Keynote: Inclusive Leadership of SEND: What Every Leader Should Be Thinking About.
Speaker: Gary Aubin, SEND specialist, author, and national trainer.
Gary Aubin will open the day with a thought-provoking session designed specifically for leaders, including those who aren’t SENCOs. Drawing on key evidence and national guidance, Gary will explore what inclusive leadership really looks like in practice. He’ll share workable approaches that promote whole-school ownership of pupils with SEND, ensuring inclusion is a shared responsibility across every classroom and leadership level. Expect a session packed with real-world examples, strategic insights, and tools to take back to your setting.
Keynote: Empowering SENCOs: Strategic and Impactful Leadership in a Turbulent World
Speaker: Miranda Barker, Birmingham Newman University.
Former SENCO and MAT SEND Lead, Miranda Barker, will share her insights into supporting SENCOs to be strategic, confident, and impactful leaders of inclusion. Drawing on her research and her work in Initial Teacher Education at Newman University, Miranda will discuss how schools can empower SENCOs and how newly qualified teachers can be better equipped to “hit the ground running” in supporting pupils with SEND. Her keynote will offer both academic depth and practical clarity, helping leaders strengthen systems and cultures that make inclusion sustainable.
Workshops: BEP Inclusion Team.
Participants will also take part in two practical, interactive workshops led by the BEP Inclusion Team.
Workshop 1: Responding to the Ofsted Framework
Explore what inspectors are looking for in inclusive provision, how SEND features across the framework, and how schools can evidence strong inclusive practice. This session will help leaders prepare with confidence, using Ofsted expectations as a tool for improvement, not just compliance.
Workshop 2: Enhanced Learning Provision
A practical deep dive into developing and embedding enhanced learning provision in your school. The session will share local examples, highlight innovative practice, and help leaders think about how enhanced provision can be designed, resourced, and evaluated.
