ASE Teacher Developers Conference 2026

Today's welcome to everyone online, will be led by Claire Seeley and Emily Perry, co-Chairs of the ASE Teacher Developer's Committee. We hope you all enjoy the discussions today.

The equity approach strives to make schools genuinely inclusive, encouraging us to look at children not through a lens of deficit—what they lack—but through a lens of capacity—what strengths they bring. It focuses on removing obstacles to learning and acknowledging the biases and barriers we create in schools.

This includes replacing unhelpful labels such as ‘disadvantaged pupils’, removing cultural and material barriers, and nurturing mutually respectful relationships with parents. Equity best bets, based on syntheses of research and expert practitioner knowledge, offer teachers practical strategies to create a language, pedagogy, curriculum and partnership of equity.

How can we design science learning that works for all learners—and support others to do the same?

This interactive workshop explores how Universal Design for Learning (UDL) can help reduce barriers and increase participation in science across primary and secondary contexts. Through a series of choice-based activities, participants will identify challenges in typical science tasks and develop practical strategies to provide multiple ways for students to access, engage with, and demonstrate understanding.

With a teacher educator focus, the session also considers how to model inclusive practice in CPD and support colleagues to make manageable, high-impact changes.

Participants will leave with adaptable strategies and approaches that can be used both in the classroom and when working with others.

Lia is a long time supporter of ASE from her days as a Science teacher, Head of Biology and subsequent work at Wellcome Trust.  She is now Head of Impact at National Institute of Teaching and leading a team to develop a new resource for the teachers and leaders involved in the training and development of others – perfect for the ASE Teacher Developer community. In this session, Lia will introduce us to the toolkit and will lead us in generating some important questions about what makes us unique as teacher developers, what research questions have yet to be explored and how else can we draw together as a community to understand what we do.

In this session, Damian reflects on the first year of the new Ofsted framework, drawing out key lessons to help Teacher Developers strengthen their support for schools, colleagues and professional networks. He will explore emerging trends and insights from inspections over the past year, demystify the inspection process, and build a shared understanding of Ofsted’s approach. The session will also consider the vital role Teacher Developers play in preparing for and responding to inspection.

This final session of the day will  summarise key points discussed during the event, and will be led by Claire and Emily, the Co-Chairs of the ASE Teacher Developer's Committee