What an incredible day and a half it was.
The Earwig Ambassador's National Conference 2026 took place on Thursday 11th and Friday 12th June at the exclusive four-star DoubleTree by Hilton in the heart of Stratford-upon-Avon — and it more than lived up to its billing as one of the key dates in the SEND school calendar. Schools travelled in from right across the country, and from the moment the coffee and danishes came out at 9.30am, the energy in the room was electric.
A keynote that hit the mark
Amy Creatura, founder of the Divergent School Group, opened proceedings with a keynote on the implications of the SEND White Paper for special schools. Given how closely she's been involved in shaping the paper, this was exactly the insight delegates needed — and it set the tone for a day focused firmly on what's next, not just what's now. The follow-up workshop on how Earwig will support the new legislative processes gave schools a genuinely practical steer on implementation.
Parents in Need took centre stage
It was a real privilege to give Parents in Need a platform mid-morning, talking through the work the charity does supporting families to secure the right provision for their children with SEND. The response from the room was warm and generous — exactly what you hope for.
New tech, new tools
After lunch, attention turned to what's coming next in the platform itself. The new Earwig Accreditation Module went down brilliantly — schools could immediately see the value in building individualised curricula against qualifications like AQA, OCR and GCSE and tracking progress properly against them. The Power BI integration session sparked plenty of good questions too. And the AI consultation session in the afternoon, where delegates got hands-on with six new AI-powered features, was a real highlight — the room was buzzing with ideas about what this means for teachers on the ground.
And then the fun really started
Check-in, a drinks reception on the terrace as the evening sun came out, and a three-course dinner that ran long into the night with brilliant conversation — this is where the conference always comes into its own. Networking has consistently been one of the most valued parts of previous events, and this year was no exception. The overnight format paid off in spades.
Friday: a gentler close
Friday brought a relaxed networking breakfast, followed by a wellbeing tour of Shakespeare's historic hometown — the perfect, low-key way to wind the conference down before everyone headed home just after 1pm.
The verdict
Feedback echoed what we've heard from previous years: this was a conference that combined genuinely useful professional development with real warmth and connection. Schools left with practical tools, fresh ideas, and — just as importantly — a stronger network of peers to lean on. Roll on next year.
