NNECL Conference 2026 Workshops

We are delighted to share our NNECL Conference 2026 programme and workshops with you.

You will be able to attend 2 workshops in person on the day, and this year, we are so excited that, due to the amazing facilities at UCAS we will be able to record ALL workshops and these will be available to all attendees in the post conference pack.

When booking you will be invited to pick your 2 workshops which can be found below. And don't worry, we will have that information available on the day for those of us (always me) that have forgotten which workshops we have chosen!

Book Tickets here

NNECL Conference 2026 Programme

10.00	Registration and Coffee
10.30	Welcome	Denise Rawls NNECL Executive Director
1040	UCAS	Nicky Turner *Adviser Engagement Partner, UCAS*
10.50	TBC
11.10	Centre for Belonging	Dr Tom Ritchie Reader and Director of Student Experience, University of Warwick
11.45	Morning break and Refreshments'
12.00	WORKSHOP ONE
13.05	Lunch & Networking
14.10	WORKSHOP TWO
15.15	A celebration of where we were and where we are now	Deirdre Lynskey Coach & Trainer, Éistim Consulting
15.40	Afternoon break and refreshments
16.00	Lessons from Care	Sam Garner Creator of Lessons From The Care System
16.30	Quality Mark Awards and closing comments	Denise
17.00	Networking
17.30	Close

Speakers Bio's

Made for It at Manchester: Building community through connection, conversation and (lots of) cake.

Made for It is a student success initiative, launched in 2025/26, which offers students in receipt of a bespoke financial support package through the Access and Success team, including our Sadler Scholarship for Care Experienced Students, a programme of additional support activities throughout their first year to enhance their transition into University life.

Emma Lewis-Kalubowila & Abbie Hyde

The University of Manchester

The Belonging Building: Creating a safe informal space to help build quality engagement and trust.

The workshop delivered by The University of Sheffield Student Experience Diversity and Inclusion team will provide an overview of establishing a “Belonging Building”; a safe informal space on campus for care experienced students. Included in the session:
Interactive craft task to demonstrate the value of using activities to create a comfortable environment when with new people.
Image-focused presentation with an informal tone co-presented with a care experienced student who is a current recipient of our offer.

Paul Rodgers & Jazz Shoker

The University of Sheffield

Belonging in Full Colour: Co‑produced Approaches to Student Identity

This workshop introduces a sector-adapted version of Gloss Boss, Bee N Spired’s youth-led identity and confidence platform, co-designed with care-experienced young people. Originally developed as a creative empowerment programme, Gloss Boss has evolved into a structured, evidence-informed approach that helps young people explore identity, build confidence, and experience genuine belonging through relational safety and co-production.

Rees Davis-Campbell & Abby Lomas

Bee N Spired

From Application to Graduation: Creating a Sense of Belonging and Mattering for Care Experienced Students

This workshop aims to share some of the practices we have adopted as a small, specialist provider to support care experienced students and create a sense of belonging and mattering. It will take participants through the student journey highlighting initiatives that can support students. We will explore designated contacts, webinars and transition support during the application period to financial support across their studies, optional mentor support and a graduation package. We will share ways in which we create moments for mattering.

Hannah Trott & Demi Demetriades

ICMP & SAE (ADE UK)

Where Does Belonging Live? Exploring Belonging and Mattering for Care-Experienced and Estranged Learners

Belonging has become a central concept within widening participation, student success, and support for care-experienced and estranged learners. However, discussions of belonging often focus on how institutions create belonging, with less attention given to where learners themselves experience belonging, mattering, and recognition.
For care-experienced and estranged learners, belonging may be found across a range of people, places, communities, relationships, identities, and practices that extend beyond educational settings. This workshop invites participants to critically reflect on where belonging appears to live for the learners they support and what this means for institutional practice.

Melanie Law

The University of Wolverhampton

Making Belonging Intentional: Collaborative Outreach with Care-Experienced Secondary Students

The workshop will introduce the Future Pathways and Brookes & Beyond programmes, two collaborative programmes of sustained outreach with care-experienced young people aged 13-18 in Swindon, Oxfordshire, Berkshire, and Buckinghamshire. We will share details of the programme’s expansion and how we collaborate with our stakeholders, which includes eight Local Authorities/ Virtual Schools, three partner universities, multiple FE Colleges and employers. We will briefly outline the contents of the programme from 2025/26, which includes university visits, employer visits, college visits, employability and apprenticeships workshops and a weekend residential.

Dr Amy Gower & Jo Duckett

Study Higher/Oxford Brookes University