Welcome remarks from Katherine Walsh, Director of Inclusion, River Learning Trust and Chair of CST's SEND and inclusion professional community.
Director of Inclusion, River Learning Trust
Katherine Walsh is the Director of Inclusion for River Learning Trust. She is an experienced teacher and school leader and has led SEND provision in primary and secondary schools in England and America. Over the past ten years, Katherine has developed particular expertise in working with leadership teams to develop school-wide systems, establishing shared and inclusive visions for the education of children and young people with SEND. Katherine was a lead author on the Department for Education commissioned Whole School SEND Teacher Handbook: SEND.
In this session Leora will outline CST's 10 principles for a new SEND system in more detail, drawing on our new paper.
Chief Executive, CST
Leora Cruddas is the founding Chief Executive of the Confederation of School Trusts – the national organisation and sector body for school trusts in England. She has advised successive governments and sits on several Department for Education advisory bodies. She was recently the vice chair of the Head Teacher Standards Review Group, a member of the external advisory group for the Schools White Paper, SEND National Implementation Board and the Regulatory and Commissioning Review.
Prior to founding CST, she was Director of Policy and Public Relations for the Association of School and College Leaders. Leora has six years of experience as a director of education in two London local authorities. She is a visiting professor at UCL Institute of Education. Leora was made a CBE in the 2022 New Year’s Honours.
CEO, Ormiston Academies Trust, and Chair, DfE‘s Expert Advisory Group for Inclusion
There are clearly significant challenges around inclusion and SEND in the sector. However, there is also good practice which already exists – where teachers and leaders are supporting children with special and additional learning needs well. The panel will share examples of this practice, highlighting the evidence base and principles that underpin their work, and how they could be applied in other contexts.
CEO, Ambition Institute
Hilary is the CEO of Ambition Institute, and has previously held senior roles in education policy, professional development, and equalities. As a charity, Ambition Institute’s focus is on tackling educational inequality. Since March 2019, Ambition has worked with over 100,000 teachers, and with more than half of all schools in the country. The organisation supports teachers and leaders across their careers with high quality, evidence-based professional development, from initial teacher training to trust leadership. As well as a wide range of professional development programmes, Ambition delivers innovative pilot initiatives, a portfolio of robust research, and wider sector engagement to support equality. SEND and inclusion are long-standing priorities for Ambition, and the team is pleased to have worked with CST on publications like Five principles for inclusion, and convening the Inclusion in Practice hub.
Executive Director of SEND, Unity Schools Partnership
George holds a BEd Honours degree and the National Professional Qualification for headship. Prior to joining Unity Schools Partnership, she was headteacher at Churchill Special School, a school for children with high functioning ASD, from its initial opening in September 2013. George led the school through its first Ofsted inspection in July 2015 during which it was rated outstanding, and through a subsequent inspection in 2019 in which the school received another outstanding rating. Previously, George was headteacher for seven years at Wickhambrook Community Primary School, which hosted a specialist dyslexia unit, leading it to an outstanding rating in February 2012. She has also been a SENCO and worked with Mencap to lead summer play schemes. In her current role as Executive Director for SEND at Unity Schools Partnership, George leads SEND across specialist SEND units, special schools and mainstream provision.
Executive Principal, SHARE Multi Academy Trust
Lauren McCaffrey is the Executive Principal for the primary schools within SHARE Multi Academy Trust - a mid-sized trust based in West Yorkshire. She has senior leadership experience in both Greater Manchester and Yorkshire and the Humber, including in an outstanding school. She has been a headteacher in schools with challenging contexts, which were judged to be inadequate or requires improvement - quickly improving standards to turn them around. As an Executive Principal, she now supports leadership teams across four rapidly improving primaries with high levels of deprivation and complex SEND caseload. She feels strongly about working directly with teams in schools, to make sure that every member of staff is as able and as confident as they can be to deal with the reality of the many challenges we face in the classroom.
Regional Director and Executive Principal, United Learning Trust
Claire Ferens is committed to driving academic excellence and championing inclusivity, particularly for pupils with special educational needs and those from disadvantaged backgrounds. In her role as a regional director, executive principal, and educational partner within United Learning Trust, she has strategically led schools to become supportive, high-achieving environments where every child can thrive.
