Cognassist attends a range of events and hosts webinars on a range of topics throughout the year.
Whether you are attending apprenticeship or further education events like AAC or the AOC annual conference or looking to broaden you knowledge on subjects as diverse as Learning Support Funding or Cognitive Neuroscience, this page highlights the Cognassist events and webinar calendar. Check back frequently to see what’s coming up.
Get Ready: How to Effectively Support Growing Numbers of Adult Learners with Marina Gaze
13th August
10:30
Webinar
The demand for adult learning courses will rise dramatically in the next 12 months. How we respond to this demand will make all the difference to the engagement and success of these learners. Many adults, who will be seeking training to help them upskill and get back into work, will not have a track record of success in education and will likely come from low-income backgrounds. These adults will identify at similar rates to apprentices, and will, therefore, need support to achieve.
It’s essential that adult education providers support learners who have disengaged from education and prioritise re-engaging the most disadvantaged. Learners can be disadvantaged for various reasons, but adults with neurodiverse cognition will be at a significant disadvantage to their peers if they are not identified through a cognitive assessment and given personalised support. Equally, adults with low or no qualification may struggle to succeed in standard learning environments. Providers need to adapt to survive, creating more tailored and flexible learning suited to a range of identified needs.
You will hear more about:
- The responsibilities of adult education to use the Adult Education Budget to provide local job opportunities and follow the EIF.
- How effective support helps providers to evidence intent, implementation and impact in Ofsted inspections.
- How cognitive assessment and personalised learning can help adults to overcome different cognitive barriers and re-engage with learning.
What’s on your mind? - The impact of cognitive insight on mental health
On Demand
Webinar
Research shows that the rate of mental health problems in people with a learning disability is double that of the general population*. At Cognassist, our data shows that hidden learning needs can affect over 25% of apprentices. So, how can we effectively support individuals during their learning journey and make real, long-term improvements to their mental health?
Attendees will learn more about:
- How unidentified learning needs can expose learners to unnecessary stress and anxiety, increasing the potential of them dropping out.
- The impact of effective identification and personalised learning strategies on learner achievement rates.
- How Covid-19 could create a mental health pandemic that organisations will need to be aware of and put robust provisions in place.
*(Cooper, 2007; Emerson & Hatton, 2007; NICE, 2016)
The F Word: Let’s Talk About It
On Demand
Webinar
Don’t feel dirty about getting some… funding!
Funding is a bit of a dirty word in the industry. However, training providers no longer have the luxury to see LSF (and other vital funding streams) as somehow exploitative of ALN learners. There is a legal and moral imperative to claim funding and ensure that providers use it to support all learners in the most comprehensive way possible. In essence, we shouldn’t feel squeamish about the idea of claiming funding if it provides crucial support to ALN learners. And in the current climate, it is more important than ever that providers find new and effective ways of supporting their learners and use the appropriate funding to do so.
Many learners will need extra support, which providers are not currently set-up to deliver. All providers have an obligation to identify these learners and support them throughout their programme, whether it’s inside the classroom or remotely. Providing learners with much-needed resources, tutor sessions, training and appropriate reasonable adjustments to their end-point assessment all costs money, and that is precisely why the funding exists. So, how can providers prove they’re supporting all their learners sufficiently without it?
Dr. Louise Karwowski, Cognassist’s Head of Science, presents a webinar looking at funding for SEND learners.
You will gain insight into:
- How, with average identification rates still below population statistics, you can ensure you’re identifying all those with a need.
- The different ways you can continue to support learners remotely.
- The steps you can take to prepare learners, particularly those with an identified need, for their end-point assessment by adjusting it to their personal needs.
Reasonable adjustments and supporting learners with SEND – ensuring first-time success at end-point assessment
On Demand
Webinar
One of the key issues of our times is providing a quality learning experience that doesn’t discriminate against learners with additional support needs. So, ensuring that your training organisation meets the requirements of the Equality Act 2010 is an essential part of any inclusion strategy.
Join Dr. Louise Karwowski as we focus on the responsibilities of the provider and end-point assessment organisations (EPAO’s) under the legislation. This informative webinar will ensure you reduce risks to your organisation, improve achievement rates and provide the best possible experience for your learners.
In 45 minutes you’ll be able to benchmark your performance against others in the sector and see case studies and examples of reasonable adjustments in practice. Louise will also explain the process of applying for reasonable adjustments to be made so you can ensure first – time success at end-point assessment.
In this webinar you’ll learn more about:
- building a wider understanding of reasonable adjustments and the legal context
- raising awareness of the support available to training providers, EPAO’s and learners around reasonable adjustments
- sharing good practice on how organisations have applied for a range of reasonable adjustments
The Education Inspection Framework and SEND learners – improving the quality of your provision with Marina Gaze
On Demand
Webinar
The Further Education and Skills Handbook 2019 says:
‘Before making the final judgement on overall effectiveness, inspectors must evaluate the extent to which the education and training provided meets the needs of all learners. This includes learners with SEND and those who have high needs.’
This statement makes it very clear that Ofsted sees learners and apprentices with SEND as hugely important. In this 45-minute webinar, you’ll hear from Marina Gaze, former Director of FE and Skills at Ofsted, about how to improve the quality of provision for learners with SEND.
You’ll learn more about:
- How SEND learners are now high profile in the EIF
- Why you should ensure that you quickly identify any additional learning support needs and plan learning to meet these needs
- Why it’s important to individualise learning and support to meet learners’ needs and help them embed concepts into their long-term memory
- Why impact is so important and how you can help learners improve, develop, and achieve.
Places are limited so sign up now so as not to miss out.
Cognition, neurodiversity and personalised learning – an introduction with Dr. Louise Karwowski
On Demand
Webinar
In recent years, learning providers have become more inclusive and supportive of learners with additional learning needs. But there is still work to be done when it comes to neurodiversity, at the very least so learning providers can meet their obligations under the Equality Act 2010. Personalisation is key to ensuring success for individuals who are neurodiverse.
Now you can learn more about this essential topic in this free LIVE webinar from Cognassist’s Head of Science, and neurodiversity expert, Louise Karwowski. In this 30-minute webinar you’ll gain an in-depth understanding of how the ‘8 domains’ of the brain impact learning and thinking and how to identify and support neurodiversity.
You’ll learn more about:
- Which processing ‘domains’ of the brain affect thinking and learning
- How you can work with a learner to maximise their learning potential
- How brain profiling works and how making simple changes can be transformational for the learner
- How cognitive assessment provides you with a different perspective on your learner cohort
Whether you are familiar with the principles of neurodiversity and how it impacts learning outcomes or not, this webinar will build your knowledge and provide you with invaluable advice.
Intent, Implementation and Impact - Your Guide to the New Education Inspection Framework by Marina Gaze
On Demand
Webinar
The introduction of the new Education Inspection Framework (EIF) and new inspection methodology herald significant changes for providers, including the reduced role of the nominee, the enhanced role of middle managers and the use of deep dives to gather evidence.
This webinar will help your organisation keep up-to-date and quickly identify actions to improve provision. In this webinar Marina you will learn more about:
- The Education Inspection Framework and its application for Apprentices, Study Programmes, Traineeships, Adult Education and high Needs.
- The changes to inspection methodology
- The strong focus on curriculum – what it means in practice.
- Evidencing intent, implementation and impact.
- Demonstrating progress and challenge to learners.
- Evidence gathering and the weight of evidence in the new methodology.
- The importance of disadvantaged learners and learners with SEND.
