VNET Annual Conference | 23 January 2026
This year’s annual conference puts inclusion at the centre, exploring how effective approaches to wellbeing and behaviour help every pupil to thrive. Reflecting national priorities around SEND and whole-school culture, the event offers high-quality input, examples of successful practice, and opportunities to connect and collaborate with colleagues.
Teacher Tommy T
Keynotes
Keynote: Leading with Courage – How Schools are Transforming Provision for SEMH and Behavioural SEND
Emma Shackleton
The number of pupils struggling to thrive in mainstream classrooms is at an all-time high, and schools are under pressure to adapt faster than ever. But with challenge comes opportunity: by rethinking provision, leaders can create environments where every child – no matter their social, emotional, or mental health needs – has the chance to succeed.
In this keynote, Emma Shackleton, founder and CEO of Beacon School Support, will share powerful examples of schools that have risen to the challenge. You’ll hear how leaders are embedding ambition for pupils with SEND, making bold changes to boost engagement, and creating ripple effects that benefit their entire school community.
This is not just about responding to need – it’s about reshaping education so that no child is left behind. Expect to leave inspired, equipped with practical ideas, and ready to lead transformation in your own setting.
Emma Shackleton
Emma taught in mainstream primary settings where her interest in supporting pupils with SEMH and behaviour really began. She moved to Birmingham and embarked upon her career teaching permanently excluded pupils and leading on inclusion and outreach in an Inner City PRU for 15 years before founding Beacon School Support. Emma is passionate about supporting schools and families when behaviour and SEMH needs get in the way of success. She helps schools to build their capacity for understanding and supporting pupils with SEMH needs by conducting whole school behaviour audits, coaching and writing and delivering face-to-face and online training and webinars. She is also the co-host of the hugely popular podcast School Behaviour Secrets.
Keynote: Reducing SEND anxiety
Bukky Yusuf
Does supporting the learning of an increased number of SEND students make your school staff anxious?
In this talk, Bukky (Senior Leader – Edith Kay School), will use her special school knowledge and experience to provide insights in how to reduce anxiety for SEND students, teaching staff, school leaders against the backdrop of increased numbers of SEND students and EHCPs. She will also outline systems to have in place that will aid SEND students’ learning and progress. This keynote will reference tried and tested strategies backed by research (e.g. NASEN, the Autistic Society, the EEF etc.). It will also outline meaningful ways to reduce staff anxiety around the challenges to support the learning and progress of SEND students.
Bukky Yusuf
Bukky Yusuf is a senior leader, leadership coach and author, working with educators on a national and international basis. She has undertaken several leadership roles within mainstream and special school settings.
She participates with several organisations to increase diverse leadership within education (Leadership Matters, WomenEd & BAMEEd). Bukky supports the wellbeing of educators and co-edited ‘The Big Book of Whole School Wellbeing’ which was released in October 2021.
Beyond the classroom, Bukky is a Trustee and an Ed(ucation) Tech(nology) Thought Leader with a variety of experiences that includes participating as a judge for The EdTech50 Schools, BETT Awards and serving as an Advisory Council member for Good Future Foundation. In 2019, she was appointed by the Department of Education as co-chair for the EdTech Leadership Group to support the Government’s EdTech strategy.
Workshops
From Vision to Action: Leading Whole-School Commitment to SEMH – Emma Shackleton
In this interactive workshop, Emma Shackleton will introduce Beacon School Support’s LEAD Framework, a practical tool that helps school leaders drive change, build buy-in, and embed a culture where every teacher is a teacher of SEND. You’ll explore strategies for winning hearts and minds, sustaining momentum, and turning big ambitions into everyday practice.
Participants will leave with:
- Practical techniques for securing staff buy-in and overcoming resistance
- Ideas for gaining a mindset shift from fire-fighting to forward planning for all staff
- A clear understanding of how to use the LEAD Framework to shape whole-school strategy
- An action plan to take back to their setting and start leading change immediately.
Reducing SEND and Anxiety Workshop - Practical Steps – Bukky Yusuf
This will be an open and honest workshop that will help school leaders support the wellbeing of teaching staff grappling to support the learning needs and progress of SEND students.
By the end of the workshop, participants will be able to:
- Help align teaching staff expectations to the learning support SEND students require
- Explore options that reduce barriers to adaptive teaching and teacher anxiety.
Self-Regulation: A Journey, Not a Race! – Heidi Alexander and Belinda Brookes, John Grant School
- Participants will have a clear understanding of the rationale for such a curriculum and the impact this can have.
- Participants will leave with an assessment framework they can personalise to their setting.
- The workshop will also provide participants with a creative intervention they can take and apply in their setting. This expressive arts intervention links to the curriculum and shows how interventions can be used as vehicles on the road to self-regulation. The workshop will include reference to research and the rationale for the approach.
Paper to Practice: Embedding EHCP Targets into Your Settings’ Everyday Curriculum – Darleen Grimsby
This workshop acknowledges the barriers teachers face and recognises that, while extra help is available, we still need to work together to find practical, sustainable ways to make this part of our role.
Presentations
These are shorter presentations available to join throughout the day.
Transforming Education through the Six Nurture Principles for Learning – Nurture International
We will be presenting the six nurture principles for learning and explaining how by embedding the principles, underpinned by neuroscience, can support your teaching and learning in the classroom, along with a whole school nurture approach for learning.
