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Online SEND CPD Units

This series of online Continuing Professional Development (CPD) units explore some of the most commonly observed barriers to learning in classrooms and other learning environments, regardless of age, label or area of need.

The units are developed in partnership with leading specialists from the sector to provide clear guidance on adaptations to teaching to help meet the needs of all learners.

As 'short hop' learning journeys, each unit can be completed in under an hour. There's no need to study the units in order, so you can tap into the guidance you need as and when you need it.

Please note, you must be logged into your free nasen or Whole School SEND account to access these online units. 

For anyone who wants to further contextualise learning from the units, the teams involved in their development often feature in our Specialist Spotlight Sessions. These hour-long live discussions are a great place to build on learning, share experiences and seek advice.

Woman in front of a laptop taking part in a online training session
two pupils with a teacher at an international school

Features

  • Free to access at a time to suit you
  • Each unit is classed as a ‘short hop’ learning journey and can be completed in under an hour
  • Specialist Spotlight Sessions further contextualise learning
  • Themes include Language and Communication; Social, Emotional and Mental Health; Safety and Belonging; Speech, Language and Communication.

Benefits

  • Provides information and skills required to build holistic understanding of individual learner's characteristics and context.
  • Provides clear guidance on adaptations to teaching across the age range with the aim of meeting the needs of all learners.
  • 99% of users say that their confidence in identifying and meeting needs of their learners has improved, and that they are likely to incorporate changes in their practice as a result of the units. 

Titles available

  • Unit 1: Creating an emotionally safe environment
  • Unit 2: Creating a socially safe environment
  • Unit 3: Creating a physically safe environment
  • Unit 4: An introduction to speech, language and communication needs (SLCN)
  • Unit 5: Identifying and supporting speech, language and communication needs (SLCN)
  • Unit 6: Supporting the development of speech, language and communication skills
  • Unit 7: Creating a learning environment that supports speech, language and communication
  • Unit 8: Understanding behaviour as communication
  • Unit 9: Promoting mental wellbeing in your setting
  • Unit 10: Understanding and promoting resilience
  • Unit 11: Understanding anxiety and creating a supportive learning environment
  • Unit 12: Supporting sensory differences in the learning environment
  • Unit 13: An introduction to teaching learners with physical needs
  • Unit 14: Understanding executive functioning
  • Unit 15: Memory for learning
  • Unit 16: Supporting reading and comprehension across the curriculum 
  • Unit 17: Developing maths skills
  • Unit 18: Person centred working
  • Unit 19: Promoting independence
  • Unit 20: Transitions

Specialist Spotlight session supporting resources

Resources to summarise the discussion from the sessions and share strategies and approaches used by schools and colleges

Live online networking sessions supporting resources

  • General
  • 27 Mar 2023
Free
Universal SEND Services
Online Units
Live Discussion

A bank of resources to support the Online networking sessions for Unit 1 -3

Upcoming Specialist Spotlight Sessions

To complement each unit you have the opportunity to join an hour-long online discussion, often featuring the specialists involved in developing the units. It’s a chance to contextualise the learning, share experiences and learn from colleagues from across the country.

Due to the interactive nature of these sessions, recordings will not be available after the event, so book now as places are limited!

Specialist Spotlight: Understanding executive functioning (Primary)

Online
08 Jan 2025
FREE
Online Units
Universal SEND Services
Live Discussion
SEMH

Join us for a FREE discussion exploring 'understanding executive functioning’ in primary settings.

Specialist Spotlight: Understanding executive functioning (Secondary/FE)

Online
13 Jan 2025
FREE
Online Units
Universal SEND Services
Live Discussion
SEMH

Join us for a FREE discussion exploring 'understanding executive functioning’ in secondary/FE settings.

Specialist Spotlight: Supporting Reading and Comprehension Across the Curriculum (Secondary+)

Online
14 Jan 2025
FREE
Online Units
Universal SEND Services
Live Discussion

Join us for a FREE discussion exploring 'Supporting Reading and Comprehension Across the Curriculum’ in secondary/FE settings.

Primary school children sat on the carpet in group reading with a teacher holding out a book

Specialist Spotlight: Understanding anxiety and creating a supportive learning environment (Primary)

Online
16 Jan 2025
FREE
Online Units
Live Discussion
Universal SEND Services
SEMH

Join us for a FREE discussion exploring  'understanding and promoting resilience' in primary settings.

children in a classroom

Specialist Spotlight: Promoting mental wellbeing in your setting (Primary)

Online
20 Jan 2025
FREE
Universal SEND Services
Live Discussion
Online Units
SEMH

Join us for a FREE discussion exploring approaches to promoting mental wellbeing in primary settings.

Male teacher with primary school children in a lesson

Specialist Spotlight: Understanding behaviour as communication (Primary)

Online
21 Jan 2025
FREE
Universal SEND Services
Online Units
Live Discussion

Featuring Sarah Johnson: Sarah Johnson has worked in education for the last nineteen years. As a qualified teacher, Sarah has enjoyed roles in mainstream schools, Pupil Referral Units, Alternative Provision and psychiatric in-patient services.

four students sitting at a desk with notepads

Specialist Spotlight: Promoting independence (Secondary/FE)

Online
22 Jan 2025
FREE
Universal SEND Services
Online Units
Live Discussion

Join us for a FREE discussion exploring ‘promoting independence’ in secondary/FE settings.

male teacher supporting a pupil in classroom

Specialist Spotlight: Developing maths skills (Secondary/FE)

Online
23 Jan 2025
FREE
Online Units
Universal SEND Services
Live Discussion

Join us for a FREE discussion exploring 'developing maths skills’ in secondary/FE settings.

