#SENDTheTruth: A Free National Local Authorities and Schools Panel on the
Schools White Paper
Join us for #SENDTheTruth as we bring together schools and Local Authorities for an open panel discussion on the Schools White Paper and its proposed SEND reforms. This free event is an opportunity for teachers, educators and legal experts to share frontline experiences and ensure their voices are heard. Insights from the panel and a short pre-event survey will be compiled into a report and shared with journalists and the Department for Education so we can #SENDTheTruth, helping to bring real SEND experiences into the national conversation.
Wednesday March 25, 8 - 9:30pm
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Why #SENDTheTruth Matters
Schools and Local Authorities are the ones delivering SEND support every day – the voices that truly matter. The Schools White Paper includes big proposed changes, but those working on the frontline understand the real pressures: limited budgets, increasing need, complex cases and accountability demands.
#SENDTheTruth creates a safe, respectful space for education leaders, SENCOs, teachers and Local Authority professionals to share honest views about what these reforms could mean in practice, what feels realistic, what feels challenging and what support is actually needed.
We will bring together panel discussions and survey responses into a clear, GDPR-compliant report to share with journalists and policymakers. Real, practical insight from professionals is essential if reforms are going to work and this is an opportunity to ensure your experience is part of the conversation.
Panel Discussion Speakers
Jessie Townz
Mrs Jessie Townz is a PDA advocate and mum to twins with PDA-profile Autism and ADHD. She provides support to parents and teachers with children who have PDA, including through her coaching, PDA Parent Circle community and the Keeping Sh*t Real podcast.
Cathy Wassell
Cathy is CEO & Founder of the Autistic Girls Network charity & The Haven non-profit online school, Author of Nurturing Your Autistic Young Person, and a neurodivergent mum of a neurodivergent family.
Thomas Emmett
Thomas Emmett is a solicitor, partner and Head of Schools, Colleges and Universities at Geldards LLP. He specialises in advising the education sector on education law (including SEND law), corporate and commercial law, employment law, equality law and regulatory law. Thomas acts for educational institutions including maintained schools, single academy trusts, multi-academy trusts, independent schools, further education and higher education institutions from across the country.
Richard Woodard
Richard is Head of Access, Inclusion and Alternative Provision at Hertfordshire County Council. He currently leads the local authorities services for children and young people experiencing difficulties accessing education or attending school, including the Fair Access Protocol Team, Children Missing Education, and Elective Home Education.
Abigail Hawkins
Abigail Hawkins is the founder of SENsible SENCO and an experienced SENCO and consultant with over 30 years of experience working across education and SEND. Through SENsible SENCO, Abigail works collaboratively with a wide network of professionals, specialists, and contributors, bringing together expertise that strengthens support for SENCOs and improves outcomes for pupils with SEND.
Tanya Slessor
Tanya Slessor is SEN Team Manager at the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, and a passionate SEND and inclusion specialist. She has hands-on experience working with local authorities and families to support meaningful educational outcomes for children and young people with additional needs.
Joanna Gibbs
Joanna Gibbs is the founder of SENsational Tutors and a qualified teacher with 20 years’ experience working with children with specific educational and behavioural needs including those with autism, ADHD/ADD, speech and language delay, focus and concentration difficulties, PDA, trauma, dyslexia, sensory processing disorder (SPD), memory difficulties and other Special Educational Needs and disabilities., both in the UK and internationally.
Glynda
Glynda is a specialist SEND educator, dyslexia assessor, and executive function practitioner with 15 years’ experience supporting children with a wide range of learning needs across mainstream and independent schools, and specialist SEND settings, including SEMH provision. Glynda works as a specialist tutor with SENsational Tutors, and also established Guiding Star Dyslexia, where she provides diagnostic dyslexia assessments and school consultancy.
Milly Allinson
AuDHD writer and SENsational Tutors' PR Lead, with lived experience of school trauma, which led to her being home-schooled from the age of nine. Milly has an MSc in Psychology, with experience of researching autistic social interactions.
Louise Walsh
As Mum to an amazing autistic son, Louise has vast experience of advocating for SEND children within the Birmingham education system, and shares her family’s experiences navigating significant trauma and loss.
Who Should Attend?
This panel is designed for professionals working within schools and Local Authorities who are directly involved in SEND provision and decision-making. We welcome headteachers, SENCOs, inclusion leads, classroom teachers, SEND caseworkers, educational psychologists, Local Authority officers, commissioning leads and senior leaders responsible for implementing SEND policy. If you are navigating the realities of rising need, budget pressures and accountability demands and want your professional experience to help shape the wider conversation – this event is for you.
Turning Professional Voices Into Evidence
This panel is not just a discussion, it forms part of a wider commitment to ensuring frontline professional insight is documented responsibly and shared meaningfully. We will compile:
Panel & Audience Insights
Key discussion themes from the panel, alongside live audience poll responses.
Survey Findings
Analysis of insights gathered through the anonymous pre-event survey.
Shared Themes & Recommendations
Common concerns and recommendations emerged from the discussion.
What to Expect During the Panel
This will be a structured, respectful and solution-focused discussion designed specifically for schools and Local Authority professionals.
Guided Discussion
A structured conversation focused on the key proposals within the SEND White Paper and what they mean in practice.
Frontline Perspectives
Honest insights from schools and Local Authority professionals working within the system every day.
Practical Implementation
Open discussion about funding, capacity, accountability and operational
challenges.
Live Audience Participation
Opportunities to contribute through polls, comments and Q&A during the session.
Balanced & Respectful Space
A professional environment where all viewpoints are welcomed and valued.
Evidence-Based Impact
Your contributions will help shape a report shared with journalists and policymakers.
Join Sensational Tutors For a Free National Local Authorities and Schools Panel on the Schools White Paper: #SENDTheTruth
Wednesday March 25, 8 - 9:30pm
Survey Participant Information
What is the aim of this survey and its subsequent report?
Why have I been invited to participate in this survey?
How will my data be stored and processed?
Register to receive the recording and follow-up resources.