SENCOs Forum

Join SENCOs from across the non-association independent school sector for a practical, participative forum focused on the changing SEND landscape and the challenges schools are facing right now.

The NAISA SENCO Forum is not designed as a traditional training session. Instead, it provides a space for SENCOs to come together, share experience, test their thinking and explore the issues that matter most in their own settings.

A key focus of this forum will be SEND reform and what emerging proposals could mean for non-association independent schools. We will consider possible implications for commissioning, placements, accountability, inclusion, local authority relationships and expectations of specialist and alternative provision.

Rather than simply presenting information, we will use these themes to open up discussion. What opportunities could reform create? What are SENCOs concerned about? Where could there be unintended consequences for pupils or schools? And where is there still uncertainty about what changes may mean in practice?

The forum will also provide substantial time for wider peer discussion. Delegates will be invited to bring current SEND challenges, questions, approaches that are working well and areas where they would value the perspective of colleagues. The aim is to create a supportive professional space where schools can learn from one another rather than every question having to be answered by the facilitators.

Future SENCO Forums will also be shaped by the people attending them. Delegates will have the opportunity to identify the topics, emerging issues, speakers and examples of effective practice they would most value exploring at future sessions.

Who is this forum for?
This forum is particularly suitable for:

• SENCOs and SEND leads
• Inclusion leads
• Senior leaders with responsibility for SEND
• Leaders working within specialist or alternative provision
• Colleagues with strategic responsibility for supporting pupils with additional needs

The forum will be collaborative and discussion-led. NAISA will facilitate the session and bring relevant information and sector insight, but the experience and expertise of participating SENCOs will be central to the discussion.

Whether you are trying to understand the potential impact of SEND reform, looking for ideas around a current challenge, or simply want the opportunity to connect with colleagues working in similar settings, the NAISA SENCO Forum offers a valuable opportunity to share practice, ask difficult questions and strengthen SEND provision across the sector.