Female teacher supporting male pupil  - both are wearing masks in the classroom

Specialist Spotlight: Memory for Learning (Secondary/FE)

Online
27 Jan 2025
FREE
Online Units
Universal SEND Services
Live Discussion

Join us for a FREE discussion exploring 'memory for learning’ in secondary/FE settings.

group of students in a STEM lesson with teacher - secondary age

Specialist Spotlight: Supporting sensory differences in the learning environment (Secondary / FE)

Online
28 Jan 2025
FREE
Online Units
Live Discussion
Universal SEND Services

Join us for a FREE discussion exploring how to support sensory differences in the learning environment in secondary / FE settings.

Child playing wheelchair basketball

Specialist Spotlight: An introduction to teaching learners with physical needs (Secondary / FE)

Online
05 Feb 2025
FREE
Live Discussion
Online Units
Universal SEND Services

Join us for a FREE discussion exploring an introduction to teaching learners with physical needs in primary settings.

male teacher supporting a pupil in classroom

Specialist Spotlight: Understanding anxiety and creating a supportive learning environment (Secondary / FE)

Online
10 Feb 2025
FREE
Universal SEND Services
Online Units
Live Discussion
SEMH

Join us for a FREE discussion exploring the topic of anxiety and approaches to creating a supportive learning environment in secondary / FE settings. 

Specialist Spotlight: Supporting Reading and Comprehension Across the Curriculum (Primary)

Online
11 Feb 2025
FREE
Online Units
Universal SEND Services
Live Discussion

Join us for a FREE discussion exploring 'Supporting Reading and Comprehension Across the Curriculum’ in Primary settings.

Specialist Spotlight: Promoting mental wellbeing in your setting (Secondary/FE)

Online
13 Feb 2025
FREE
Universal SEND Services
Live Discussion
Online Units
SEMH

Join us for a FREE discussion exploring approaches to promoting mental wellbeing in secondary / FE  settings.

children playing tug-of-war with rope

Specialist Spotlight: Understanding and promoting resilience

Online
03 Mar 2025
FREE
Online Units
Universal SEND Services
Live Discussion
SEMH
SEMH

Join us for a FREE discussion exploring 'understanding and promoting resilience' in all settings.

A young student getting help from his teacher

Specialist Spotlight: Memory for Learning (Primary)

Online
06 Mar 2025
FREE
Online Units
Universal SEND Services
Live Discussion

Join us for a FREE discussion exploring 'memory for learning’ in primary settings.

A primary school student choosing a book from a bookcase. She is smiling, and is in a library.

Specialist Spotlight: Person Centred Learning – Listening and Working with Learners and Their Families

Online
11 Mar 2025
FREE
Online Units
Universal SEND Services
Live Discussion

Join us for a FREE discussion exploring ‘Person Centred Learning – Listening and Working with Learners and Their Families’ in all settings.

In a classroom, a girl is raising her hand to answer a question. She is next to a window and has an open book in front of her

Specialist Spotlight: Transitions (Primary)

Online
12 Mar 2025
FREE
Universal SEND Services
Online Units
Live Discussion

Join us for a FREE discussion exploring ‘transitions’ in primary settings.

Specialist Spotlight: An introduction to teaching learners with physical needs (Primary)

Online
13 Mar 2025
FREE
Live Discussion
Online Units
Universal SEND Services

Join us for a FREE discussion exploring an introduction to teaching learners with physical needs in primary settings.

Teacher and children have fun learning with a tablet computer in the day care centre

Specialist Spotlight: Promoting independence (Primary)

Online
17 Mar 2025
FREE
Universal SEND Services
Online Units
Live Discussion

Join us for a FREE discussion exploring ‘promoting independence’ in primary settings.

Need some help?

If you have any questions about these online units or would like some further support then please contact us by emailing: info@wholeschoolsend.org.uk

Specialist Spotlight session supporting resources

Resources to summarise the discussion from the sessions and share strategies and approaches used by schools and colleges

Live online networking sessions supporting resources

  • General
  • 27 Mar 2023
Free
Universal SEND Services
Online Units
Live Discussion

A bank of resources to support the Online networking sessions for Unit 1 -3

How to use the Online CPD Units

To access the Online Units you must have an active account with nasen/Whole School SEND and be logged in. 

Register for your free account today

Log in

Each unit can be completed in under an hour.

At the end of each unit you will be invited to register for a free Specialist Spotlight session, which will facilitate an open discussion on each CPD unit and how you can apply learning into practice 

There are 20 units in total.

  • Unit 1: Creating an emotionally safe environment
  • Unit 2: Creating a socially safe environment
  • Unit 3: Creating a physically safe environment
  • Unit 4: An introduction to speech, language and communication needs (SLCN)
  • Unit 5: Identifying and supporting speech, language and communication needs (SLCN)
  • Unit 6: Supporting the development of speech, language and communication skills
  • Unit 7: Creating a learning environment that supports speech, language and communication
  • Unit 8: Understanding behaviour as communication
  • Unit 9: Promoting mental wellbeing in your setting
  • Unit 10: Understanding and promoting resilience
  • Unit 11: Understanding anxiety and creating a supportive learning environment
  • Unit 12: Supporting sensory differences in the learning environment
  • Unit 13: An introduction to teaching learners with physical needs
  • Unit 14: Understanding executive functioning
  • Unit 15: Memory for learning
  • Unit 16: Supporting reading and comprehension across the curriculum 
  • Unit 17: Developing maths skills
  • Unit 18: Person centred working
  • Unit 19: Promoting independence
  • Unit 20: Transitions