She has developed and implemented strategies that provide tailored interventions for vulnerable learners, addressing their academic and personal development needs. By embedding evidence-based approaches in behaviour management, mental health support, and physical development, she has helped create learning environments where all pupils can flourish. She believes in the power of collaboration, working closely with educators, parents, and external agencies to strengthen SEND provision and drive equity-focused practices.
A recent survey of teenage children showed that two-thirds are worried about violence – especially knife crime. Jon Yates will discuss what can schools realistically do to help keep all our children safe – especially those who are most vulnerable. He will share the best available evidence on what works and what we can all do together.
CEO, Youth Endowment Fund
Jon Yates is the founding CEO of the Youth Endowment Fund (YEF). The YEF is a £200 million endowment focused on reducing violence. In this role Jon advises government, schools, colleges, police forces, youth charities and the youth justice system on what works to keep young people safe.
Jon has worked across the youth, education and community cohesion sectors. He is an experienced founder and leader including of the UK’s National Citizen Service, which became the fastest growing youth movement since the Scouts. He is the author of ‘Fractured: How we live together’ and previously served in government as the lead adviser to the UK’s Education Secretary on technical education, schools, nurseries, colleges and university policy. Jon sits on the boards of Ofsted, the Children’s Commissioner and UK Youth.
Choose from a selection of workshops delivered by trust leaders and sector experts. Topics include innovative approaches to supporting SEMH needs in secondary schools, effective models of special school outreach, and strategic resource deployment for early intervention in primary settings.
CEO, Olive Academies, and Ofsted’s External Advisor for Inclusion
Mark’s work in education is rooted in his belief that schools and other settings have the potential to break historic cycles of social disadvantage and to prevent the marginalisation of vulnerable young people. Mark has been a headteacher of a secondary school, an Ofsted inspector and a founding trustee of the PSHE Association before he established Olive Academies Trust in 2015.
Through the work of Olive Academies, Mark has been invited to join a small number of external advisory boards and forums, where insight, innovation, and best practices are shared to help form a collective voice that will impact more children and young people nationally. Mark is Chair of The National MAT CEO Network for Alternative Provision and SEND, a member of the DfE’s SEND and AP Improvement Board, Co-chair of Ofsted’s Inclusion Reference Group and Independent Chair of Norfolk County Council’s Executive Board. An advocate for partnership working, Mark regards collaboration as an effective and necessary route to improving the life chances of more of the most vulnerable children in the country.
In 2021 Mark was awarded an MBE in The Queen’s New Year Honours List for his services to children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities.
Senior HMI for SEND & AP, Ofsted
Adam Sproston is a qualified teacher and has taught across the full primary age range. Before joining Ofsted, Adam gained extensive school improvement and senior leadership experience in primary schools, including specially resourced provision. He has also worked at local authority level in both early years and special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) development. Adam holds a NPQH and the national award for SEND coordination. He leads inspections of primary, special, and independent schools. Adam also leads area SEND inspections. He has particular expertise in geography, design and technology, and SEND.
Director of Inclusion, River Learning Trust
Katherine Walsh is the Director of Inclusion for River Learning Trust. She is an experienced teacher and school leader and has led SEND provision in primary and secondary schools in England and America. Over the past ten years, Katherine has developed particular expertise in working with leadership teams to develop school-wide systems, establishing shared and inclusive visions for the education of children and young people with SEND. Katherine was a lead author on the Department for Education commissioned Whole School SEND Teacher Handbook: SEND.
Peer reviews are a structure that can mobilise expertise within and across schools and trusts. In this workshop, Toni Bailey of Creative Education Trust and Vanessa Wallden of The Howard Partnership Trust will discuss ways in which peer reviews have been a vehicle to improve provision for pupils with SEND. The conversation will share examples of how they have been used to ensure learning and knowledge-building between mainstream and specialist settings.
