Alternative Provision Conference 2026: Connecting Policy, Practice and Progress
Overview
With ongoing SEND reform, the Schools White Paper, and increasing expectations around inclusion and system-wide standards, the role of alternative provision is increasingly in the spotlight. Alongside this, significant government investment, including £860 million funding for 2026–27 to support the creation of around 11,000 new SEND and alternative provision places as part of a wider programme to deliver 60,000 specialist places, is reshaping the landscape of provision. Providers are under growing pressure to deliver impactful, tailored support for children and young people with complex needs, while clearly evidencing progress and outcomes.
- Nearly four in ten (37%) children will need additional support with learning at some point in their education (Nuffield Foundation 2025)
- Since 2020, there has been a 30.2% increase in placements in alternative provision (Department for Education 2025)
The Alternative Provision Conference 2026: Connecting Policy, Practice and Progress will bring together leaders and practitioners from across education and local government to explore the latest policies and priorities shaping the future of AP. Focusing on policy developments, inclusive practice, and system-wide improvement, the conference will provide a platform to share evidence-based approaches that drive engagement, raise standards, and strengthen outcomes.
Through expert insights and practical case studies, attendees will examine key priorities including the recent SEND reform, safeguarding for complex needs and effective accountability frameworks. The programme will also highlight the importance of early intervention, values-driven leadership, and high-quality post-16 pathways, supporting the sector to deliver consistent, impactful provision and positive transitions for all learners.
Supporters Include
Agenda
Registration
Chair’s Opening Remarks
Professor Nadia Siddiqui, Professor in the School of Education, Durham University (CONFIRMED)
Keynote: Inclusive Curriculums that Engage and Transform
- Discover how to design flexible, high-impact curriculums that successfully re-engage learners and balance academic and vocational pathways
- Gain fresh, practical strategies for delivering experiential and project-based learning that drives real engagement and progress
- Explore how to place vulnerable and disadvantaged learners at the centre of curriculum planning and resource allocation
Amy Smith, Director of Education, Inclusive Education Trust (CONFIRMED)
Case Study: Building Effective Alternative Provision Through SEND Reform and Practical Skills Pathways
- Explore how SEND reform is reshaping Alternative Provision, including Individual Support Plans (ISPs), Specialist Provision Packages, and the challenges of identifying and supporting learners with SEMH and complex needs
- Learn from a proven blueprint for establishing successful alternative pathways within mainstream schools, creating inclusive provision that reduces exclusion and improves engagement
- Discover how practical skills pathways can be embedded within AP to complement the Government’s latest direction, ensuring learners develop the knowledge, skills and confidence needed for future success
- Strengthen adaptive teaching, provision mapping and progress monitoring to demonstrate the impact of targeted interventions, while developing a whole-school AP strategy that aligns SEND reform, curriculum planning and sustainable resource deployment
Lee Game, Assistant Headteacher and SENDCo, Langley Park School for Boys (CONFIRMED)
Case Study: Doing Things Differently – Reform in Alternative Provision
- Exploring the need for AP and the rise in demand across primary, secondary, and post-16 settings
- Examine the supply and quality of AP in practice
- Recommendations for further reform to make sure pupils in AP are supported the right practice and provision backed by evidence-informed best practice and clear accountability
Meg Powell-Chandler, Director, New Schools Network (CONFIRMED)
Questions and Answers
Comfort Break
Keynote: Proactive Safeguarding and Increasing Support for Complex Needs
- Embed safeguarding into everyday practice, strengthening multi-agency working and addressing high-risk issues such as exploitation and persistent absence
- Explore approaches to audit your current provision and implement whole-school inclusion strategies that close gaps in attainment, attendance and wellbeing
- Examine what the new safeguarding “met” or “not met” judgements mean in practice, with clear guidance on how to evidence compliance and demonstrate impact
Mana Sahami, Founding Headteacher, Rainshore House School and Directing Education, CFS Education (CONFIRMED)
Case Study: Building a Culture and Practice to Support Whole School Inclusion – What is Inclusion and How Do We Achieve it?
- What does inclusion mean?
- What does inclusion look like?
- How do we know?
- What does success look like?
- The importance of co-production and language
Liz Zoccolan, Lead for Inclusion, Red Kite Learning Trust (CONFIRMED)
Keynote: Building Resilience Through Trauma-Informed School Practice
- Understand how adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), community stressors and positive childhood experiences (PCEs) shape children’s wellbeing, resilience, and ability to engage in learning
- Explore practical, trauma-informed modular interventions that help schools identify need, respond to distress and support children and young people experiencing anxiety, low mood, trauma, and behavioural challenges
- Discover how school leaders, teachers, SENCos, pastoral and attendance teams can embed a whole-school, strength-based approach that promotes resilience and equips learners with lifelong coping skills
Dr Arnon Bentovim, Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist, Director, Child and Family Training UK, Visiting Professor, Royal Holloway, University of London, Formerly Consultant, Great Ormond (CONFIRMED)
Questions and Answers
Lunch Break
Case Study: Pupil and Family Centred QA of Alternative Provision
As well as providing Quality Assurance based on settings and their offer, City of York Council have added a more person-centred review of Alternative Provision – the ‘learner journey’- to help schools and Local Authorities consider the impact and appropriateness of Alternative Provision for individual families and children/young people.
Dan Bodey, Head of Inclusive Education, City of York Council (CONFIRMED)
Case Study: Transition to Adult Services for Young People with Complex Needs
Paula Marten, Assistant Headteacher, Chailey Heritage Foundation (CONFIRMED)
Questions and Answers
Breakout Networking
This session offers an opportunity to discuss key challenges in alternative provision and supporting complex needs, while sharing experiences and strengthening multi-agency collaboration across services.
