We're looking forward to another year at the Wellington Festival of Education on 2–3 July, and we're delighted to be involved in several sessions this year, including chairing a panel with our MSA partners.

• Thursday 2 July, 12:45–13:30 | From TikTok to Tech Skills: What Students Feel They Really Need from Digital Literacy
  YSG member, Osob, join AQA's Student Advisory Group to explore what digital literacy really means for young people today - and how curriculum reform can better prepare them for life beyond school.

• Thursday 2 July, 14:45-15:30 | Don't Call Me Disadvantaged - Do This For Me Instead

  Osob is also speaking on a second panel, which challenges deficit language and explores evidence-based approaches to supporting learners from the most marginalised communities to engage, achieve and belong.

• Friday 3 July, 10:30–11:15 | Rebuilding the Village Around the Child: The Role of Schools in Place-Based Initiatives

  On Friday, our Head of Policy Insights, Tom Symons, joins leads from FEA's Mayoral Strategic Authority partners to explore how schools and colleges can lead or join place-based initiatives that reconnect families, services and communities.

• Friday 3 July, 10:30-11:15 | SEND Reforms 2026: Where are we now?

  In this mainstage panel, expert voices from across the system - including YSG member Evie - come together to reflect on the direction of reform, what has been heard through consultation, and what may come next.

• Friday 3 July, 11:45-12:30 | Making Mainstream a Bit More Alternative: Lessons From Specialist & AP

  YSG member, Yazz, joins a panel that explores what mainstream schools can realistically adapt, from small shifts in practice to more ambitious changes that support pupils with SEND and emotionally based school non-attendance.