Director of Inclusion, River Learning Trust
Katherine Walsh is the Director of Inclusion for River Learning Trust. She is an experienced teacher and school leader and has led SEND provision in primary and secondary schools in England and America. Over the past ten years, Katherine has developed particular expertise in working with leadership teams to develop school-wide systems, establishing shared and inclusive visions for the education of children and young people with SEND. Katherine was a lead author on the Department for Education commissioned Whole School SEND Teacher Handbook: SEND.
Head of Special Phase and Inclusion, The Howard Partnership Trust
Vanessa has been a teacher and leader for over 20 years across all phases.
Specialising in language development in maths and autism for her MEd, Vanessa was pivotal in setting up and leading the first centre for applied behaviour analysis and autism within Richmond. She was awarded her NPQH in 2014, before joining The Howard Partnership Trust in Surrey, as a Head of School, becoming Executive Head in 2018. Appointed to her current role as THPT Head of Specialist & Inclusion in January 2021, Vanessa led the special phase merger into the trust and in 2024 successfully completed her NPQEL.
Vanessa continues to lead inclusion and the SEND continuum across all three phases in THPT, passionate in her commitment to enabling equity for all and ensuring that children meet and exceed their own aspirations and are prepared for their futures.
Director of SEND, Creative Education Trust
Toni joined Creative Education Trust following his role as Assistant Director of SEND and Inclusion for Peterborough and Cambridgeshire local authorities. Toni started his journey with SEND working as a residential care-worker before training as a mainstream primary school teacher, but returned to his interest in working with special needs and vulnerable children early in his career, moving into primary and secondary special needs schools from 1998. He has been a headteacher in three residential schools with specialisms in social emotional and mental health and autism and associated complex needs.
Toni has been chair of a national network of SEMH schools, which has led to successful experience as a consultant, supporting special and mainstream schools, academies and local authorities to develop their SEND and alternative provision offers and has supported specialist schools and settings across Europe and with the Ministry of Education in New Zealand.
This panel will explore ways to create the conditions for belonging and connectedness to enable all pupils to flourish in schools – and the research evidence behind them. Anna Upton from Embark Multi-Academy Trust (comprising nursery, primary, and secondary schools) will share the trust’s approach to creating a collective commitment across its schools, fostering a universal offer as a foundation for every child’s success. Simon Knight of Frank Wise Special School will discuss the principles underpinning an inclusive culture within the context of a community special school, and how that relates to the lived experience. Stuart Kime of EBE will share research evidence for the conditions that cultivate a sense of belonging for learners, teachers and leaders alike.
Joint Headteacher, Frank Wise School
Simon has worked in special education for more than twenty years and is Joint Headteacher at Frank Wise school, a community special school for children aged between two and nineteen with severe or profound learning disabilities. He has sat on the DfE panels developing both the Professional Standards for Teaching Assistants and the Standard for Teachers’ Professional Development and is currently a member of the Teaching School Hubs Council with a focus on SEND. He regularly writes and contributes comment and content to a range of publications and events on the theme of SEND, including DfE guidance documents and qualification frameworks, and was recently awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Education by Brookes University.
Director of Education, Evidence Based Education
Stuart is Director of Education at Evidence Based Education, and one of the team behind the great teaching toolkit - the personalised professional growth platform to help teachers flourish. He is a qualified teacher himself, who has worked in both middle and senior leadership roles in schools. Currently, Stuart serves on the advisory boards of lernen: digital (a German teacher development project) and Impact. He is a co-author of the EEF's Implementation Guide, as well as the EEF's DIY evaluation guide, and EBE's 'great teaching toolkit: evidence review'. He is fascinated by finding sustainable ways to help teachers flourish and belong in their professional lives.
Deputy Trust Leader, Embark Multi Academy Trust
Anna Upton is the Deputy Trust Leader at Embark Federation, where she works alongside schools to support improvement and inclusion. She leads the school improvement team, focusing on creating welcoming, high-quality learning environments where every child can thrive. With experience as both a headteacher and a school improvement advisor for Derbyshire, Anna has spent her career helping schools strengthen teaching, leadership, and support for pupils. She is particularly passionate about fostering inclusive practices that ensure all children, regardless of their background or needs, have access to great opportunities. Anna enjoys working collaboratively with school leaders, staff, and communities to make a positive difference. She believes in the power of teamwork and shared commitment to help schools grow and succeed.
