CENMAC’s Thursday Thirty
Online training & information sessions
CENMAC’s Thursday Thirty online training & information sessions run throughout the school term.
Join us at 15.30 to 16.00 (GMT) on Thursday afternoons to find out how a wide range of assistive technologies are used to support learning and communication in mainstream and special educational settings.
Take a look below and reserve your complimentary spots for Spring 2026.
Who should attend? Our training sessions are suitable for teachers, SENCOs, school SEND teams, TAs, Speech and Language Therapists, Occupational Therapists, parents and carers supporting children and young people using assistive technology to access the curriculum and/or to communicate.
Training joining details
We will email you the Microsoft Teams joining details a couple of days before the training session so keep an eye out in your email inbox. Please check your spam or junk mail folder and contact CENMAC at newsandevents@cenmac.com if you do not have the joining details one day before the event.
Modelling AAC
Date: Thursday 26th February 2026
Time: 15.30 to 16.00 (GMT)
CENMAC Advisory Speech and Language Therapist Jenny Zentner will share strategies for Modelling AAC – when/where/who and how to model AAC to support the child or young person’s power based AAC development.
Training joining details
We will email you a Microsoft Teams meeting invite a few days before the training session so keep an eye out in your email inbox. Please contact CENMAC at newsandevents@cenmac.com if you do not have the joining details one day before the event.
Calibre Audio: the value of audiobooks for children and young adults with SEND and their impact on education & reading for pleasure
Date: Thursday 5th March 2026
Time: 15.30 to 16.00 (GMT)
Calibre Audio are a national charity providing an audiobook lending service, with over 21,500 books and hundreds of magazines to anyone with a print disability. Calibre memberships are free for schools and for individual children and young people with SEND under 25 years. Membership entitles the individual to free and unlimited audiobooks from the Calibre collection 24/7, 365 days a year, via digital streaming, download and via the USB postal service.
Join us to find out more about the service offered by Calibre, who is eligible and what the education and health and wellbeing benefits of audiobooks might be for your pupils with additional needs. During the session we’ll cover the following:
- Intro to Calibre Audio, and the service offered
- The link between audiobooks and health and wellbeing
- Our current activities, including our research project Assisted Reading with Audiobooks
- Future research opportunities
- How to get more information & signpost to Calibre Audio
Presenter: Helen Mee, Director of Communities and Learning, Calibre Audio
Training joining details
We will email you a Microsoft Teams meeting invite a few days before the training session so keep an eye out in your email inbox. Please contact CENMAC at newsandevents@cenmac.com if you do not have the joining details one day before the event.
Universal Approach to Power-based AAC in Education
Date: Thursday 12th March 2026
Time: 15.30 to 16.00 (GMT)
What happens when you give every student and teacher an iPad and communication app (Proloquo Classroom) as part of their education?
Kathryn Stowell, Head of CENMAC will explore outcomes identified in relation to both students and teachers. What has been our overall learning? What are the implications for the future provision of AAC? How might this universal approach contribute to improved language and literacy skills, and reduce barriers to education and social interaction?
Training joining details
We will email you a Microsoft Teams meeting invite a few days before the training session so keep an eye out in your email inbox. Please contact CENMAC at newsandevents@cenmac.com if you do not have the joining details one day before the event.
Put Puppets into your Practice, AAC and otherwise
Date: Thursday 19th March 2026
Time: 15.30 to 16.00 (GMT)
In this online session Speech and Language Therapist Dan Cooper will share how he’s been using puppets to model and motivate students using AAC.
He will also share examples of how puppets can be use to implement a number of therapy aims.
Presenter: Dan Cooper, Speech and Language Therapist
Training joining details
We will email you a Microsoft Teams meeting invite a few days before the training session so keep an eye out in your email inbox. Please contact CENMAC at newsandevents@cenmac.com if you do not have the joining details one day before the event.
Putting Learners at the Centre: Needs‑Led Learning with Dolphin Assistive Technology
Date: Thursday 30th April 2026
Time: 15.30 to 16.00 (GMT)
Discover how Dolphin EasyReader Education and SuperNova Education Kit empower children and young people with SEND to become active, independent learners.
This session explores how personalised study tools support reading, classroom participation and exam access. Creating learning pathways that adapt to each learner’s needs and help them reach their potential.
Presenter: Simon Kitchen, Chief Commercial Officer, Dolphin Computer Access
Training joining details
We will email you a Microsoft Teams meeting invite a few days before the training session so keep an eye out in your email inbox. Please contact CENMAC at newsandevents@cenmac.com if you do not have the joining details one day before the event.
An Introduction to Learning Village and how it supports EAL learners with a SEND need
Date: Thursday 21st May 2026
Time: 15.30 to 16.00 (GMT)
Learners may have EAL needs, SEND needs, low-level literacy needs or a combination of some or all. This introduction shows how Learning Village uses images and other assistive features to support language learning for learners with different literacy levels and language backgrounds.
Learning Village (6-11 and 12-16) and Community Village (post 16) are blended vocabulary, language structure and reading programmes for EAL/ESOL, low-level literacy and SEND learners.
Presenter Name & Title: Caroline Scott, Author & Director
Training joining details
We will email you a Microsoft Teams meeting invite a few days before the training session so keep an eye out in your email inbox. Please contact CENMAC at newsandevents@cenmac.com if you do not have the joining details one day before the event.
Missed a Thursday Thirty Session?
Thursday Thirty sessions are recorded > View recorded sessions
If you have any changes in school and need training to implement the students’ assistive technology please do get in contact with your advisory teacher or mail@cenmac.com.
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