Dyslexia and Dyscalculia Conference 2026 - Cognition in the Classroom: Strategies That Count

Dr Liory Fern-Pollak - Associate Professor (Teaching) in Cognitive and Educational Neuroscience - UCL Institute of Education

What Happens in the Brain When Reading Is Hard, and What That Means for Teaching

This keynote explores how reading develops in the brain, why reading difficulties such as dyslexia arise, and what this means for classroom practice. Drawing on cognitive psychology, educational neuroscience, and cross-linguistic research, the talk will examine how phonological, orthographic, semantic, and attentional processes work together during reading and how they can go wrong.

Through interactive tasks and real-world examples, the talk connects what we know about reading and dyslexia to familiar classroom experiences, before considering what this means for supporting learners in practical, realistic ways.

Target Audience: Primary and Secondary education practitioners

Dr Liory Fern-Pollak is an Associate Professor (Teaching) in Cognitive and Educational Neuroscience at UCL’s Institute of Education. Her work focuses on reading development, reading difficulties including dyslexia, multilingualism, and how insights from cognitive neuroscience can be translated into meaningful educational practice. She is particularly interested in helping dispel neuromyths to support evidence-informed understanding of learning in real classroom contexts. 

Alongside her academic role, she also works in parenting education, drawing on Positive Discipline and Adlerian principles to help families understand children’s learning and behaviour through a psychologically and neuroscientifically informed lens.

Iro Xenidou-Dervou - Reader in Mathematical Cognition - Loughborough University

Understanding the Interplay between Executive Functions and Mathematical Skills

Children’s mathematical skills play a crucial role in their academic achievement, future educational and employment pathways, well-being, and quality of life. While some children find learning mathematics enjoyable, many find it challenging and struggle to develop the skills they need. 

One of the key factors influencing a child’s mathematics learning and achievement is their Executive Function skills. What role do these skills play, and what can educational practitioners do to support the co-development of children’s mathematics and Executive Function skills? In this talk, I address these questions with a particular focus on the roles of Working Memory and Inhibitory Control. I will present recent evidence, which advances our understanding of the interplay between Executive Functions and mathematics, identify sources of cognitive load and discuss how we can better understand and optimise the cognitive demands placed on learners.

Target Audience: Primary and Secondary

Dr Iro Xenidou-Dervou is a Reader in Mathematical Cognition at the Centre for Mathematical Cognition and a Co-Investigator of the ESRC Centre for Early Mathematics Learning, at the Department of Mathematics Education, Loughborough University. 

She has previously held positions at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam in the Netherlands and the KU Leuven in Belgium before joining Loughborough University. Her research focuses on understanding the factors that influence how children learn mathematics, how they develop financial literacy skills, and what this means for education. Her work is published in world-leading peer-reviewed journals and supported by diverse funders, including the ESRC, the British Academy, and the Money and Pensions Service.

Jo Shilton - SpLD Assessor and SEND Consultant - SEND Pathways

SASC Workshop

The New Report Format: Using Background Information to guide test selection and inform the Diagnostic Decision (Dyslexia)

Given the flexibility afforded by the new report-writing format, this session will provide you with the opportunity to explore how valuable background information can be used to help you select the most appropriate tests and to plan your assessment accordingly.

 It will also help you to develop the skill of writing a succinct diagnostic outcome which maps to the Delphi Definition of dyslexia, and which uses background information and qualitative data to support your decision-making. 

Target Audience: This session is suitable for both newly qualified and experienced dyslexia assessors.

Read about: Jo Shilton

Rebecca Thompson - Specialist Assessor - Education Access Ltd

SASC Workshop

The New Report Format: Using Background Information to guide test selection and inform the Diagnostic Decision (Dyscalculia)

Given the flexibility afforded by the new report-writing format, this session will provide you with the opportunity to explore how valuable background information can be used to help you select the most appropriate tests and to plan your assessment accordingly for SpLD in maths/ dyscalculia. 

It will also help you to develop the skill of writing a succinct diagnostic outcome which maps to the SASC definition of SpLD in maths and which uses background information and qualitative data to support your decision-making.

Target Audience: This session is suitable for both newly qualified and experienced dyslexia assessors, both primary and secondary. 

Read about: Rebecca Thompson 

Sara Watts - Specialist teacher and Assessor - Assessments and Learning

SASC Workshop

More Than Reading, Writing, Spelling and Maths: A Deep Dive into the WIAT–III

This presentation aims to strengthen assessors’ understanding of the WIAT–III assessment battery, with a focus on accurate administration, meaningful interpretation, and effective use of results to inform diagnosis and intervention. Seminar activities will enable delegates to explore who the WIAT-III might be used with and for what purposes.