Chief Executive, CST
Leora Cruddas is the founding Chief Executive of the Confederation of School Trusts – the national organisation and sector body for school trusts in England. She has advised successive governments and sits on several Department for Education advisory bodies. She was recently the vice chair of the Head Teacher Standards Review Group, a member of the external advisory group for the Schools White Paper, SEND National Implementation Board and the Regulatory and Commissioning Review.
Prior to founding CST, she was Director of Policy and Public Relations for the Association of School and College Leaders. Leora has six years of experience as a director of education in two London local authorities. She is a visiting professor at UCL Institute of Education. Leora was made a CBE in the 2022 New Year’s Honours.
This session will discuss research and cross-sector case studies that exemplify how harnessing collaboration and learning from lived experience is central to upholding dignity and delivering equitable whole school inclusion: lead from the top and build from the universal up. Ellie Costello of Square Peg and Amelie Thompson of Greenshaw Learning Trust (37 schools) will explore principles and practical strategies to build a systemic and systematic approach for authentic and meaningful co-production. They will highlight opportunities this offers trust leaders in achieving the paradigm shift required for equitable whole school inclusion.
Executive Director, Square Peg
Ellie works nationally across policy and practice to effect cultural and systemic change on behalf of all children who experience barriers to school attendance.
She gave evidence to the Education Select Committee in 2023 and has collaborated with broadcast news (BBC, ITN, Sky News) and documentaries (Panorama) to tell the stories of families and professionals struggling in the current system.
She is co-author of the critically acclaimed book “Square Pegs: compassion, inclusion and fitting in - a guide for schools” and is Parliamentary Vice Co-Chair for the Council for Disabled Children’s Special Education Consortium. Ellie is a critical thinker, curiosity geek and lifelong learner.
Prior to entering the policy, lobby and change-making space, Ellie enjoyed a successful career in the media working as a producer. She is parent carer to two incredible teens with additional needs spanning education, health, mental health and social care.
As a Therapeutic Parent, mental health, wellbeing, neuroscience and child development inform Ellie’s advocacy and campaigning.
Passionate about the potential of accessible, equitable education systems and all services around children and families.
Ellie draws on the power of hope, collaboration and transformative collective endeavour to create solutions which are appropriate and sustainable, carving new landscapes with brighter horizons for all.
Assistant Director of Education (SEND and Specialist Provision), Greenshaw Learning Trust
Amelie is Assistant Director of Education (SEND and Specialist Provision) at Greenshaw Learning Trust. She is also a Trustee at Leo Academy Trust and is its safeguarding/SEND trustee. Amelie is also regional lead for Whole School SEND in the London region and was a lead author on the Department for Education commissioned Whole School SEND Teacher Handbook: SEND - Embedding Inclusive Practice.
Amelie has extensive leadership experience and is passionate about strong system leadership, including governance, that challenges and enables all leaders to deliver on distributed leadership for SEND. Amelie has worked in several roles, including as SENCO, head of inclusion and headteacher and in all these roles focused on developing school-wide systems that built inclusive practices so that all children can thrive.
Community supporter spotlight: Amy Husband, Head of School Academic, Academy21 will briefly introduce the session. Chaired by Roger Inman of Stone King, this panel brings together leaders from SENDSCOPE, an innovative specialist school created to support pupils with complex needs at the transition from primary to secondary, and from All Saints Catholic College, a maintained mainstream school that brings focus to working with pupils before potential SEMH or learning needs are diagnosed. Together they will discuss what education leaders can do in these unprecedented circumstances for schools, and how they can incorporate early intervention for pupils’ best outcomes.
Partner, Stone King LLP
In addition to leading Stone King's national Education Sector Group of over 70 lawyers, Roger specialises in school governance and re-organisation (notably for multi academy trusts), school finance, admissions and also all pupil provision issues. A recognised national specialist regarding special educational needs law, Roger also works as a judge in the SEN Tribunal in addition to his role at Stone King.
