Broadband and Beyond

Dear Colleague,

Welcome to your latest edition of the joint Curriculum & IncludED Newsletter.

• EdTech Hubs Programme Summit 2023
• Helpdesk Survey
• New DSL and school staff SEND forum
• Islington Inclusion conference
• Quick ‘bite’ updates

EdTech Hubs Programme Summit 2023

LGfL and EdTech UK are delighted to host the first-ever EdTech Hubs Summit at Samsung KX on the 20th of November 2023 at 10am to 4 pm.

The EdTech Hubs summit brings together inspirational leaders and practitioners who have successfully harnessed the power of technology to enhance all aspects of the institutions they lead as well as positively impact on enhanced outcomes for teachers and learners.

This event offers insights into;

• Strategic leadership and planning for effective technology implementation with a positive impact on raising standards across the curriculum.
• A focus on effective pedagogy and technology's role in removing learning barriers, and accelerating positive pupil outcomes.
• Inspirational use of the latest online and digital technologies by experts in their field, modelled with real-world exemplification from teachers and learners from the Edtech Hubs Programme.

Help Desk Survey 

Given the importance of this service, LGfL would welcome your feedback on the current performance of the Helpdesk. The results of the survey will be used to inform strategic investment decisions regarding the future of LGfL services to schools, MATs and partners.

To show our appreciation for providing your feedback, we will be entering all survey participants into a prize draw for a chance to win 30 Adobe named-user licences for your school! 

A NEW forum for DSLs in LGfL schools with a SEND pupil population. 

We know that the safeguarding of children with SEND can create some unique and complex challenges and DSLs in SEND schools can sometimes feel isolated. Therefore, we are creating a FREE forum where DSLs can network and explore some of these prevalent themes. The conversations will be focused on practical support, with an opportunity to exchange good practice (e.g. policies, forms, information etc.) and challenges across settings.

Some of the themes already put forward for discussion include - online safeguarding, Physical intervention & positive behaviour support, Peer on peer behaviours, Self harm/self injurious behaviour, Complex health needs - care planning in school, Vulnerability- 'appearance bias' and many more really interesting topics for discussion. 

We see this as opening up a community where practitioners can discuss, share and support each other.  

The SafeguardED team member Alex, has worked in SEND settings for over 10 years as a DSL, so she has lots of experience and interest in this area and the inclusion team will be joining each session too. 

If you are interested the first forum date is Thursday, November the 16th at 3.45pm.

Islington inclusion conference

The LGfL team recently attended the Islington inclusion conference. This was a fabulous day full of updates and presentations, including one from LGfL’s Bob Usher on the topic of UDL or ‘Universal Design for Learning’ and showcased how LGfL schools are removing barriers to learning with the effective use of technology to engage, inspire and give voice to all learners. A recorded version of this topic from the 2023 CEMAC conference can be viewed here.

Another keynote presenter was Margaret Mulholland who is a specialist in inclusivity and Special Educational Needs. She is an advisor on SEND policy for the Association of School and College Leaders and Whole School SEND Project Director leading an evaluation for the Education Endowment Foundation. 

Her presentation was thoughtful, impactful and based on her real-life experiences of working in the inclusion sector.

We were lucky to catch up with her afterwards to capture her enthusiasm and passion and hear her take on what inclusion means to her. Click here for her response and what she got out of the conference here 

Quick bites

Do you follow us on X? We have 982 followers for @LGfLIncludED and 6,709 @LGfL - are you one of them? It's the most immediate way of keeping up to date with our latest activities and support offers!

LGfL Training

LGfL online training events are free* for all school staff to attend (*with the exception of the Designated Safeguarding Lead Training which we offer to LGfL customers only). Click the button below to book and the other button to watch previous Google training:

Recent Curriculum Blogs

Click on the links below to read the most recently published Curriculum Blogs:

• How to Get the Most From Your IncludED Service

Don't forget there's lots happening at LGfL for other areas of the school beyond the curriculum:

• Find out all we do beyond broadband here
• View our Savings Calculator here
• Sign up for one of the other newsletters

Regards,
Your Learning Resource Consultants
Laura Smith, Bradley Dardis, Belinda Evans and Bob Usher

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