Shared learning, fresh thinking: the Educator Roadshow 2026

16/09/2026

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Nikky Godfrey, Interim Head of Education at the professional membership body the Institute of Osteopathy and Executive Administrator of the Council for Osteopathic Educational Institutions

On 4 July 2026, educators from across osteopathic education came together at the London School of Osteopathy (LSO) for a workshop collaboratively organised by the Council of Osteopathic Educational Institutions (COEI), the General Osteopathic Council (GOsC) and the LSO. Thirty-one educators attended, alongside eight presenters, for a day designed to create space to share practice, explore some of the issues currently shaping osteopathic education and, importantly, learn with colleagues beyond their own providers.

The programme covered a lot of ground:  

• Kathryn Parkin, osteopath and Open University/GOsC PHD student opened the day by exploring boundaries and shared decision making through ‘grey area’ scenarios drawn from clinical practice.
• Dr Jerry Draper-Rodi, Director of National Council for Osteopathic Research (NCOR) then considered shared approaches to reducing inequalities in education, including cultural humility and psychologically safe learning environments.
• Patrick Gauthier, Head of School at UCO School of Osteopathy, followed with a session on the rapidly developing role of AI in education, exploring what greater AI literacy might mean in different educational settings.
• Fiona Browne, Director of Education, Standards and Development (GOsC) and Steven Bettles, Head of Policy and Education (GOsC) led discussion around the Graduate Outcomes, quality assurance and consistency
• Fiona Hamilton, Principal at London School of Osteopathy, considered neurodiversity across the workplace, classroom and clinic and the adjustments that can support both staff and students.
• Dr Mandy Banton, osteopath, closed the day with a session on reconceptualising osteopathic palpation, inviting educators to think critically about how palpation is taught and its relationship with communication, consent and the patient experience.

One of the clearest messages we heard from attendees who shared their feedback on the event, was that they valued not only the content of the sessions, but the opportunity to learn alongside educators from elsewhere in the sector.

Before the workshop, the most commonly identified hopes from those in the room were professional learning and educator development, and peer connection across education providers. Afterwards, 95% of those who provided us with their feedback agreed that the day had supported their development as an osteopathic educator, and facilitated peer learning and the sharing of educational practice. As well as this, 90% felt it had helped to build relationships across the osteopathic education sector.

The written feedback gives a better sense of what sat behind those figures. Participants described the day as prompting reflection on their own teaching, giving them ideas they could take back into practice and, importantly, creating opportunities to compare approaches with colleagues from other providers. Twenty of the 21 people who gave us their feedback after the event identified either something they intended to change, a renewed awareness or an area they wanted to explore further.

The feedback was also useful in identifying what future educator activity should look like. Participants wanted more time for discussion, reflection and practical development, with several suggesting fewer topics or longer sessions so that some of the conversations could go deeper.

The most popular priority for future events was ‘developing as an educator’; followed by supporting student learning, wellbeing and progression; clinical education and supervision; and peer or near-peer learning.

For COEI, GOsC and LSO, the workshop reinforced the value of bringing educators together from across the profession. The day was not simply about sharing information: it created an opportunity to compare approaches, question assumptions and think collectively about how osteopathic education can continue to develop. The feedback will now help shape the next phase of educator development activity, including how we create more space for the deeper conversations participants clearly valued.

Following the positive response to the July event, we are looking at taking the Educator Roadshow to another part of the country, giving educators based further from London the opportunity to take part. The South West of England is currently being considered for the next event.

Interested in a future educator workshop? Register your interest and let us know where you are based. We’ll use the responses to help inform future locations and will share further details once plans are confirmed.