Neurodiverse Affirming Practice – Heidi Alexander and Belinda Brookes, John Grant School
Shy and Mighty – Nadia Finer
You’ll learn practical strategies that you and your teaching staff can use right away to help shy students build confidence, participate more fully, and reach their potential — without forcing them to change who they are.
Nadia will also share techniques that students themselves can use to take ownership of their shyness, developing self-awareness and resilience that will benefit them both in school and beyond.
With a focus on empathy, inclusion, and empowerment, this session will help you and your staff better understand shyness — and ensure that every student has the opportunity to shine on their own terms.
Reflective Conversations to Have After High Level Incidents – Lucy Mills, The Parkside School
We will discuss how to adapt reflection for a non-verbal pupil alongside how to break down language into short, clear steps for pupils with processing delays. Lucy will share insights on restorative approaches and de-escalation techniques while consistently maintaining boundaries. The session will also detail how these techniques can help TAs rebuild trust, support emotional regulation, and assist pupils in identifying alternative strategies.
Discover how to make reflective conversations meaningful, inclusive, and a positive step toward long- term behaviour change.
Seeing the Whole Picture: The Power of a Neuroscience Specialist Approach to Transforming Lives – Kevin Holland and Rachel Quick, The Wherry School
Beginning with an inspiring case study of an autistic pupil who achieved remarkable success after moving from a mainstream setting, we will delve into the core philosophy that drives our work: the belief in providing every pupil with every opportunity by 'embracing the whole picture' of their potential.
The session will detail how this is achieved through our practical and effective ASSK (Autism Specific Skills and Knowledge) framework, demonstrating it as the key methodology for unlocking student potential and transforming lives.
Building Belonging, Our Journey to Inclusion – Mandy Turner and Melanie Rymer, Chapel Break Infant School
This session invites you to reimagine SEND provision as a dynamic, evolving practice rooted in Chapel Break Infant School’s values of Kindness, Community, Curiosity and Excellence.
Join Mandy Turner and Melanie Rymer in exploring their school’s journey.
All Different, All Equal, All Learning – John McConnell, Hannah Meek and Jack Walker, Ashleigh Primary School
The presenters will address the challenges of reconciling the standards agenda with the inclusion agenda, and how the school navigates an ever-changing landscape – particularly with the government's proposed reforms to the SEND system.
The session will detail how their core ethos translates into classroom practice in terms of 'artefacts and signifiers'. Furthermore, the presenters will explain how the leadership team prioritises SEND through their decisions, systems, and processes. Finally, they will outline the school's proactive steps regarding the 2025 Ofsted Toolkit to ensure inclusivity remains the biggest source of pride and success in their setting.
Panel Discussion:
Each VNET membership includes TWO free places!
- Friday 23 January 2026
- 8.30am – 3.45pm
- Norwich City Football Club, Carrow Road Norwich Norfolk NR1 1JE
Each VNET membership can book TWO free places!
Conference Schedule:
- 8.30am: Arrival and refreshments
- 9.00am Teacher Tommy T
- 9.30am Welcome from VNET
- 9.45am Keynote from Emma Shackleton
- 10.30am Refreshments and Exhibitor Fair
- 11.00am Morning Presentations
- 11.30am Keynote from Bukky Yusuf
- 12.45pm Lunch and Exhibitor Fair
- 1.45pm Afternoon Presentations
- 2.20pm Afternoon Workshop
- 3.30pm Closing remarks and Prize Draw
With thanks to our sponsors:
About Proactive AV
Proactive AV has delivered high-quality AV solutions to the education sector since 2004. We specialise in installing interactive touchscreens in classrooms and meeting rooms, LED walls and projectors in halls, and digital signage in receptions, staff rooms, and canteens.
Based in Cambridgeshire, we focus on customers within a two-hour radius, allowing our provision of a complete, responsive service. We take time to understand your requirements and survey your site carefully, ensuring our recommended technology aligns perfectly with your goals.
Our services include on-site demonstrations, professional installation by our own enhanced DBS-checked engineers, and comprehensive on-site or remote training and support. We also remove and dispose of old WEEE equipment on the same day. Training and support continue throughout the five-year warranty, with lease options
available.
Customers across East Anglia include Greenwood Academies Trust, Unity Schools Partnership, Anglian Learning, and many more.
See our website for details: www.proactiveav.co.uk
About the E-Learning Service
The E-Learning Service is a specialist Alternative Provision service offering more than just online lessons for KS1–4 students. We provide a personalised, student-centred experience for learners who struggle with traditional classroom settings and school attendance. Our tailored learning journeys align with each student’s curriculum, exam board, and ability level. With no fixed schedules or live camera sessions, learning is flexible and accessible anytime, anywhere. Lessons are crafted by fully qualified (QTS) subject specialists, ensuring consistency and quality. We take a holistic approach, working closely with families to onboard students in a relaxed, supportive way, including personalised home visits where parents and students have an induction. For those in need, we supply laptops at no extra cost to ensure equal access. Our calm, pressure-free environment is ideal for learners who have acute anxiety, SEMH and/or ASD needs, EBSNA, or chronic health conditions.
VNET Annual Conference – Exhibitors:
