Case Studies

This session will focus on:

• Reflecting on what gives us a sense of belonging
• Exploring our own relationships and journeys with belonging
• Considering how we gather staff voice on belonging
• Reviewing the perception gap between stakeholder groups
• Considering how to create a belonging culture and a belonging curriculum
• Discussing the policies and practices that need to change to increase levels of belonging

Dame Christine Lenehan brings her years of expertise to share her reflections on the evolving SEND landscape. Drawing on her many years of working alongside children, families, professionals and policymakers, she will consider the system as it stands, the conversations shaping it, and the enduring values that continue to guide those working with children and young people with complex needs.

Demand for learning support staff has never been higher. In England alone, there are now over 288,000 teaching assistants working in schools, making them the largest workforce group in education.

Recent research suggests around one in five support staff left the school system in a single year, with school leaders reporting that teaching assistant roles are now among the hardest positions to recruit for.

In this session we explore how schools can grow their own workforce by bringing passionate people into the sector and equipping them with the skills to succeed. Drawing on our National Teaching Assistant Programme, we’ll demonstrate how structured training pathways and alternative recruitment routes can attract individuals with the right values and motivation – often leading to stronger long-term retention than traditional recruitment alone.

Join Edwin to explore:

• Why newly trained learning support staff often demonstrate stronger long-term commitment to the sector
• Why traditional recruitment alone won’t solve the workforce challenge
• How alternative entry routes are unlocking new talent pools

With SEND reform and the Education White Paper shaping national conversation, this panel will explore what the evolving system may mean in practice for the specialist sector.

Bringing together perspectives from special schools, alternative provision, hospital education and policy, the discussion will reflect on the opportunities and challenges ahead, and the role specialist settings will play within a more inclusive system.

This session will focus on:

• Designing and delivering satellite provision
• Scaling outreach into mainstream schools
• Embedding specialist expertise beyond your setting

The pace of policy change in education currently shows no sign of slowing, and for School Business Professionals the implications are significant and regularly have unintended consequences.

This briefing cuts through the volume of recent announcements to give you a focused, practical overview of what has changed, what is coming, and what it means for your setting and your role. This session will cover:

• The Schools white paper – what the new accountability frameworks, regional training for SBPs, and the shift in disadvantage funding mean in practice for specialist settings
• Maximising value for pupils – with budgets under increasing pressure, we go through the headlines of this recently launched DfE programme designed to support schools and trusts achieve best value for money, and how you can influence the development of this
• Medical conditions in schools – the latest updates following the government consultation on strengthening Individual Healthcare Plans, allergy safety policies, and incident reporting requirements
• School food standards consultation – what the proposed changes are and how you can feed into the process

Alongside each update, you will hear how you can engage with the relevant consultations and ensure the voice of the specialist sector is represented in the decisions that shape it.

With the SEND reform consultation now open and the deadline of 18 May 2026 quickly approaching, this session is your opportunity to share your experience, and make sure the specialist sector’s voice is heard where it matters most. This session will cover:

• The headlines from the SEND reform consultation – a brief overview and summary of the key proposals and what they mean for special schools, hospital schools and alternative provision
• Early findings from our survey – what School Business Professionals across the sector are already telling us, and where the emerging themes lie
• Roundtable discussions – structured conversations to capture your views, your challenges and your experience on the ground, which will feed directly into the NNoSS collective response to the consultation

Your insight as an SBP working in the specialist sector is invaluable. This roundtable format is designed to provide you with the opportunity to raise your views because a strong collective response is only possible with your voice.