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The Tes SEND Show: Where the SEND Community Comes Together
Special Episode – Tes SEND Show 2026
We are delighted to welcome Beverley Walters and Jane Friswell on The SENDcast.
This is a special episode in which Dale is joined by Beverley Walters, Programme Director of the Tes SEND Show, and Jane Friswell, SEND Consultant and parent advocate, to discuss why listeners should attend the Tes SEND Show taking place on Friday 9th and Saturday 10th October at the Business Design Centre in Islington, London.
Now in its 34th year, the show is the flagship event in the SEND calendar, offering over 42 seminars, 29 free exhibitor sessions, six parent-carer forum sessions, and a leadership summit run in partnership with ASCL. Beverley outlines this year’s seminar programme, which reflects the current climate of SEND reform, covering topics such as change management in education, school improvement, and AI technology. Jane shares her experience of attending 32 of the 34 shows and reflects on the unique sense of community, collaboration, and welcome the event has always fostered.
We are looking forward to exhibiting and Dale will be recording live podcasts at the show, with guests speaking about the SEND reform, which will be released after the event.
We hope to see you there!
Watch the podcast
Watch the video recording of the podcast on YouTube
The SENDcast is delighted to be supporting Tes SEND Show this autumn!
The Tes SEND Show is the UK’s leading event for the SEND community, with over 30 years’ experience of supporting front-line teaching and support staff. The 2026 show takes place on Friday 9th and Saturday 10th October at the Business Design Centre, 52 Upper Street, London N1 0QH.
The show brings together thousands of education professionals for two days of inclusive CPD, networking, and discovery. Highlights include:
- 42 CPD-certified seminars from leaders across the SEND community – view the full seminar programme
- The SEND Leadership Summit – an immersive all-day conference for senior educators, delivered in partnership with ASCL
- A Parent, Carer and Teacher Forum – sharing real experiences to improve outcomes for children with SEND
- 3 free-to-attend exhibition theatres showcasing innovative products and services
- Over 150 exhibitors, including specialists you won’t find anywhere else
“What the show did for me, at a pretty young age and at a very early point in my career, was really open up the world of SEND – to make me realise just how amazingly diverse it is. You really get a recognition of this huge pool of talent that exists in our world of SEND.”
— Jane Friswell
The SENDcast is proud to be an official media partner of the Tes SEND Show 2026. Come and find us at Stand F55 – we’d love to meet you! Dale will also be recording live podcast interviews at the show, with special episodes released after the event.
Registration is free — don’t miss your chance to be part of the UK’s biggest SEND event of the year!
About Beverley Walters
As Programme Director at MA Exhibitions, Beverley leads the strategic development and growth of the Tes SEND Show education portfolio. Working closely with an expert advisory board, she ensures the programme delivers relevant, practical content aligned with the evolving priorities of education leaders and SEND professionals.
Beverley’s career in SEND and event management began at nasen in 2000, where she launched national conferences, exhibitions and later nasen Live. She led large-scale training programmes including the Whole School Approach to Access, Participation and Achievement, including the delivery of in-person training to more than 7,000 teachers nationwide. Beverley has also served on the organising committee for the International Special Education Congress (ISEC) 2005 in Glasgow, 2010 Belfast and 2015 Portugal.
As Project Lead for the Department for Education-funded SEND Gateway, launched in 2014 by Edward Timpson CBE, Beverley oversaw the development of a national online hub providing resources, information and support for education professionals working in SEND. Outside of work, Beverley was also the SEN Governor for a mainstream primary school and Safeguarding Governor for a Special SEMH primary and secondary school for over five years.
About Jane Friswell
Jane Friswell is a former SEN Head Teacher, with significant leadership experience in LA SEN Support advisory roles and as Chief Executive at nasen. Jane is now Director of Jane Friswell SEND Consultancy. An innovative support agency for those working in SEND that specialises in leading effective strategic review of provision for children and young people with SEND. It commissions co-productively with young people with additional needs to effect improvement at local level.
Jane has a wealth of experience and successful SEND and School Improvement leadership of national and international projects. This includes government policy advisory support and developing training and education services for teachers, SENCOs, senior leaders and governors. As well as LA SEND Peer Challenge and Sufficiency Review, and school inspection, Jane also provides advisory support for children and young people’s mental health. Find out more about Jane Friswell.
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