Equals National Summer Conference
Friday 27th June 2025
Friends House, Euston in Central London.
Practical Solutions to Inclusive Education:
Working with pupils with complex learning disabilities in mainstream settings
Whilst this conference is specifically tailored to provide enhanced support to Mainstream settings; the content is still valuable for staff working within Specialist Settings. Throughout the UK and beyond most Specialist Provisions that support young people with PMLD, CLD, SLD and MLD are actively supporting mainstream settings within their geographical area. For those professionals based in Specialist schools, this conference would be highly relevant and support their important work sharing best practice with their local mainstream settings as they actively engage with outreach work.
The huge increase in the numbers of children with EHCPs (the numbers have more than doubled since the statementing days of 2014) coupled with a lack of expansion of special schools and a demand for greater inclusivity from both government and Ofsted, has had a profound impact on all mainstream schools. Off-rolling is clearly not an option, but neither is allocating (often untrained and unskilled) TAs to individual learners who are unable to access the National Curriculum alongside their neuro-typical peers.
Equals, a not-for-profit UK based charity, offers its Multi-Tiered Curriculum Approach as an essential first step. Already established within the UK’s Special School sector, the Equals Curriculums work directly with Ofsted’s ‘3 Is’ Inspection Framework in concentrating on:
Intent – with a clear, research-based pedagogy which explains why we should be teaching what we’re teaching and directly relates to the learning disabilities of each individual learner. Teachers are encouraged to work to each learner’s strengths rather than constantly trying to ‘cure’ the learning disability itself.
Implementation – with detailed schemes of work within a series of inter-related but distinct broad and balanced curriculums that all have intrinsic engagement (rather than extrinsic reward) at their core.
Impact – with bespoke base-lining and assessment schemas for each curriculum covering both formative and summative assessment within a highly personalised and ipsative framework.
This one day Conference is ideally suited for MAT and individual primary and secondary mainstream school leaders, SENDCos, senior teachers and education consultants. Given the urgency of the SEND ‘dilemma’ Practical Solutions to Inclusive Education: working with pupils with complex learning disabilities in mainstream settings is highly likely to be heavily subscribed and early booking is strongly advised.
Programme
09.00
Registration, coffee and networking.
09.30
Chris Rollings. Headteacher of Hadrian School, Newcastle and Chair of Equals.
Equals’ history and role in developing educational innovation for those with learning disabilities of all ages. Progressing the concept of ‘Cluster Schools’ and sharing costs/resources/support.
10.00
James Waller, Headteacher Sunningdale School, DfE Expert Advisory Group,
Ofsted Headteacher Reference Group and National SEND Forum.
Having and maintaining high ambition for all learners. What we know about the new Governments’ inclusion plans. What we know about Ofsted’s view of different not differentiated. Lessons learned from an LA-wide pilot and approach: How we clearly identify learners who will benefit from a different curriculum model.
11.00
Coffee and networking.
11.30
Cheryl Gaughan. Director of SEND and Inclusion at JMAT Schools, Rotherham.
How a 20 school MAT organises its resources to work with all learners, including those who appear to be the most challenging to teach. The impossibility of off-rolling. The issues all mainstream schools must address.
12.30
Lunch and networking
13.30
Marie Maxwell. Executive Headteacher of Bangabandhu School in east London.
Making the decision to go in a different direction. Key considerations for leadership teams. How working with the Equals Curricula has worked in practice.
14.15
Peter Imray. Equals Developments Director.
What the research tells us. Recognising the need for specialisation as an essential first step. Understanding the depth of the learning disabilities being catered for. What subjects do we teach? How the curriculums connect.
15.15
Q&A
15.45 Finish.
Cost: Only £149 +VAT for Equals Members.
Non-members £199 +VAT.
You can also book a place by emailing admin@equalsoffice.co.uk