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
Development Days
In-Person – An opportunity to visit an Exemplar School
This is an opportunity to visit a Exemplar School and spend time with senior leaders and in classrooms. The purpose of this day is to increase the understanding of a Informal and/or Semi-formal Curricula as well as being able to ask about assessment, planning or any other aspect of teaching and learning that you are interested in.
The Exemplar Schools involve specialist schools, where either Equals has provided additional consultancy over the past 2-3 years or where they are demonstrating best practice. They have been observed implementing Curriculum Schemes of Work well in their own school. These schools have provided presentations to Equals Members’, via Regional Curriculum Conferences over the past 36 months.
They are able to articulate how their curriculum:
- can be implemented
- how it works with other processes such as Mapping and Assessing Personal Progress
- And to demonstrate the impact.
The video below, is from one of the Exemplar Schools; Sunningdale School in Sunderland, Tyne & Wear.
The school hosts Development Days and Equals Curriculum Conferences.
Costs from £99 which goes towards expenses such as lunch/refreshments etc.
Further development days are being organised for the following schools.
- Brackenfield School in Nottingham – 20th March and 10th June 2025
- Canolfan Addysg Y Bont in Anglesey, North Wales on the 28th March & 20th June 2025
- Dee Banks School in Cheshire – 5th February, 5th March,
14th May and 11th June 2025 - Fairview School in Perth, Scotland – 3rd February 2025
- Kingsbury School in Lancashire – 27th March and the 12th June 2025
- St Ann’s School in London – Spring 2025 date TBC
- Sunningdale School in Tyne & Wear on the
14th February, 21st March and 16th May 2025 - Wren Spinney in Northants – 16th January, 6th March, 8th May & the 12th June 2025.
Dates will be published as they are agreed. For further information or to learn how to book a place please contact the Equals Strategic Development Manager; Paul Buskin using paul@equalsoffice.co.uk
The video above and below, are from one of the Equals Exemplar Schools; Brackenfield SEND School in Nottingham.
The school hosts Development Days and Equals Curriculum Conferences.
Ofsted Report Quotes.
Go to https://reports.ofsted.gov.uk for the full report
Dee Banks School, Chester (Good).
Leaders have adopted a curriculum that is designed well and ordered logically. The curriculum prepares pupils to be as independent as possible. Pupils, including students in the sixth form, learn to solve problems, communicate their wishes and interact with other people. March 2022.
St Ann’s School, London (Outstanding).
Leaders have ensured that the school provides a high-quality education. This is delivered through a well-designed and well-sequenced curriculum. The function of the curriculum is to encourage pupils to build on previous learning and enable them to access learning and social experiences while at school and after leaving school. March 2023.
Sunningdale School, Sunderland (Outstanding).
Leaders have developed an inspirational curriculum that ensures that learning is tailored to meet the needs of all pupils. Because of this, pupils display exceptionally high levels of engagement in learning. They make rapid progress from their starting points. June 2023.
Kingsbury School, Lancashire (Outstanding).
Leaders worked in consultation with parents and expert consultants to implement an ambitious curriculum designed with meticulous detail and clear aims. This new highly effective curriculum, which is rooted in sound educational research, places pupils’ needs at the core. The impact of the new policy has been transformational. September 2023.
Brackenfield School, Derby (Outstanding).
Leaders and staff have designed a curriculum that is ambitious for all pupils. It sets out the precise knowledge, skills and experiences pupils will gain, and by when. The four curriculum pathways, ‘communicate, comprehend, decode and navigate’, are uniquely personalised for each pupil’s needs. September 2023
Wren Spinney School, Kettering (Outstanding).
Great thought has been applied to detail the relevant and meaningful knowledge and skills that the school wants pupils to learn in each pathway. This ambitious curriculum is designed to ensure that all pupils and students develop their independence and are prepared extremely well for their transition to meaningful education or supported residential or day-care provision. April 2024
Canolfan Addsyg y Bont, Bangor (Estyn – do not grade).
The assistant headteachers support the headteacher well and work together purposefully to strengthen and build on the school’s vision. They have led successfully on introducing a stimulating curriculum that meets pupils’ needs through various learning pathways. May 2024