Roger contributes to the education sector more generally by working closely with national schools’ membership organisations, notably the Confederation of Schools Trusts, the Institute of School Business Leadership and the Co-Operative Schools Network on education developments. Outside work, Roger volunteers as a trustee for a sixth form trust.
Co-Principal and Director, SENDSCOPE
Natalie is a highly skilled and experienced teacher and SENDCo with a passion for the inclusion of neurodiverse young people. Qualifying in 2006 she spent seven years teaching primary aged children, with a proven track record in upper KS2.
Natalie then spent the next eight years in secondary education and set up a thriving Nurture Hub. She has successfully supported many neurodiverse young people across Merseyside in coproduction with families, local authorities and professional partners. As an assessor in JCQ Access Arrangements, Natalie is familiar with the numerous barriers to learning involved in individuals with learning needs and her robust knowledge of SEND and the law has resulted in young people succeeding in mainstream or transitioning to a specialist provision that effectively meets their needs. Natalie is passionate about driving forward standards for young people, raising attainment and improving outcomes. Now a Director of SENDSCOPE Ltd, Natalie provides diagnostic and advisory services to schools on the strategic and operational management of SEND, recommending solutions to the challenges faced across SEND within available resources.
Co-Principal and Director, SENDSCOPE
Jacqueline is a highly skilled and experienced teacher with a passion for education, the science of learning and improving classroom practice. Qualifying in 2006, she spent ten years teaching primary aged children and during this time developed a broad range of expertise from early learning through to year six. Following this, Jacqueline moved to secondary education to support young people with SEND and not secondary ready cohorts. Jacqueline then became part of the SEND leadership team with a focus on teaching and learning, emotional regulation, and wellbeing. Qualified in ‘instructional coaching’, Jacqueline has successfully improved classroom practice by supporting colleagues with lesson structure, strategic planning and making the necessary reasonable adjustments required to raise attainment for all in an inclusive classroom. As a mental health first aider, Jacqueline is an advocate for ensuring that the needs of all young people are met within their learning environment. Now a Director of SENDSCOPE Ltd, Jacqueline provides teachers and school leaders with CPD and effective teaching and learning strategies for pupils with SEND and promotes ‘good teaching for SEND is good teaching for all’.
Head of School Academic, Academy21
Amy Husband is the Head of School Academic at Academy21. Amy’s passion for psychology sparked an interest in child development from an early age. After enjoying her classroom teaching career, she has worked across several leadership teams in both primary and secondary settings, with trust-wide responsibility for safeguarding, inclusion and school improvement. As Head of School Academic, Amy brings a wealth of experience from her time as a head teacher in two schools since 2016. Amy was awarded ‘Evidence Lead in Education (ELE) status in 2020, meaning she consults and delivers content on behalf of the Department for Education and the Education Endowment Foundation.
Assistant Headteacher, All Saints Catholic College
Naomi Gillinson (NPQLT) is an Assistant Headteacher at All Saints Catholic College (ASCC) in London, with over 15 years' experience in education, including expertise as a science practitioner and AQA science examiner. She leads on pupil engagement—a newly created role that bridges academic and pastoral support—with the vision that no student falls behind or goes unnoticed.
Naomi has developed a whole-school strategy to identify and support "hidden" students: those who show no obvious concerns but are gradually disengaging. By encouraging staff to build strong relationships with students, she is able to spot the early signs of withdrawal and intervene before Social, Emotional, and Mental Health (SEMH) needs escalate.
Her proactive approach fosters connection, belonging, and resilience, reducing the risk of long-term disengagement and underachievement. Naomi’s work is redefining how schools view pupil visibility, creating a culture where every student is seen, heard, and supported to thrive.
Chaired by Alistair Crawford of Eden Academy Trust, this session explores two distinct models of outreach. Cate Marsden of Woodbridge Trust (3 specialist settings across primary, secondary, and sixth form), with an Outreach Service supporting over 120 schools, will share an approach developed in close partnership with the local authority, rooted in collaboration and sustained support across mainstream schools. Rachel Wilkes of Humber Education Trust (4 specialist schools and 13 mainstream primary schools) will share a model of support enabling mainstream settings to inclusively meet the needs of more complex learners within and beyond the trust. Attendees will gain valuable perspectives on how outreach can be structured, sustained, and scaled to help inform or enhance work in their own trusts.
