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 focuses on the co‑occurring developmental difficulties commonly seen alongside dyslexia and dyscalculia. It explores how assessors can move beyond isolated test scores to build a rich, balanced understanding of the whole learner. Emphasising the value of background information, qualitative observation, and the learner’s lived experience, the session supports robust and thoughtful diagnostic decision‑making. Practical strategies are shared for gathering and integrating developmental, educational, and contextual information, strengthening qualitative analysis, and producing clear, accessible reports that protect self‑esteem and lead to meaningful, strengths‑based recommendations.

Wednesday  3 June 2026 2:30pm 

Setting up as an Independent Practitioner

Dionysios Kyropoulos

This session offers a practical, peer-to-peer introduction to setting up and running a freelance practice, offered as experience-based information sharing rather than professional financial or legal advice. It covers the building blocks most newcomers find hardest to navigate: choosing between sole trader and limited company status, opening the right kind of bank account, understanding allowable expenses and drawings, invoicing, record-keeping and the move towards Making Tax Digital. The session closes with a short look at visibility and marketing. The session is led by Dionysios Kyropoulos, a specialist ADHD coach and trainer and Co-Chair and Director of PASSHE, with a fifteen-year portfolio career across the arts, academia and coaching.

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 Artificial Intelligence: an introduction to the benefits, risks and use cases of AI

Peter Thomas

Peter is a Distinguished Engineer and Principal Architect with over 30 years of experience in Information Technology. His role is as a leading technologist at a major financial organisation and has been involved in developing AI solutions since early 2023. This session will give an introduction to the concepts of AI, how it works, what risks it poses and how it can be used safely within an assessment scenario.

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.***

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.