Previous Workshops

LGA Summer Term Workshop

Every Child Achieving and Thriving – The Education White Paper Proposals and SEND Reforms

Our summer workshop was held on Wednesday 13^th May. It was very well attended – reflecting, no doubt, the great interest in the issues which are covered within the proposals.

We were lucky to have three excellent speakers who provided us with a great deal of food for thought!

Aby Hardy, Head of School Improvement for Lancashire LEA, gave us a detailed breakdown of the contents of the White Paper. She emphasised that it is not only about SEND reform although that element has been the subject of a great deal of focus and press coverage.

The White Paper also covers, curriculum reform, workforce reform, a focus on disadvantaged pupils, pupil attendance, an emphasis on Trust and other service development and an expansion of the RISE programme.

There is also a lengthy timeframe for the roll out of all matters contained in the proposals with full implementation envisaged in 2030.

There is a major element of the proposals which focuses on inclusion and Aby spoke about the need for all schools to be prepared for this. She spoke of how the local authority is responding to the increased need in SEND. Specifically she outlined the expansion of inclusion bases and the teams supporting schools with early intervention and “expert” advice.

Aby left the meeting with a series of really useful questions for us to consider as governors.

Our other two speakers were from Endeavour Learning Trust. David Clayton is the CEO and Donna Waring Director of SEND for the Trust.

David Clayton spoke about how the Trust had put a culture of inclusion at the heart of planning within the Trust and how this has had an effect on the schools that are part of it. A positive impact has been seen in terms of a reduction in suspensions, exclusions and SEND pupils removal from lessons. Pupil feedback indicates they are happier in school and there has been positive feedback from parents and carers.

Donna Waring gave the meeting a detailed description of the Trust’s development of two inclusion bases. She emphasised the importance of these not being “islands” within a school – they are rooms not strategies and are a key part of a whole school inclusive policy.

Both presentations can be accessed below and offer many suggested questions for Governors to consider in their schools.

Click here for the Endeavour Learning Trust Presentation slides

Click here for the SLD SEND Presentation slides

LGA Workshop, Spring 2026 – The latest OFSTED Framework

The LGA delivered a Workshop on the latest OfSTED Framework, its implications for Governors, and the wider School Community.

The Workshop was well attended and was held at the Garner Hotel, Samlesbury on the evening of Wednesday 11 February 2026. The session was delivered by Paul Duckworth with a main focus of ‘Is your school prepared for OFSTED’, and the feedback from the session was excellent.

Resources:

In particular he focussed on:

The new “evaluation areas”

The 5 point grading system – Causing Concern, Attention Needed, Secure, Strong and Exemplary

The increased focus on inclusion

The expectations of governance

Links to useful documents shared by Paul are below:

DBE Training for Govenors (Ofsted) (As a PDF)

New report cards – Ofsted’s Chief Inspector explains our proposals

State-funded school inspection toolkit version 1.1

He gave a hard hitting and thought provoking presentation about how his life experiences have led to him now being on a mission to train a million people in the need for trauma attuned professional practice.

The workshop ended as planned at 9pm

This face-to-face LASGB workshop, was held at the Tickled Trout, New Road, Preston, PR5 0UJ, focused on SEND issues but was of interest to governors in all sectors especially those who are responsible for SEND matters. As a consequence, it was very well attended.

The workshop included:

An update on progress towards implementing the DfE Green Paper “SEND and Alternative Provision Improvement Plan” was presented by one of our own Exec Members, Mandy Howarth. Her PPT is available here.

These  were also referred to: SEND Green Paper and REACh info and newsletter.

The EHCP process in Lancashire – we were pleased to be joined by speakers from Lancashire SENDIAS. Their PPT is available here. Many thanks to Laura Morris SENDIAS Manager, Gayle Lavelle SENDIAS Officer and Sarah Algar SENDIAS Liaison Officer for their sterling work – during the evening and for our children

Throughout the evening there were opportunities for networking with governor colleagues.

Feedback from the event concerning the room, especially acoustics, and the refreshments has been taken on board!

The meeting ended as planned before 9pm