Universal SEND Services programme. The events are booked via the Whole School SEND website events page. Those events highlighted as Post 16 are listed below with a direct link to book.
2nd, Bridging the gap between local businesses and education providers to create tailored opportunities for learners with SEND. In this session, Weston College explores how their model bridges local businesses and education providers, creating tailored opportunities for learners with SEND. By fostering collaboration, they enhanced employment outcomes through real-world work experiences, Neuroinclusion and Conscious Inclusion skills training for employers, and support that can meet both employer needs and learner capabilities. 15:00 – 16:30
2nd, Identifying and supporting speech, language and communication needs (SLCN). Join nasen for a discussion exploring speech, language and communication needs (SCLN) in FE settings. The session will focus on key signs that could indicate that a learner has a speech, language and/or communication need, and universal, targeted and specialist support for learners with SLCN, using a graduated approach. The discussion builds on nasen’s 20-minute online SEND CPD units. 15:30 – 16:30.
4th, Supporting sensory differences in the learning environment. Join nasen for a discussion exploring how to support sensory differences in the learning environment. The session will focus on the eight sensory systems and a basic understanding of them, the impact learning environments can have on enabling learners or causing barriers to participation and learning, and some simple, universal strategies to support all learners. The discussion builds on nasen’s 20-minute online SEND CPD units. 15:45 – 16:45.
5th, Professional boundaries (SEND Managers and Leaders). This Weston College-led community of practice brings together professionals working with learners with SEND from across the FE sector. This collaborative session will provide the opportunity for SEND professionals to discuss current challenges as well as share knowledge and examples of good practice. 15:00 – 16:30
6th, Supporting employment pathways for learners with additional needs. Learn more about supporting learners with SEND to move employment with a particular focus on how we ensure our offer is of good quality and achieves positive outcomes for young people. This session will be facilitated by NDTi and the British Association of Supported Employment (BASE). We will be joined by Alicia Moyles from the Education People. There will be an opportunity for discussion as well as hearing from speakers. 09:00 – 10:00
6th, Share and shape City College Norwich SEND special – Ofsted and learning support community. During this event, you will hear about the effective approaches used by City College Norwich’s support staff, our annual continual professional development sessions and we’ll be sharing the positive impact of learning support assistants during Ofsted. 14:30 – 16:00
10th, Using Gatsby Benchmarks: Building a comprehensive employability curriculum for learners with an EHCP. In this session, facilitated by Oldham College, we will examine the Gatsby Benchmarks review, and how this can be used to create a comprehensive employability curriculum for learners with an education, health and care plan (EHCP). 16:00 – 17:30
10th, Mental health and SEND – Practical strategies for creating an inclusive environment for learners with Autism and mental health needs. A Natspec-run community of practice brings together professionals working with learners with SEND from across the FE sector. This discussion will focus on supporting learners with Autism and mental health needs. We will look at the skills of your Learning Support Assistants to support your learners. 15:45 – 16:45
13th, Community of Practice – Develop effective adjustment strategies for student toolkit, session 2. In this community of practice, we will work together to develop the principles of individual toolkits to meet a range of students. To empower ownership of their adjustment needs and strategies to become an independent learner. By attending this session you will help develop and contribute to a strategy adjustment toolkits for students independence. 14:30 – 16:00
14th, Inter-disciplinary working, practical strategies to ensure effective multi-disciplinary working. This session, facilitated by Natspec, will discuss the importance of working collaboratively across professional disciplines to support the needs of SEND learners, identify challenges and suggest different models to support effective practice. 16:00 – 17:15
15th, Supporting employment pathways for learners with additional needs. Learn more about supporting learners with complex needs to move employment with a particular focus on how we ensure our offer is of good quality and achieves positive outcomes for young people. This session will be facilitated by NDTi and the British Association of Supported Employment (BASE). We will be joined by Alicia Moyles from the Education People. There will be an opportunity for discussion as well as hearing from speakers. 16:00 – 17:00
17th, Removing the Velcro. Our teachers, parents and students rely so much on ‘Learning Support Assistants’ and believe this is the only model of best practice when meeting the needs of neurodivergent individuals. However, this dependency model does not enable independence nor develop the inclusive classroom. So how do we remove the ‘Velcro’ and create innovative support programmes that are sustainable for our colleges of the future? 10:00 – 11:30
23rd, Teaching and learning strategies that enable learners with SEND to remember and learn more over time. This webinar, delivered by Natspec, will identify the challenges many learners with SEND have with learning new skills and knowledge acquisition. It will explore successful teaching strategies to aid memory and recall, leading to more effective learning over time. 16:00 – 17:15
28th, Supporting employment pathways for learners with additional needs. Learn more about supporting learners with SEND to move employment, measuring quality and outcomes. This session will be facilitated by NDTi and the British Association of Supported Employment (BASE). We will be joined by Alicia Moyles from the Education People. There will be an opportunity for discussion as well as hearing from speakers. 16:00 – 17:00
30th, Good practice in teaching and learning that enables learners with SEND to retain and embed knowledge and skills. This session, facilitated by Natspec, will focus on how the effective use of repetition can enable learners with SEND to remember more and do more over the course of their learning programmes. This includes developing schemes of learning that include repetition. 15:45 – 16:45
13th, Good practice in teaching and learning that enables learners with SEND to retain and embed knowledge and skills. This session, facilitated by Natspec, will focus on how consistent classroom routines can support learners with SEND to effectively learn new skills and knowledge. To include the structure of your lesson, sequencing content and creating an effective environment in which to learn. 15:45 – 16:45
27th, Good practice in teaching and learning that enables learners with SEND to retain and embed knowledge and skills. This session, facilitated by Natspec, will focus on how assessment can be used creatively to support learners with SEND to remember and learn more over time. This includes strategies for giving feedback that enables learners to understand and plan for their next steps 15:45 – 16:45
As part of our Community of Practice offer, we have produced a number of resources and delivered a number of free training sessions. The resources and recordings of webinars can be found on the Resources from the centres page under the headings used across the SEND Exhibition website.