Mainstream Settings - SENDco and Inclusion bases

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 specialist schools and a demand for greater inclusivity from both government and Ofsted, has had a profound impact on all mainstream schools.  

Equals is hosting a National Conference  in Central London.

Date: December 7th, 2026 (10am – 3pm)
Location: Friends House, Euston, London, NW1 2BJ.
Audience:  Special, Mainstream, SENDco and Inclusion bases.

Shaping Policy, Driving Practice: Navigating the SEND and Inclusion National Landscape

We are delighted to invite you to the upcoming EQUALS National Conference, bringing together educators, leaders, and specialists to explore the evolving landscape of special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

Conference Highlights:

• National Policy & Expert Insights: Hear from Tom Rees (co-chair of the DfE Expert Panel), James Waller (EQUALS) and other Expert Panel members as they share their insights and strategic perspectives on the significant policy changes ahead, including national inclusion standards and specialist provision packages. Further Expert Panel contributors will be announced as they are confirmed.

• Curriculum Preview: Get exclusive updates on the EQUALS curriculum documents, officially set for release in Summer/ Autumn 2027.
• Defining Aspiration: Engage in presentations and discussions exploring what aspiration and success look like (and can look like!) for learners with the most complex of needs.
• Turning Policy into Practice: Discover how school and trust leaders are proactively and positively translating national policy into tangible, effective classroom practice.
• Connect & Collaborate: Enjoy dedicated opportunities to network with peers and explore national inclusion standards and specialist provision packages together.

Our Commitment to You

At EQUALS, we remain deeply committed to our members. We are dedicated to creating opportunities and spaces for you to connect directly with national policy-makers, ensuring your voice helps shape and influence the future of inclusive provision.

Ticket Pricing:

• Early Bird Rate: £50+VAT for the first 50 delegates (1 place per school; must be EQUALS members)
• Member Rate: £75+VAT per delegate (Applies to EQUALS members, EfL Schools, and members of NNSP)
• Standard Rate: £125+VAT per delegate

» Click here to book a place>>

Equals develops and publishes a Multi-tiered Curriculum Approach for PMLD, CLD and SLD.

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 Specialist 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.

» Click here to learn more about the Equals Multi-tiered Curriculum Approach

Up to ten Mainstream Schools can group together to form Equals Membership Clusters

Clustering (with a maximum of 10 schools in a single cluster) will enable schools to minimise their outlay to manageable proportions, and gain support from other schools in the cluster.

• These support networking
• They help enable the Equals charities Curriculum and Assessment materials to be more affordable to those schools with only 1-4 classes of pupils with severe and complex learning difficulties; who can’t access the National Curriculum in mainstream settings
• Individual Mainstream schools can cluster together in groups of up to 10 addresses/mainstream schools. If all the mainstream schools within a cluster become Equals Members, they need only purchase 1 set of Equals Curriculum materials between them. All Equals Members secure access to over 50 Virtual CPD sessions per academic year for all their staff within their school. 
• Such clusters, maybe either geographical, MAT based, or possibly diocesan based in the case of C of E and RC school
• It is recognised that many schools will have an uncertain and variable number of complex learners, some of whom may not have an EHCP, which can make funding more difficult.

Virtual CPD from Equals  – 100% Free for Members

All staff within a members school, can access free virtual training from Equals.  Over 50 sessions are provided per academic year; with most recorded to watch later.