Latest News

Last week was the annual Tes SEND show. It’s amazing to think that the show is now in its 30th year! We had a great time at the show and it was wonderful to see so many people at our stand. There was a positive vibe in the exhibition hall and we all felt happy to be there.

Many of our CENMAC team attended the show including Kathryn, Mary, Wayne, David, Maureen, Abdi, Vicky and student ambassador Khamani. Here’s what they had to say about another successful show:

Kathryn Stowell, Team Leader

The TES SEND show is not only a great event to meet those visiting, but to also connect with the community of suppliers and organisations in this area. We are always happy to try out new products and put them to the test with our assistive technology users. One of these products given to us at the show was the C-Pen Reader 2, which we gratefully received. Many of our students already benefit from the use of a scanning pen, so we look forward to hearing what our students think of the new improved interface and features. With plans emerging for our Communication Works event 2023 we were pleased to share the date and look forward to seeing many of the visitors again.

Wayne McCullough, Advisory Teacher

It was great to be at the TES SEN Show again this year, there was a real buzz with all the different exhibitors. One of the main benefits of the event is getting to meet people from all different settings and advising them on what support is available.

Wayne talking to a visitor to our stand.

This year, the main sponsor was Cubbie, an immersive sensory room, which can be customised to the individual, it was really interesting to hear how they are being installed in a range of different settings, from schools to hospitals to help manage their sensory needs. When you step inside the Cubbie, images and music are used to help the individual self-regulate and allow them to return to their lessons or allow them to return to their lessons or resume their routine.  

A highlight of the evening was attending the Teach Meet session. It was a great opportunity to meet other professionals and hear how they use technology in their own settings, from using Kahoot Quizzes to Tree.fm which could be easily used in a classroom setting. To end the day, I even won a prize for a 3-month subscription to Dyslexia Gold, which will be really beneficial.

Wayne and his Teach Meet prize – a 3-month subscription to Dyslexia Gold!

Mary Long, Deputy Team Leader & Advisory Teacher

It was such a thrill to be back at the Tes SEND Show this year. There was a definite buzz in the air, and the event felt much busier than one year ago, when things were just starting to return to normality after COVID restrictions. For me, one extra-exciting event this year was meeting Michael Rosen, who has made a remarkable recovery after being very ill in hospital with COVID. He was there in his role as head of the judging panel for the Tes SEND Poetry Competition. Some of the poems were on display opposite the CENMAC stand, and I particularly liked ‘Fidget’, ‘Level’ and ‘Make a School for Us’. You can read more about the competition and read all the poems here.

Maureen De Longhi, Advisory Teacher 

My first TES SEND show and I wasn’t sure what to expect.  I was not disappointed. It was great to put faces to names and finally meet some people in-person that I had previously only met virtually. There was so much enthusiasm in the hall. The best thing for me was the feeling that everybody there was united in working towards finding ways that can help young people to learn and being able to network with other professionals who are dedicated to improving education.   

Mary and author Michael Rosen!

Abdi Omar, CENMAC Consultant & Founder, Director & CEO at Abdi Enterprises

Events like The Tes SEND Show are not just good, but it is very necessary because people can showcase their services and it gives a chance for people to connect. For me The Tes SEND Show is a great opportunity to put myself and Abdi Enterprises out there easily. As people come from all over the UK. I love working for CENMAC because we have a lot of useful information about AAC. We had a lot of people who came to our stand to ask what we do and how they can stay to connect with us.

To find out more about Abdi visit his website Abdi Enterprises website.

Student ambassador Khamani and Abdi at our stand.

Vicky Annan, Advisory Teacher

This was the first time I have taken part in exhibiting at the Tes SEND Show having recently joined the CENMAC team in September. It was a great experience and such a fantastic opportunity to meet so many different exhibitors and visitors from across the country. It was great to hear from lots of people who visited the stand and that they felt many pupils within their schools would benefit from the support CENMAC provides. I was also fortunate to attend the TeachMeet at the end of the day where I heard more about technologies that have helped make a big difference in schools. My colleague Wayne even came third place in a quiz and won a prize!

Vicky taking a look at Cubbie.