Target Audience: Assessors

Read about: Sara Watts 

George Storey - Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator - Norbury Manor Primary School

Creating an inclusive environment - What works for SEND children works for all

This presentation will provide ideas on how a mainstream primary school can adapt their teaching and learning environment for children with special educational needs. It will focus specifically on real life examples and how these adaptations to the environment benefit children within the mainstream setting.

 It will look at recent case studies from the 'RISE' project, an independent advisory group providing expert advice to government on how to improve mainstream education for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). There will be specific mention of data driven recommendations for children within schools and time to compare how different schools are implementing quality first teaching strategies to improve children's attainment. 

The aim of this presentation is to give you ideas that you can take and use in your own settings or to recommend to settings that you work with.

Target Audience: Primary school teachers and leaders or educators who wish to have a first hand view of how mainstream primary schools are adapting their learning and environment for children with additional needs

Read about: George Storey

Claudia Cotton - DFQM Manager - British Dyslexia Association

Empowering Learners: Building Dyslexia-Friendly Spaces for Cognitive Growth

This session will examine how the British Dyslexia Association’s classroom and environment checklists can be used to identify and implement targeted strategies that support learners’ cognitive processing. By focusing on practical applications, the session will demonstrate how a consistent approach to these principles across all year
groups enhances inclusivity and learning outcomes. 

Additionally, the discussion will explore the benefits of adopting a whole-school dyslexia-friendly framework and how working towards the Dyslexia Friendly Quality Mark can drive sustainable improvement and best practice.

Target Audience: Primary and Secondary educators

Read about: Claudia Cotton

Carol Handyside - Specialist Maths Teacher, Trainer and Assessor & Anna Sutton - Dyslexia Specialist Tutor - British Dyslexia Association

Multisensory Memory: Dyslexia & Specific difficulties in mathematics

Drawing on the combined expertise of two experienced specialist teachers, this workshop focuses on memory and how it can be developed and strengthened. It explores why multisensory learning is particularly important for learners with dyslexia and for those with specific difficulties in mathematics, and how this approach helps to secure learning in long-term memory. 

Carol and Anna will share practical ideas and hands-on multisensory activities for both literacy and numeracy, which participants can take away and use straight away.

Target Audience: Primary and Secondary

Read about: Carol Handyside

Read about: Anna Sutton

Alison De Silva & Humara Abidi - Dyslexia Professional Level Tutors - British Dyslexia Association

Metacognition: Thinking about Thinking

Metacognition fosters awareness and self-regulation, enabling learners to adapt strategies and improve academic performance for all learners, especially those with additional needs, such as dyslexia. Understanding planning, monitoring and evaluating one's approach to learning, problem-solving and performance across all areas.

This hands on, practical workshop will provide you with insights and strategies for supporting learners across all age ranges to support the use of metacognition. Discover how explicitly teaching and modelling metacognitive strategies can empower individuals to take ownership of the learning, improve academic achievement and foster critical thinking skills. 

By attending this workshop, you will gain valuable insights and strategies to empower your learners to become confident and understand how they learn best.

Participants will explore how explicitly teaching and modelling metacognitive strategies can help learners take ownership of their learning, improve academic outcomes and develop strong critical-thinking skills.

Target Audience: Teachers, Tutors, Lecturers, LSAs, SENCos All ages. 

Read about: Alison De Silva

Read about: Humara Abidi

Nichola Evans - Dyscalculia Specialist Teacher Assessor - Accessible Maths Tuition & Assessment

Supporting Maths Cognitive Difficulties in the Classroom

This interactive, hands‑on workshop explores how maths cognitive difficulties present in real classroom contexts and how educators can respond with confidence and clarity. Using rich case studies, we will unpack the underlying cognitive processes that shape learners’ mathematical experiences and use these to guide discussion, reflection, and collaborative problem‑solving.

Participants will work together to identify learner needs, evaluate appropriate support strategies, and consider how to adapt teaching approaches to reduce cognitive load and build mathematical understanding. The session is designed for both teachers and assessors: teachers will leave with practical, classroom‑ready strategies, while assessors will have the opportunity to refine the precision and impact of their recommendations.

This workshop aims to deepen understanding, strengthen professional judgement, and empower practitioners to create more inclusive and supportive maths learning environments.

Target Audience: Primary, secondary and FE. Teachers, specialist teachers and assessors of SpLD in Maths

Read about: Nichola Evans