Matt Pinkett is an English teacher with a personal and professional interest in gender and masculinity in schools. He is co-author of the bestselling book Boys Don’t Try? and the author of Boys Do Cry. Matt has also blogged and written for several publications, and delivers regular CPD sessions on the topic of teaching and masculinity.Join Matt for an eye-opening, thought-provoking training session that explores the complex world of gender, masculinity, and mental health and wellbeing in today’s classrooms. Drawing on his acclaimed books and years of experience, Matt will challenge common assumptions, share practical strategies, and help educators create environments where boys can thrive.Perfect for teachers, school leaders, and pastoral staff, this session will equip you to better understand the pressures boys face, tackle harmful stereotypes, and support wellbeing.

Focus:

Session 1 - Are boys being supported to express emotion/empathy?

Session 2 - How often is “boys will be boys” thinking challenged?

Session 3 - Challenging online misogyny in schools.

Session 4 - Creating positive role models.

Session 5 - Improving boys’ mental health and wellbeing in schools.

This meeting is for Business Studies Leads who are members of the SWAN Alliance.

Samantha Austin (TOVE School Improvement Director Teaching and Learning) facilitates this training

Aimed at all  secondary school class teachers. The training will explore a range of powerful teaching approaches and strategies to foster independence, critical thinking, and motivation. To develop teachers’ pedagogical knowledge in order to encourage autonomy by creating an environment that encourages self-directed learning, challenge, decision-making, and responsibility for pupils progress. Practitioners will gain a deeper knowledge of why it is important to develop learners’ autonomy and have some practical strategies to build on their practice and take back to their departments.

Areas of Focus:

This training is facilitated by David Robinson - School Improvement Director (SEND and Inclusion) at TOVE

The Olevi Outstanding Teaching Assistant Programme is an opportunity for experienced teaching assistants who are, or who have the potential to be, outstanding in their role.

The sessions will develop the potential for teaching assistants to build upon their existing high level of practice and have a wider impact on improving the quality of teaching and learning across the school. This will allow participants to explore their current practice within a collaborative learning environment with colleagues.

This training is suitable for both Primary and Secondary Teaching Assistants.

The training will cover the following areas:

• What is an effective TA?
• Using different methods and styles of support to challenge learners
• Creating opportunities for learning
• Maximising impact

Lunch provided for the first day’s training; this is a repeat of last year’s course.

 The session dates are 

Friday 30th January 2026 - 09:30-14:30

Friday 6th March 2026 – 09:30-13:00

 James Rawbone facilitates this training

Key objectives:

To provide an introduction to coaching by exploring the differences between mentoring and coaching and identifying what are the key principles of effective coaching.

The training session will involve facilitated discussion on understanding what coaching is and is not, supported by opportunities for group discussion to unpick key elements of coaching.

There will be a focus on identifying the differences between mentoring and coaching, and the two key fundamentals to effective coaching of listening and responding.

The use of the GROW model to structure a coaching conversation will be explored, along with introducing some tools that can be used to self-evaluate the effectiveness of coaching.

Session Outcomes:

An understanding of what makes coaching different to mentoring. Introduction to skills that can be used to ensure that a coaching conversation is effective.

Note: This is a repeat of the training held on 3/12/2025

This training is facilitated by Kim Lynch

Join this practical online session designed for Teaching Assistants, Teachers, and SENCOs who want to make a real difference for pupils with dyscalculia. Suitable for secondary school-based colleagues.

The session will explore:

•  What is dyscalculia, and what do we know about the causes and indicators
• What difficulties are associated with dyscalculia
• How to assess dyscalculia
• Advice for assessing need and designing support for young people with dyscalculia.

This training is facilitated by David Robinson - School Improvement Director (SEND and Inclusion) at TOVE

The Olevi Outstanding Teaching Assistant Programme is an opportunity for experienced teaching assistants who are, or who have the potential to be, outstanding in their role.

The sessions will develop the potential for teaching assistants to build upon their existing high level of practice and have a wider impact on improving the quality of teaching and learning across the school. This will allow participants to explore their current practice within a collaborative learning environment with colleagues.

This training is suitable for both Primary and Secondary Teaching Assistants.

The training will cover the following areas:

• What is an effective TA?
• Using different methods and styles of support to challenge learners
• Creating opportunities for learning
• Maximising impact

Lunch provided for the first day’s training; this is a repeat of last year’s course.

 The session dates are 

Friday 30th January 2026 - 09:30-14:30

Friday 6th March 2026 – 09:30-13:00

This training is facilitated by Hayley Best (Speech & Language Therapist) from Let’s Talk Autism

Join us for an engaging, thought-provoking session focused on supporting speech and language development.

This session is aimed at Secondary SENCos, TAs, HLTAs, and SEND leaders and Year 6 primary.

The session will explore: 

• What does Speech, Language and Communication Needs (SLCN) look like and why is it important for educational practitioners?
• How SLCN and communication are categorised and what can go wrong
• How to spot difficulties in the classroom and the impact on learning and social development
• Top tips for supporting SLCN in the classroom

Gary Aubin facilitates this training.

Gary Aubin brings a wealth of expertise and practical insight to this session. As the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) Content Specialist for Special Educational Needs and Disabilities, Gary plays a key role in shaping national guidance and supporting schools to improve outcomes for all learners. He is the creator of the widely respected SENDMatters.co.uk blog and author of The Lone SENDCO, a highly regarded handbook offering clear, grounded support for SENDCOs navigating the complexities of the role.

Audience

The training session is suitable for SENCOs, Deputy SENCOs, and Senior Leaders.

Join us for a dynamic, practical session that goes beyond simply collecting information. We will dive into the real “so what?” of data—showing you how to transform what you gather into meaningful actions that shape and strengthen your provision.

Discover how to balance targeted interventions with high-quality teaching and learn the core principles that make interventions truly effective. Whether you are looking to refine your current approach or build confidence in decision-making, this session will equip you with the tools, clarity, and strategies to make every piece of data count.

Empower your practice. Elevate your outcomes. Book your place today!

This meeting is for Business Studies Leads who are members of the SWAN Alliance.

This meeting is for Pupil Premium Leads who are members of the SWAN Alliance.

This meeting is for ICT / Computing Leads who are members of the SWAN Alliance.

This training is facilitated by James Rawbone

Key objectives:

To provide an introduction to coaching by exploring the differences between mentoring and coaching and identifying what are the key principles of effective coaching.

The training session will involve facilitated discussion on understanding what coaching is and is not, supported by opportunities for group discussion to unpick key elements of coaching.

There will be a focus on identifying the differences between mentoring and coaching, and the two key fundamentals to effective coaching of listening and responding.

The use of the GROW model to structure a coaching conversation will be explored, along with introducing some tools that can be used to self-evaluate the effectiveness of coaching.

Session Outcomes:

An understanding of what makes coaching different to mentoring. Introduction to skills that can be used to ensure that a coaching conversation is effective.

Note: This is a repeat of the February training.