Training Courses and Workshops for Professionals

The British Dyslexia Association (BDA) is a national charity and their vision is that of a dyslexia friendly society that enables dyslexic people of all ages to reach their full potential.

They offer a wide range of Webinars - Free and Paid

Under the RISE programme, funded by the Department for Education, the Council of Disabled Children and NDTi have conducted a workforce survey to identify learning needs across the SEND System. A series of free workshops have been developed to meet these learning needs.

To find out more and to book on a workshop visit the Council for Disabled Children's Eventbrite page.

Benefits - Tuesday 23 April, 1:30 - 2:30 pm

Free to attend via Microsoft Teams

Reserve a place

Keeping children safe and legal in a digital world - Friday 10 May, 9:30 - 10:30 am

Free to attend via Microsoft Teams

Reserve a place

In order to improve our services, we have been working in partnership with parents and young people. This is called co-production, and we’ve co-produced an e-learning course in partnership with practitioners and the SNAP Parent Carer Forum to help people learn more about it. This training supports everyone to understand the importance of co-production in the lives of young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND).

We’re sharing this course with all our Children’s Services staff – but it’s also available to you. Visit My Learning Central to sign-up for an e-learning account and then search for ‘A guide to co-production’. 

This programme has been designed for anyone who works with, or encounters, children and young people aged 0 to 25 with Special Educational Needs and Disability.

A part of the RISE partnership contract and funded by the Department for Education, a new e-learning course about supported internships has been developed by the National Development Team for Inclusion and is hosted by the Council for Disabled Children. It is intended to be used by a wide variety of professionals.

Introduction to Supported Internships e-learning

Every mainstream school in Central Bedfordshire has an opportunity to attend Elklan training and create a ‘Communication Champion team’.  A Communication Champion team consists of three* members of staff, usually the SENCo, a Teacher and a Teaching Assistant, who are able to demonstrate an enhanced knowledge of or a specialist interest in Speech, Language and Communication Needs (SLCN). Upon completion of Elklan training, these members of staff are recognised as ‘Communication Champions’ who can then proceed to promote Speech, Language and Communication development for ALL pupils within their schools, by sharing and implementing the knowledge, skills and tools that they learn from the training with other members of staff.

We have now trained over 100 staff from 40 schools across Central Bedfordshire.

The training is written for staff supporting children and young people with SLCN in schools. It equips them with innovative tools and methods to enhance children and young people’s (CYP) learning in the classroom and promotes quality first teaching. The training uses relevant teaching methods including practical activities, videos, and group discussion to engage learners.

The training is delivered through 10 modules, completed over an 11-week period. Each week, learners complete an online e-Learning session via the Elklan website and prepare for the upcoming virtual webinar. This can be done at a time that best suits the learner. Learners then participate in a weekly virtual webinar which is held on a set day and time each week. The training will be delivered virtually via Zoom; you will require to a device with a camera and microphone in order to participate. Learners then need to plan and implement knowledge and strategies learnt that week in order to complete a weekly online e-Learning Log. This can be done at a time that best suits the learner. Upon passing their Learning Log, learners will gain accreditation at Level 2 or Level 3.

By attending this course we hope you will:

• Increase your capacity to identify and support CYP with SLCN
• Strengthen your understanding of the impact of Speech, Language and Communication difficulties on CYP
• Be able to identify CYP with Speech, Language and Communication difficulties and confidently refer these pupils for additional support
• Understand and be able to implement strategies at a universal and targeted level to support CYP with Speech, Language and Communication difficulties
• Understand the development of English as an Additional Language and how best to support this in the classroom

There are two courses to choose from:

• Speech and language support for 5-11s (primary school age)
• Speech and language support for 11-16s (secondary school age)

*For middle schools, we recommended they create a Communication Champion team of four members of staff, with two attending the 5-11s course and two attending the 11-16s course. All other schools should create a Communication Champion team of three members of staff, and attend the appropriate training course.

Cost: FREE for schools in Central Bedfordshire (cancellation fees may apply)

All course materials can be accessed online via the Elklan website throughout the course, however there is an option to purchase Elklan ‘Language Builders’ book (hard copy) for £12 (plus p&p) per delegate*

*when ordered within the duration of the course. Price will increase to £24 (plus p&p) per book thereafter. Prices are correct for courses starting 1st August 2022 to 31st July 2023 (inclusive) as listed on the ELKLAN website.

The next cohorts of Elklan training to become Communication Champions are planned for Spring 2023. Places are filling up. The dates are:

• 11-16s course 2-3pm on Mondays from 9th January to 27th March
• 5-11s course 3:30pm-4:30pm on Tuesdays from 10th January to 28th March
• 5-11s course 3:30-4:30pm on Wednesdays from 11th January to 29th March
• 5-11s course 10-11am on Thursdays from 12th January to 30th March

To book a place or register your interest:

Identify your Communication Champion team, then send an email to SENDtraining@centralbedfordshire.gov.uk with the name of the three* Communication Champions, their roles and email addresses, and your preferred cohort (if applicable).

More information can be found on the NHS Paediatric Speech and Language Therapy in Luton and Bedfordshire website.

This eLearning module provides an overview of Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA) for children and young people of different ages.

It consists of several modules and covers;

• What is PDA,
• the impact PDA has on a child, teenager or young person,
• how to support and communicate effectively and
• understanding the effects that it has on learning and other situations.

The modules contain case studies, videos, and demonstrate conversations.

At the end of each module, you will complete a short quiz to test your knowledge.

Visit My Learning Central to sign-up for an e-learning account and then search for ‘PDA’. 

This SEND induction package of learning has been made available to support new staff working in services supporting children and young people in Central Bedfordshire or those transferring from other areas.

Working with children and young people can be rewarding and fulfilling, but it can be difficult sometimes too. Whether you want to support a young person when they open up about their mental health or want to better involve them in your work, it's not always easy to know what to do. We're here to offer you the resources, training and consultancy you need so you can be there for the young people in your life, and help to amplify their voices in the services and decisions that affect them. Together, we can make a difference.

More information can be found on the YoungMinds website.