Tameside Sensory Series – Online CPD Sessions (March)
Following the recent Tameside Sensory Conferences, we are offering a short series of three online CPD sessions to build on the key messages shared and support the launch of the Tameside Sensory Needs Toolkit.
These 1-hour sessions are open to Tameside school staff, professionals, parents and carers and will be delivered by Sadie Charlton, Specialist Occupational Therapist and clinical director at SensoryPie.
The sessions will be delivered in a webinar-style presentation format. There will be an opportunity to submit questions, however the sessions are designed as informational training rather than interactive workshops or discussion spaces.
Session dates:
Session 1 – Introduction to Sensory Processing
Monday 9th March | 10:30–11:30
Session 2 – Capacity, Stress & Predictability: Preventing Overload Before It Escalates
Wednesday 18th March | 6:00–7:00pm
Session 3 – Creating Sensory-Smart, Regulation-Aware Schools
Monday 23rd March | 3:30–4:30pm
Together, these sessions provide a practical introduction to sensory needs, regulation and how environments and everyday practices can support children to feel safe, regulated and ready to learn.
Attendance at all three sessions is recommended but not essential.
See below for further information and registration links:
Making Sense of Sensory Needs – Understanding Behaviour Through a Sensory Lens (Session 1 Tameside Sensory Series)
Monday 9th March – 10.30-11.30
This session is the first of three online training events delivered as part of the March roll-out supporting the launch of the new Tameside Sensory Needs Toolkit. The series is facilitated by Sadie Charlton, Specialist Occupational Therapist and Clinical director of SensoryPie, and is open to Tameside school staff, professionals, parents and carers who would like to build a shared understanding of sensory needs.
This foundational session introduces the eight sensory systems and explores how sensory processing differences can present in classrooms and at home. Attendees will develop a clear understanding of sensory modulation, including over-responsivity, under-responsivity and sensory seeking, and how these patterns may influence behaviour, attention and emotional regulation.
The session will also explore active and passive regulation responses, and how sensory needs can sometimes be misinterpreted as defiance, avoidance or disengagement. By the end of the session, participants will feel more confident recognising sensory patterns and understanding what behaviour may be communicating about a child’s regulation and sensory experience.
For those who attended the recent Tameside sensory conferences, this session will revisit and expand on some of the key ideas introduced there. This is intentional, as the aim is to ensure a shared foundation of understanding across schools and families as the new toolkit is launched.
This is an information-based training session delivered in presentation format. While attendees may submit general questions, the session will not include open discussion or individual case consultation.
Session 2: Capacity, Stress & Predictability – Preventing Overload Before It Escalates
(Part 2 of the Tameside Sensory Series)
Wednesday 18th March – 6-7pm
This session is the second of three online training events delivered as part of the March roll-out supporting the launch of the Tameside Sensory Needs Toolkit. The series is facilitated by Sadie Charlton, Specialist Occupational Therapist and clinical director of SensoryPie, and is open to Tameside school staff, professionals, parents and carers who would like to build a shared understanding of sensory needs.
Building on the foundations introduced in Session 1, this session explores the concept of regulation capacity and how sensory and emotional demands can fluctuate throughout the day. Using a practical “capacity battery” framework, the session will examine how factors such as stress, transitions, masking and environmental demands can gradually reduce a child’s ability to cope.
The session will also highlight the important role of predictability in supporting regulation and reducing overwhelm. Participants will gain insight into how small adjustments to routines, preparation, transitions and environmental demands can help protect a child’s capacity and prevent escalation, supporting all children, including those who may be neurodivergent or impacted by stress and trauma.
By the end of this session, participants will feel more confident recognising when a child’s capacity may be running low and identifying practical ways to reduce pressure and support regulation before difficulties escalate.
For those who attended the recent Tameside sensory conferences, this session will revisit and expand on some of the key ideas introduced there. This is intentional, as the aim is to ensure a shared foundation of understanding across schools and families as the new toolkit is launched.
This is an information-based training session delivered in presentation format. While attendees may submit general questions, the session will not include open discussion or individual case consultation.
Creating Sensory-Smart, Predictable Schools – A Whole-School Approach (Session 3 – Tameside Sensory Series)
Session 3: Creating Sensory-Smart, Regulation-Aware Schools
Part 3 of the Tameside Sensory Series
This session is the third of three online training events delivered as part of the March roll-out supporting the launch of the Tameside Sensory Needs Toolkit. The series is facilitated by Sadie Charlton, Specialist Occupational Therapist and founder of SensoryPie, and is open to Tameside school staff, professionals, parents and carers who would like to build a shared understanding of sensory needs.
Building on the concepts explored in Sessions 1 and 2, this session shifts the focus from understanding individual sensory needs to considering how whole-school environments and practices can support regulation and readiness to learn. The session will explore what a sensory-smart and regulation-aware school environment looks like in practice across both primary and secondary settings.
We will consider how shared language, consistent routines, thoughtful transitions, flexible movement opportunities and predictable adult responses contribute to emotional safety and help children feel ready to learn. The session will also encourage reflection on how everyday practices (including how change is communicated and how behaviour is responded to) can either increase stress or strengthen regulation.
By the end of this session, participants will have a clearer understanding of how universal, whole-school approaches can reduce sensory overload, improve consistency and create environments where all pupils feel safe, supported and ready to learn.
For those who attended the recent Tameside sensory conferences, this session will revisit and expand on some of the key ideas introduced there. This is intentional, as the aim is to ensure a shared foundation of understanding across schools and families as the new toolkit is launched.
This is an information-based training session delivered in presentation format. While attendees may submit general questions, the session will not include open discussion or individual case consultation.