Director of External Partnerships, Woodbridge Trust
Cate is a passionate advocate for inclusion and equity in education. A former SEND advisory teacher for a local education authority and a Fellow of MMU, she has played a key role in delivering the National SENCo Award and now leads NPQSEND program coordination in her area for the National Institute of Teaching. As Director of External Partnerships at Woodbridge Trust, she fosters collaborations between schools and education systems to drive inclusive practices. Her work bridges the gap between special schools and mainstream education, ensuring all children receive effective support.
Cate has contributed to Natalie Packer’s Teachers’ Guide to SEND and has recently written for The Times Education Supplement, Autism Eye, and SEND Magazine, exploring "Waiting Well"—supporting pupils awaiting a diagnosis. An INLPTA Master Practitioner in Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP), she applies expertise in communication and learning strategies to enhance SEND education.
CEO, Humber Education Trust
Rachel Wilkes is the founding Chief Executive of Humber Education Trust - a multi academy trust of 17 primary and special schools which have inclusion and ambition for all at the heart of their values. Rachel has worked in education for over 25 years and spent eight years as the headteacher of Clifton Primary School, a national support school, prior to becoming the CEO at Humber Education Trust. Rachel has been involved in system leadership at many levels during her career, has supported colleagues across the sector as a NLE and regularly contributes to educational publications and blogs. Rachel believes that all children are capable of great things when they are given the opportunity to shine and is committed to working collaboratively with all partners to secure the best outcomes for children and young people.
Director of Work Force, Eden Academy Trust
Alistair is the Workforce Development Lead at Eden Academy. Prior to this, he worked in a range of specialist and mainstream schools across the East Midlands as a teacher, senior leader, and director of inclusion. As an experienced specialist leader of education and school and trust reviewer, Alistair has supported many schools and colleagues to develop their SEND provision and improve outcomes for young people with additional needs.
A big passion for Alistair is raising aspiration for the amazing young people we work with, and he is currently working with a range of national partners to support pathways to employment and participation in elite sports. Alistair is a member of the regional team for whole school SEND (EMSYH), Co-Chair of the National Network of Specialist Provision (NNSP), Specialist lead for Oak National Academy and most recently sat on the ERG for the new NPQ SENCO.
There not being sufficient funding for schools to routinely employ class-based teaching assistants or 1:1 teaching assistants for children with EHCPs, mainstream primary schools are no longer able to operate in the ways they are used to. River Learning Trust (31 schools) looked to a creative solution, exploring the legislation and guidance to open 'The Willows' at New Marston Primary School. Anne Heavey, Director of Insights for Ambition, will be joined in conversation with Katherine Walsh, Director for Inclusion and Beth Middleton, Willows Leader and Class Teacher.
Director of Insights, Ambition Institute
Director of Inclusion, River Learning Trust
Katherine Walsh is the Director of Inclusion for River Learning Trust. She is an experienced teacher and school leader and has led SEND provision in primary and secondary schools in England and America. Over the past ten years, Katherine has developed particular expertise in working with leadership teams to develop school-wide systems, establishing shared and inclusive visions for the education of children and young people with SEND. Katherine was a lead author on the Department for Education commissioned Whole School SEND Teacher Handbook: SEND.
Willows Leader and Class Teacher, New Marston Primary School, River Learning Trust
Beth Middleton is the Enhanced Provision Lead at New Marston Primary School, where she leads a team supporting students with complex needs and autism. With expertise in PIVATS, VB-MAPP assessment and curriculum design, she creates structured, inclusive learning that meets the sensory and developmental needs of her pupils.
In September 2024, she began teaching a group of pre-verbal children within a mainstream setting, developing approaches that promote communication, engagement, and regulation. Her work ensures that pupils with complex needs can spend meaningful time learning alongside their peers in mainstream classrooms. A committed educator and strategic leader, she champions high-quality, personalised education for all learners.
