SASC Conference 2026

Our 2026 SASC Conference will be presented online over a series of days in June.

Supporting papers will also be made available to download from this page. 

See the menu on the right for booking details for members and non-members of SASC. Anyone with a current, valid Assessment Practicing Certificate (APC) is considered to be a SASC member and can attend free of charge.

Wednesday  3 June 2026 10am

Holistic Assessment

Armande Fryatt

This presentation explores how assessors can move beyond isolated test scores to develop a rich, balanced understanding of the whole learner. It emphasises the importance of background information, qualitative observation, and the learner’s lived experience in making robust diagnostic decisions. The session highlights practical ways to gather and integrate developmental, educational,  and contextual information, strengthen qualitative analysis, and write coherent, accessible reports that protect self‑esteem and lead to meaningful, strengths‑based recommendations.

Wednesday  3 June 2026 2:30pm 

Setting up as an Independent Assessor

Dionysios Kyropoulos

Further information TBC

Thursday 4 June 2026 10am

Responding to The Schools White Paper

Louise Selby & Lynn Greenwold

Louise Selby, chair of the Local Authority SpLD Advisory Teachers Network, and Lynn Greenwold, chair of SASC, will guide us through the main points in the SEND White Paper, with a focus on how they relate to learners with SpLD in school. They will give us an overview of the main changes in the proposals and offer insights into the real implications for SpLD, responses from professionals in schools and local authorities, as well as the response from SASC. 

Friday 5 June 2026 10am 

Language and the SASC 2025 Report Guidance

Sarah Sainty &Alice Thomas

Sarah Sainty, a Speech and Language Therapist and Specialist Assessor and Alice Thomas, SASC Assessment Issues Co-ordinator and Specialist Assessor will discuss:

Why language is included in the 2025 SASC report format and what the expectations is assessors are.

Different types of language tests and the quantitative and qualitative information that can be obtained from them.

Other sources of information about language: background history and observations throughout the assessment.

Friday 5 June 2026 2:30pm 

Using AI

Peter Thomas

Further information TBC

Note the sessions will all be recorded and made available to those unable to attend at the original broadcast time.

***All who book will have access to recordings of the sessions for 1 year after the events. If you cannot attend on the day you should still book to be able to access the recordings after the event.***

Supporting papers will be available to download from this page the week before the conference. 

SASC has a policy to support development of additional quality CPD from other providers and does not give authorised credit hours for its own conference and presentations. So please note SASC Conference sessions do not count as SASC approved CPD. They can count as supplementary CPD.