Special Educational Needs - next steps 2010

Guest of Honour: Lorraine Petersen, Chief Executive, NASEN (National Association of Special Educational Needs)

This timely seminar will look at the future of educational provision for children with SEN (Special Educational Needs) in a climate of severe budgetary constraint. It comes as the Government prepares to launch a wide-ranging Green Paper on SEN in the autumn, and will follow Ofsted`s review of SEN provision, due to be published this summer. Sessions are expected to examine how Special Educational Needs provision is likely to be affected by proposed changes to the school system, including the establishment of Free Schools and the increase in the number of Academies. The seminar will also consider possible changes to the policy of previous government, which seemed to favour the inclusion of pupils with SEN in mainstream schools. We also expect speakers to examine arguments for policy alternatives, as well as for more support for special schools

We are delighted that Patrick Leeson, Director, Development, Education and Care, Ofsted;Lorraine Petersen, Chief Executive, NASEN (National Association of Special Educational Needs) and Sir Robert Balchin, Chair, Conservative Party Commission on Special Needs in Education 2005-2007 have agreed to deliver keynote addresses at this event.

At this early stage Dr Deborah Absalom, Director of Children s Services, London Borough of Bexley; Judge John Aitken, Deputy Chamber President (Health, Education and Social Care First-Tier Tribunal); Simone Aspis, Campaigns and Policy Coordinator, The Alliance for Inclusive Education; Fin O`Regan, SEN Consultant, Specialist Schools and Academies Trust; Caroline Seyedi, Experienced Parent & Autism MA Postgraduate; Dee Shipman, Director of Training, Coaching, & Coach Training, newOceans; Heather Stack, Director and SEN Consultant, Learning Services (SEN) and Paul Williams, Headteacher, Shaftesbury High School and Chair, NAHT National SEN Committee have also kindly agreed to speak. Further senior participants are being approached.

Paul Maynard MP has kindly agreed to chair the second part of this seminar.