Major conference on Special Education Needs and Disability to be held in region (From The Northern Echo)
TEACHERS and parents in the North-East are being invited to a conference to hear the latest developments in the world of Special Educational Needs and Disability.
Education is in the midst of a fundamental shift and at this critical junction, the North-East is to host a major conference, which will be addressed by national figures.
Confirmed keynote speakers include Andre Imich; SEN and disability professional Adviser to the Department for Education; Janet Thompson; HMI national adviser - SEN and disability, Ofsted and Kim Bevan; director of early support, National Children's Bureau They will come to the attractive surroundings of Hardwick Hall Hotel, Sedgefield, on Wednesday March 13, allowing school leaders, parents and other professionals from across the North-East to hear the latest news without trekking off to the capital.
Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) is an area of particular importance and is currently the subject of a huge agenda for change.
Young people with learning needs are far more likely to not be in employment education or training, far more likely to be in prison and to have been permanently excluded from school.
Their progress in school - not just their attainment - is poorer than other children. The SEN system and associated funding mechanisms are complicated and bureaucratic and are seen to be unfair.
Parents consistently say that they feel that they need to "fight" and "struggle" every step of the way.
In 2011 the Department for Education produced a Green Paper, "Support and Aspiration", in which it proposed "the biggest reform of SEN for 30 years". Interested parties are invited to come and hear the latest news from the Department of Education, Ofsted and Early Support.
Visitors to the event can also find out what schools, charities and other professionals are doing in the region.