The aim of our Conference this year was to offer peer and specialist-delivered workshops on emerging developments in special needs education as well as offering opportunities for you to interact with policy makers, practitioners, specialists, support services and relevant commercial enterprises.

We intended to leave our participants – principals, chairpersons, deputy principals, SENCOs and teachers – with greater clarity around policy, practice and possibilities for inclusive and innovative teaching and learning for all our students.

Videos

• Professor Tim O’Brien,  Senior Visiting Fellow in Psychology and Human Development at UCL Institute of Education
• Dr Johanna Fitzgerald, Lecturer at Mary Immaculate College with a particular interest in the role of Special Educational Needs Coordinators, teacher professional learning, and inclusive and special education

Presentations

• Joe Lynch - Leadership for Inclusion
• Shirley Murphy - The New Model of SEN Evaluation
• Catherine Kelly - Progression and employment
• Davina Walsh - What Should SENCOs Do?! (presentation & handouts)
• Deirdre Bourke - What Should SENCOs Do?! (presentation & handouts)
• Colette Kearney - Providing for English Language and SEN Support: What works for Mount Sion CBS, Waterford
• Gerard Hogan - Your Regional NCSE Team

Keynote Speakers

Professor Tim O’Brien is Senior Visiting Fellow in Psychology and Human Development at UCL Institute of Education and also a fellow of The UCL Centre for Inclusive Education.

Tim has written extensively in the field of SEN, inclusion and psychology. His first book was about behaviour and was published in 1998. His most recent book is about the mind and was published in 2016. He has also co-written, edited and contributed to books. Tim is a member of the UK Department for Education Expert Advisory Group on Teacher Wellbeing. He designed and led the Teacher Wellbeing programme that took place in government-identified ‘opportunity areas’ across the UK.

Tim taught and held senior positions in mainstream and special education and was involved in leading a special school out of a ‘failing’ category to become an ‘outstanding’ school. He has won awards for his work in the field of emotional and behavioural needs.

Dr Johanna Fitzgerald is Head of Educational Psychology, Inclusive and Special Education in Mary Immaculate College, Limerick. She lectures across a range of undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in Inclusive and Special Education in Mary Immaculate College and supervises postgraduate research. She worked as a post-primary teacher, SENCO and Special Education Teacher for a number of years, both in Ireland and the UK. She also worked with the Special Education Support Service (SESS) as an Assistant National Coordinator. She is involved with a number of research and knowledge exchange projects with both the Joint Managerial Body and the Education and Training Board of Ireland and provides CPD to post-primary schools. She coordinates and chairs the MIC SENCO Forum, a professional learning network for special educational needs coordinators in post-primary schools in Munster. She is Chairperson of the JMB Special Educational Needs Advisory Group. Current research interests include leadership in education, with a particular emphasis on developing the role of Special Educational Needs Coordinators (SENCOs) as strategic leaders; teacher professional learning; and inclusive and special education.

Workshops

Please note that each workshop will be presented twice, morning and afternoon, so if your chosen workshop is closed due to being booked-out, please check the alternative presentation on the schedule.