I feel like this week has been a huge leap forward for SENsible SENCO. It’s been a whirlwind of meetings, planning, and big discussions, which means some of the day-to-day tasks have been left until the weekend—but for what we’ve achieved, it’s a small price to pay.

One of the most exciting developments is our new collaboration with Nottingham Trent University. As many of you know, there’s only myself, Abigail, and since September, Krishna answering questions, supporting you, and keeping things running behind the scenes. Our growth has exceeded all expectations, but as a CiC (Community Interest Company), balancing support and sustainability is always a challenge. The university will be helping us manage some of our pinch points, which means we’ll be able to focus even more on what really matters—supporting you.

We’ve also been in discussions about further funding for multiple projects, and the response has been amazing. Everyone I’ve spoken to has been blown away by what we’ve already achieved and wants to support us in building a platform that could help SENCOs and inclusion leaders worldwide. An International expansion isn’t something we’re focusing on this year, but it’s definitely on the horizon. Everything we do is about supporting as many SEND pupils and children as possible through good practice and truly inclusive education.

On Friday, we attended the Tes SEND Show North. It was great to see a major SEND event in the northern part of the UK, and we’ll be reviewing it in the next edition of SENsible Magazine—so no spoilers here!

This week, we’re fully focused on the SENsible25 Conference and making sure everything is perfectly in place for both the conference and the quiz night. If responses are a little slow, you now know why!

I also loved seeing responses to the SENCO tea question in the Facebook group over the weekend. So many variations, but one main rule stood out—it has to taste nice when cold!

I’ll be jumping into more SENCO chats in the group this week, making sure I’m tagging the right people and offering my perspective—which, granted, isn’t that of a SENCO, but with 21 years of marriage to one, I’ve definitely picked up a thing or two!

Finally, if you’re not joining us at SENsible25—why not?! I’m kidding… but with only 4 tickets left, there’s still a chance to grab a spot at our 4-star venue!

Whether you’re joining us or not, I hope you have a wonderful Valentine’s week and get to spend some quality time with the people you love. If you’re lucky, you might even get a quiet half-term!

I’ll be back next week with an update from the conference.

Gavin

It’s been a week of big developments at SENsible SENCO, with exciting new partnerships, funding discussions, and event prep all happening at once.

✅ Nottingham Trent University Partnership – We’ve started working with NTU to help tackle some of our pinch points. As a small team, this support will allow us to focus more on helping you and less on the admin and business-side distractions.

✅ SENsible25 is Almost Here! – The final prep is in full swing, and we only have 4 tickets left. If you’re joining us, get ready for an amazing event—and if not, keep an eye out for updates next week!

✅ Website Upgrades Are Underway – We’ve officially started work on £10,000 worth of improvements, fixing bugs and making everything faster and easier to navigate. You should start noticing the difference soon!

✅ School Memberships Now Include a Secondary Seat – Schools with a SENsible SENCO School Membership are now allocated a secondary seat, allowing them to use a generic staff account to share our webinars with their TA staff. This makes it much easier for wider school teams to access training and benefit from the resources.

✅ Funding Discussions for Future Projects – We’ve been speaking to people about potential funding for multiple projects. Everyone we’ve spoken to has been amazed at how much we’ve already achieved—and we’re working to build an even bigger, better platform for SENCOs everywhere.

📰 SEN in the News (Keeping you in the loop with what’s happening in SEND!)

📌 SEND Budget Struggles Continue for Local Authorities
Councils across England are facing severe financial strain as SEND budgets continue to spiral, with some authorities warning they may have to cut services to balance the books. SENCOs and families are calling for urgent funding reform to prevent further strain on schools.
🔗 Read more

📌 MPs Call for Urgent SEND System Reform
A new Parliamentary report highlights serious concerns about the SEND system, calling it unsustainable and failing to meet children’s needs. The report urges faster EHCP processing, better funding, and accountability measures to improve outcomes for SEND pupils.
🔗 Read more

📌 DfE Announces SEND Reforms in Education Plan
The Education Secretary has outlined new SEND reforms, including extra funding, expanded teacher training, and digitised EHCPs to speed up processing. AI-driven tools will also support SEND students in mainstream schools.
🔗 Read more

📌 Ofsted’s Updated SEND Inspection Framework
Ofsted has now implemented a new framework that puts a stronger focus on how well schools provide inclusive education and meet the needs of SEND pupils.
🔗 Read more

💡 What do you think? Let’s chat in the Facebook group— Are these changes for the good of us and our SEND pupils?