Yesterday, it was our inaugural Supporting High-Quality SEND Teaching in the Classroom conference. The event was attended by nearly 150 education professionals including SENCOs, Assistant Headteachers and Inclusion Managers, to name but a few. The day kicked off with an inspiring keynote from Gareth D Morewood (@gdmorewood) from Priestnall School sharing how to develop a whole-school approach to SEND. Gareth clarified what the reforms mean for both classroom teachers and the SLT, summarised below.

The day then explored some of these key themes in greater depth. Speakers shared differentiation strategies and staff training ideas to ensure colleagues in the classroom are equipped to deliver quality-first teaching. In addition, a great session by Elizabeth Burns, SENCO, St James' Catholic High School provided guidance on how to effectively deploy TAs for maximum impact in the classroom. Furthermore, Tania Tirraoro (@TaniaLT) from Special Needs Jungle shared some best practice for working effectively with parents. Ensuring every teacher in your school feels confident delivering high-quality SEND teaching is a new and significant responsibility placed on the SENCO. To ensure that this vital and necessary new expectation is being met in every classroom, it is crucial that all colleagues are given plenty of support and the opportunity for effective training and CPD.