Comfort Break
Case Study: Inclusion, Early Intervention and Prevention
- Explore strategies to identify and support learners before exclusion, preventing disengagement early
- Learn how in-school inclusion units are making a measurable impact on learner outcomes
- Discover innovative outreach and preventative AP models that successfully re-engage learners at risk
- Gain practical tools to embed early intervention and inclusive practices to support SEN, ESB, SEMH, medical conditions and behavioural challenges
Dave Woods, Vice President, NAHT, and Head Teacher, Beaconsfield Primary School (CONFIRMED)
Case Study: The Essential Role of Early Years Educators in Identifying and Supporting Children With SEND
- Early Years educators are often the first professionals to identify signs of children’s emerging additional needs
- The support they provide to children and families during the, often lengthy, process of formal diagnosis is invaluable
- This work is all to often unacknowledged, unfunded and overlooked
Michael Freeston, Director of Quality Improvement, Early Years Alliance (CONFIRMED)
Case Study: Leadership, Governance and a Values-Driven Culture
- Attract, develop and retain specialist staff while embedding a strong, value-driven culture that inspires high standards and sustained improvements
- Discover strategies to lead confidently through crisis, managing funding pressures and ensuring long-term sustainability
- Create a coordinated approach across governance and leadership to drive measurable improvement
- Gain practical approaches to demonstrate strategic intent through measurable milestones, robust accountability frameworks, and a culture of continuous improvement
Danielle Lewis‑Egonu, Chief Executive Officer, Cygnus Academies Trust (CONFIRMED)
Questions and Answers
Chair’s Closing Remarks
Professor Nadia Siddiqui, Professor in the School of Education, Durham University (CONFIRMED)
Conference Close
Speakers
Amy Smith
Director of Education
Inclusive Education Trust
Dan Bodey
Head of Inclusive Education
City of York Council
Meg Powell-Chandler
Director
New Schools Network
Michael Freeston
Director of Quality Improvement
Early Years Alliance
Mana Sahami
Founding Headteacher, Rainshore House School and Directing Education, CFS Education
Paula Marten
Assistant Headteacher
Chailey Heritage Foundation
Liz Zoccolan
Lead for Inclusion
Red Kite Learning Trust
Danielle Lewis‑Egonu
Chief Executive Officer
Cygnus Academies Trust
Lee Game
Assistant Headteacher and SENDCo
Langley Park School for Boys
Professor Nadia Siddiqui
Professor in the School of Education
Durham University
Dr Arnon Bentovim
Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist, Director, Child and Family Training UK, Visiting Professor, Royal Holloway, University of London, Formerly Consultant, the Great Ormond
Dave Woods
Vice President, NAHT, and Head Teacher, Beaconsfield Primary School
Get in Touch
Testimonials
Excellent and up to date training that recognises the challenges to achieving positive outcomes for all children.
Very good conference with opportunity to hear from a variety of speakers with a wealth of expertise and opportunity to access resources for school.
I find this conference extremely useful in staying up to date and also hearing about what is happening in other areas.
Excellent event, insightful and thought provoking to inform future planning and best practice.
Amazing Event! We will be using this learning throughout our Kumon Centres up and down the country.
Pricing Options
PRIVATE SECTOR
Your delegate place at this leading conference gives you: Full access to the conference; E-guide; Networking opportunities during the day; Access to presentations post conference; 8 CPD Points.
PUBLIC SECTOR
Your delegate place at this leading conference gives you: Full access to the conference; E-guide; Networking opportunities during the day; Access to presentations post conference; 8 CPD Points.
VOLUNTARY SECTOR
Your delegate place at this leading conference gives you: Full access to the conference; E-guide; Networking opportunities during the day; Access to presentations post conference; 8 CPD Points.
Why You Should Attend
✓ High-level keynotes from leading organisations sharing the latest Alternative Provision insights
✓ Hear the latest updates from the Schools White Paper and SEND Reform
✓ Strategies and tools from across education and local government to explore the evolving landscape of support for vulnerable young people
✓ Networking opportunities with speakers and senior colleagues across the education sector
✓ 8 hours of CPD points towards your yearly quota
Who Should Attend
| Job Title Example | Organisation Examples |
| Charity Partners | Primary Schools |
| Teachers | Secondary Schools |
| University Staff | Further Education Providers |
| Academic Support Staff | Higher Education Providers |
| Trustees | Government Educational Policy Leads |
| Policy Managers | Charities |
| Academics | Think Tanks/NGOs |
Sponsorship
Raise Your Profile, Showcase Your Solutions, Generate New Business
If your products, services, and solutions can support our audiences in their roles, and you want to make connections and generate new business with key stakeholders, decision makers, and influencers, then please contact us HERE
IMPORTANT: There are only a small number of sponsorship opportunities available to ensure maximum exposure and ROI – contact us today to secure your place.
Virtual vs F2F
Whilst F2F provide better options for networking, there are many distinct advantages of sponsoring our online conferences including:
- Wider geographical reach of delegates and a different audience who prefer online to f2f
- Lower sponsorship package costs
- No travel/accommodation
- Less time out of the office
- No stand materials required (lower costs)
- 1 of only 2 sponsors involved – less competition on the day
- Prime speaking slot in the morning of the conference including Q&A – less distractions and easier for delegates to hear/absorb information
- Receive all delegate data after the conference to follow-up directly with those who attend and don’t attend (small % but still key stakeholders)
- Ongoing exposure via OnDemand access
To find out more and discuss your specific objectives, please contact us below:
