National Professional Qualifications

NPQ SENCO Conference – Impacting Practice across Essex

Saffron Teaching School Hub recently held its inaugural NPQ SENCO Conference – bringing 40 aspiring and current SENCOs together for a day of professional development, dialogue and discourse.

Hosted by Saffron Walden County High School, and expertly facilitated by Phil Heath, Emma Carvalho and Katie Pieri, the conference explored critical aspects of Leadership and SEND:

  • Understanding and Overcoming Imposter Syndrome
  • Establishing and Positive Culture for SEND and
  • Assessment and Identification Strategy

Feedback from programme members was universally positive – from the organisation and content of sessions to the knowledge and expertise of the facilitating team:

  • The conference provided insightful knowledge and practical ideas, along with valuable networking opportunities.
  • Participants appreciated the networking and collaboration, expertise sharing, and the informative content, which was beneficial for their roles and helped streamline interventions and planning processes.

At Saffron, a critical aspect of successful professional development is the transferable knowledge and skills that can be applied across various contexts. Our programme members shared with us the key takeaways from their learning – from the immediate ‘Apply Today’ to longer-term changes they were planning to implement as a result of the conference:

Quick Wins:

  1. Review and Update: Participants have started reviewing the school website and updating the SEN register.
  2. Assessment and Practice: New assessment resources and reading test information are being integrated into classroom practice.
  3. Networking and Collaboration: Networking opportunities and collaboration have been emphasised, along with continued conversations about inclusion.
  4. Reflective Practice: Reflective practice and more observations of staff with positive feedback have been implemented.
  5. Accessibility and Support: Focus on accessibility of SEND information and support, including considering a settling-in document for KS5 students.

Long-Term Changes:

  1. Language and Communication: Implementing language changes throughout the school and improving communication with staff.
  2. Data and Assessment: Focusing on data analysis, reviewing assessment systems, and using scoring to inform provision.
  3. Inclusive Resources and Support: Developing inclusive resources for parents and providing greater support for teachers in identifying and supporting SEND students.
  4. Collaboration and Strategic Planning: Promoting collaboration between leaders, planning strategic changes, and working closely with Subject Leaders to gain more buy-in.
  5. Continuous Improvement: Keeping up to date with developments, maintaining an open-door policy to SLT/SENCO, and continuously evaluating the effectiveness of interventions.

We have 3 core tenets for professional development – it must be Planned, Purposeful and Progressive – and it’s great to see that our NPQ SENCO programme is delivering across the board.

Applications for NPQ programmes

If you’re thinking about how to improve the impact of professional development in your setting, we’d love to talk to you about our NPQ programmes.

Applications for the April 2025 cohort are now closed, but there may be opportunities for late applications in some instances.

We’re also taking Expressions of Interest for programmes starting in Autumn 2025:

NPQ Cohort 5 – Expression of Interest

 

 

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