June 2026
On 11th June, Stratford-upon-Avon played host to the Earwig Academic National Conference 2026.
Thirty SEND educators, school leaders, SENCOs and practitioners gathered at the DoubleTree by Hilton for a full day of keynotes, workshops and discussion — followed by an evening dinner and, for those who stayed overnight, a wellbeing tour of the town the following morning. The feedback from delegates has been excellent, and we are grateful to everyone who made the trip and gave their time so generously.
Here is a look back at the two days.
If there was a single moment that captured what this conference was about, it was Amy Creatura's opening keynote.
As founder of the Divergent School Group and one of the most influential voices in the development of the recently published SEND White Paper, Amy delivered an address that was simultaneously authoritative and deeply personal. She did not simply explain what the Every Child Achieving and Thriving paper proposes — she examined what it means in practice, what it will demand of schools, and where the opportunities lie for those willing to engage with the reforms rather than simply wait for them.
Her message was clear: the SEND sector is at a genuine inflection point. The new four-tier support model, the introduction of digital Individual Support Plans, the changes to EHCP funding and the £200 million teacher training programme are not abstract policy — they are changes that will land in classrooms, staffrooms and boardrooms, and schools need to be preparing now.
It was, as more than one delegate put it afterwards, the session they had been waiting for.
Peter Gelardi's session on AI in special education was one of the most talked-about of the day — and for good reason.
Peter brought both a practical and a visionary lens to the question of how artificial intelligence is already beginning to reshape the way SEND schools work. From evidence capture and EHCP target drafting to lesson planning and pupil assessment, the potential is significant. But rather than offering a lecture, Peter made the session genuinely interactive, leading delegates through a piece of live research that asked a fundamental question: which AI features would actually make the biggest difference to your school?
The response from the room was thoughtful, specific and revealing. Delegates were not passive recipients of information — they were active participants in shaping what comes next. That research has now been collected, and the findings will be published very soon. When they are, they will directly inform the development of the next generation of AI features within Earwig. If you were in the room, your voice is already part of what comes next.
Watch this space.
The afternoon workshops were designed to move delegates from understanding to action — and Alex Hurle, Lindsey Harvey and Mark Hindmarsh delivered exactly that.
All three brought deep specialist knowledge combined with the kind of grounded, real-world perspective that only comes from working closely with SEND schools over many years. Each session gave delegates something concrete to take back: not just an overview of ideas, but practical frameworks, tools and thinking they could begin applying immediately.
The feedback on all three workshops has been outstanding. We will be sharing more details on the themes covered in the coming weeks, including some of the key takeaways for those who were unable to attend.
It would be a disservice to the conference to treat the evening as a footnote.
The drinks reception gave way to a three-course dinner that became, as it tends to at Earwig events, something more than just a meal. Conversations that began about the SEND White Paper moved into shared experiences, professional challenges and the kind of honest, collegial dialogue that is rarely possible in the ordinary pace of a school term. Delegates who had arrived as strangers left as colleagues.
We have always believed that the networking at an Earwig conference is as valuable as the sessions themselves, and this year's dinner reinforced that.
For those who stayed overnight, Friday began with a networking breakfast and ended with something rather different.
The Earwig party took to the streets of Stratford-upon-Avon with the award-winning team at Stratford Town Walk for an educational wellbeing tour of one of England's most historic towns. Led by expert guides who have been bringing the history, stories and hidden secrets of Shakespeare's birthplace to life since 2002, the walk turned out to be an unexpected highlight for many delegates.
Fresh air, a slower pace and some genuinely entertaining storytelling after an intense two days — it was a well-judged way to close the conference. People left Stratford feeling refreshed and, by all accounts, glad they had stayed.
The feedback from delegates has been excellent across the board — on the sessions, the venue, the evening and the tour. We read every response carefully, and it will directly inform how we plan next year's event. Thank you to everyone who took the time to share their thoughts.
Two things are coming in the weeks ahead that those who attended will want to look out for.
First, the results of Peter Gelardi's AI research — the aggregated findings from the live consultation session that will inform the next stage of AI development within Earwig. We expect to publish these shortly, and they will be shared with the full Earwig community.
Second, we are already in the early stages of planning the Earwig National Conference 2027. If you attended this year and have suggestions, ideas or themes you would like to see addressed, please do get in touch. If you missed out on 2026 — and judging by the demand for places, a significant number of schools did — make sure you are registered to hear about 2027 the moment bookings open.
You can reach us at info@earwigacademic.com or by calling 0333 6666 166.
The Earwig National Conference is a CPD-accredited event for special schools and SENCO professionals across the UK. To find out more about Earwig Academic, visit earwigacademic.com.