Natspec is a national Centres for Excellence in Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (CfESEND). Each centre provides expert support for further education (FE) leaders, managers and practitioners to help them put learners with SEND at the centre of their organisation, as part of a Department for Education (DfE) funded national programme.
The aim of this transformational programme is to place inclusion right at the centre of further education so that difference is valued, and all learners fulfil their aspirations. Natspec is working with ETF alongside the other Centres for Excellence in supporting and developing the SEND in FE workforce. Our offer complements the excellent work that the other Centres do and builds on the lessons learnt from our partnership working between specialist and mainstream FE colleges. Our primary focus is on supporting staff in FE who work with young people with complex needs in a wide variety of FE settings. We will be achieving this by sharing highly specialist knowledge, skills, and experience, through live sessions, knowledge exchange networks and provider reviews.
Table of contents
Our 2026/27 programme
Live sessions
This series of live webinars focus on current issues and concerns for FE providers working with learners with SEND. Each live, online webinar is led by one or more experienced SEND trainers and includes guidance and advice from Natspec member specialist colleges who have expertise in the topic in focus.
Understanding inclusion across the FE system
Monday 19 October 2026, 3:45pm–5:00pmWant to understand how partnership working may be strengthened between mainstream and specialist FE to drive greater inclusion across the education system? Book now on our Centres for Excellence in SEND fully funded session.
Project-based learning: what it is and how it works for learners with SEND
Tuesday 3 November 2026, 3:45pm–5:00pmHow can project‑based learning create richer, more meaningful opportunities for learners with SEND? Book now on our Centres for Excellence in SEND fully funded session.
Knowledge exchange networks
Our themed knowledge exchange networks enable colleges to share good practice, network and discuss current issues. Each will meet online twice or three times during 2026/27, for around an hour.
Each online meeting will be facilitated by an experienced SEND specialist and Natspec’s Centre for Excellence supporters will be present to discuss their experiences and journey with the group.
FULLY BOOKED – Enabling inclusion for learners with SEND and neurodivergence
ADHD and Neurodiversity: Practical Classroom Strategies
Thursday 15 October 2026, 3:45pm–4:45pmDo you work with learners who have a label of attention deficit, hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) within the spectrum of neurodivergence? Book now on our Centres for Excellence in SEND fully funded session for some practical classroom strategies.
Working with learners who choose not to use verbal communication
Thursday 22 October 2026, 3:45pm–4:45pmAre you working with learners who choose not to use verbal communication? Book now on our Centres for Excellence in SEND fully funded session for effective strategies to support them.
Good practice in teaching and learning that enables SEND learners to retain and embed knowledge and skills
Using retrieval strategies to embed knowledge and skills
Thursday 19 November 2026, 3:45pm–4:45pmDo you want to help learners with SEND retain and embed key knowledge and skills? Book now on our Centres for Excellence in SEND fully funded session for effective teaching practices.
Classroom routines – how they can help learners to learn and remember more
Thursday 26 November 2026, 3:45pm–4:45pmWould you like to explore how classroom routines support learners with SEND to be ready to learn and maximise learning time? Book now on our Centres for Excellence in SEND fully funded session.
Getting support for learning right – how we can use scaffolding effectively to ensure knowledge and skills are fully secure
Thursday 3 December 2026, 3:45pm–4:45pmHow do you support learners with SEND effectively without creating dependency? Book now on our Centres for Excellence in SEND fully funded session.
Building Inclusive Further Education Together
From reform to reality – understanding the new SEND landscape
Monday 9 November 2026, 3:45pm–4:45pmDo you want to explore how to build effective relationships between specialist FE and general FE providers? Book now on our Centres for Excellence in SEND fully funded session for some practical examples, hints and tips.
Building effective relationships – from competition to collaboration
Monday 23 November 2026, 3:45pm–4:45pmDo you want to explore sustainable specialist-general FE partnership models? Book now on our Centres for Excellence in SEND fully funded session for shared experiences and practical advice.
Building works force capacity: developing the future SEND workforce
Monday 7 December 2026, 3:45pm–4:45pmDo you want some practical strategies for capacity building? Book now on our Centres for Excellence in SEND fully funded session to explore how collaborative approaches can drive a confident, skilled and sustainable SEND workforce.
Provider reviews
Our provider reviews are targeted at General Further Education colleges who have recently received a Requires Improvement or Inadequate grade from Ofsted or General Further Education colleges who have areas that they wish to improve in their high needs provision.
The review is intended to help colleges improve provision through a process of supported self-assessment and external review from an experienced SEND professional.
The reviewer will work with you and your team to establish a secure understanding of your current strengths and weaknesses and create a quality improvement plan with clear actions for moving forwards. Please fill out our provider review form to apply.
Get involved
Natspec member colleges graded Good or Outstanding are invited to actively support our Centre for Excellence by sharing expertise from within the specialist sector with mainstream FE providers.
If you are interested in getting involved and becoming one of our supporters, please complete our supporters application form.
Further information
Find out more about the work of the Centres for Excellence in SEND on the ETF website or email CfESEND@natspec.org.uk