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FREE SEND CPD for your settings

This event is a response to feedback from the education workforce following the Preparing for Adulthood (PfA) Review Guide Regional Training delivered in 2023 and will be a celebration of everything schools and colleges are already doing.

Bill was a Primary and Executive Headteacher for 28 years in West London. During his headship Bill led initiatives and programmes for NQTs and Leaders within the LA, followed by a secondment to lead similar work with the NCTL and DfE across London. As an NLE and leader of a TSA, Bill was involved in school-to-school support, coaching and mentoring, school improvement work, effective use of the pupil premium grant, and developing the capacity and quality of school leaders. Bill moved to the South West in 2015 and now works as an Independent Education Consultant, School Improvement Partner, Pupil Premium Reviewer and Ofsted inspector. Bill continues to develop and run CPD programmes, write and facilitate on NPQ programmes, and work collaboratively with groups of schools who are looking to develop effective partnerships. Bill also supports and challenges schools to review, re-evaluate, and improve their strategies for disadvantaged learners.

Malcolm has worked in the field of SEND for 30 years and in that time has worked in adult provision, mainstream schools, and special schools. He has worked in with children throughout the age range and with learning difficulties ranging from moderate to profound. Malcolm has been a Headteacher of three schools and one federation. He is a National Leader of Education, a Member of the National SEND Forum, and Patron of the Centre Algarve holiday centre for people with special needs.

Natalie is an Independent Education Consultant specialising in SEN and school improvement. She develops and delivers a wide range of continuing professional development to schools and local authorities, and provides SEN leadership support to three multi-academy trusts across the Midlands. Natalie is a member of nasen's 0 to 11 Advisory Group and has supported the Whole School SEND school and MAT reviews. She is also a trustee of Learn-AT multi-academy trust in the East Midlands and a Leadership Matters Ambassador.

As a leading SEN expert for Optimus and The Key for School leaders, Natalie regularly write online articles and develops webinars for SEN CPD. She is the author of The Perfect SENCO, and The Teacher’s Guide to SEN, which was nominated in 2019 for a national Educational Resources Award. She is also series editor for Routledge’s All About SEND books for classroom practitioners.

Natalie has previously worked for the National Strategies SEN Team and DfE implementing the Achievement for All (AfA) project to improve outcomes for children and young people with SEN. Prior to this, she worked for several local authorities across the East Midlands as an Adviser for SEN and School Improvement. She has had primary headship experience and has previously been a SENCO. In 2015, Natalie was a member of the DfE Assessment without Levels Commission.

In a career spanning more than 30 years, Barry has held the leadership positions of Headteacher, Principal, Academic Director, Chief Executive, Inspector of Schools and Director of the Centre for Special Education at Westminster College, Oxford. In 2009, he was appointed by the Secretary of State for Education as Director of the Children with Complex Learning Difficulties and Disabilities Research Project. Since completing that research, Barry has overseen the development of a national project developing online ‘Training materials for teachers of children with severe, profound and complex learning disabilities”(www.complexneeds.org.uk).

He is the author of over 150 articles and many texts on a range of learning disability/special needs topics. His most recent book publications (with Carolyn Blackburn and Jo Egerton) focus upon Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD). Most recently he co-authored “Engaging Learners with Complex Needs” (Routledge).He is the co-founder of the National Forum for Neuroscience in Special Education. For the Mental Health Foundation, he Chaired the National Inquiry into the Mental Health of Young People with Learning Disabilities. He is currently Chairing a working group looking at the needs of Girls on the Autism Spectrum, which will be the focus of his next book.

Barry has 3 children – one a School Principal, one a Senior Occupational Therapist and a daughter with Down’s Syndrome, who now has a home of her own, published her first book in 2017, and is on an Apprenticeship as a Teaching Assistant.

Prior to becoming a maths consultant, Nathan taught children in Years 1-6 across Oxfordshire. During this time, he qualified as a Maths Specialist Teacher (MaST) and became part of the National College for Teaching and Leadership’s ‘small schools making an impact’ programme.

Driven by his passion for helping to ensure that all children access mathematics learning to the full, Nathan has more recently worked as an NCETM accredited independent maths consultant to support schools across the country in delivering high quality teaching and learning. As well as providing training, he continues to work alongside classes and groups of children to explore how they learn best.

Nathan also believes in the power of mentoring and coaching, around which he has refined his skills whilst working to complete the National Professional Qualification for Headship (NPQH) programme. He now provides leadership training to support schools with growing capacity.

In addition to his day job, Nathan volunteers as a school Governor and works on the Executive of the National Association of Mathematics Advisers, which develops his understanding about the national mathematics landscape.

Julie Wharton is the course leader for the National Award for Special Educational Needs (SEN) Coordination at the University of Winchester. Julie joined the university in 2014, having spent seven years working as a SEND Inspector in Southampton. Prior to this she was an Advanced Skills Teacher for SEN.

Lynda is Joint Course Leader of the Masters in Education Portfolio of courses and the National SENCO Award at the University of Gloucestershire and Vice-Chair of Directors of LLSENDCiC, which oversees the Quality Standards of the NASENCO Award for 33 providers across England. Prior to this Lynda worked as a SENCO, Primary School Class Teacher and member of SLT in the south west of England. She has also worked as an Advisory Teacher for children and young people with Communication and Interaction needs in a county in the South West of England. She recently co-authored (with Tristan Middleton) ‘Using an Inclusive Approach to reduce School Exclusion’ published by Routledge and nasen.

Kelly is an Executive Assistant Headteacher who works within Oxfordshire for a cluster of schools in the GLF Academy Trust. She is passionate about developing a curriculum that is inspirational and inclusive for all. Over the course of her career, she has taught across the primary ages and is a Maths Specialist Teacher and a Maths Senior Leader in Education. 

Kelly has supported many schools within her role as an NCETM Mastery Specialist and NCETM Professional Development Lead for the BBO Maths Hub and has worked closely with teachers and maths leads within these schools to improve the teaching and learning of mathematics by providing bespoke CPD and support. 

Nicole Dempsey is Assistant Principal for Special Educational Needs and/or Disabilities and Safeguarding at Dixons Trinity Academy, a mainstream secondary free school in Bradford, West Yorkshire, as well as having a role supporting further development of equality and diversity across the Dixons Trust.  She is also a Regional SEND Lead in the Yorkshire and The Humber region, for Whole School SEND, a consortium of organisations committed to enhancing the quality of education for learners with special educational needs and/or disabilities throughout England.  She writes about SEND and inclusion on her blog, inco14.wordpress.com, and tweets under the username @NDempseyDTA.