WORKSHOP PROGRAMME

Hywel will explore the following: • Storytelling and learning: the research into how stories engage and motivate learners • Embracing enactive practice through simple Drama pedagogy to support great planning • Getting children to lean into learning • Encouraging great talk from reluctant students • Putting some ‘oomf’ into curriculum delivery • Transformative practice through transformed and informed delivery • Contextual and Storytelling approaches to help children be curious about the world • Employing discerning pedagogical decisions • Powerful Botheredness models as a boon to creative practice and placing learning into contexts that bring the abstract to life The session will be pacy, informative, and fun.

In this open, audience-led fireside conversation, Jaz Ampaw-Farr and Amjad Ali explore leadership, belonging and social mobility through the lens of what truly creates long-term impact for schools and young people. Drawing on lived experience and leadership across diverse contexts, the conversation lifts the lid on what sits behind the public narratives of leadership: the decisions, tensions and moments that quietly shape culture, opportunity and belonging. With honesty, humour and generosity, Jaz and Amjad reflect on how leaders create schools where ambition and humanity can coexist. The format is conversational and unfiltered, with space for audience questions and shared reflection. Leaders will leave with fresh perspective and practical insight. If you’ve seen Jaz or Amjad speak before, you’ll know you’re in for a treat.

As leaders, we know that preparing young people for the future goes far beyond achieving qualifications. This workshop explores how developing durable skills such as communication, collaboration and resilience must be a core priority  and how creating a genuine sense of belonging within our learning environments provides the essential foundation for this.

According to the Teacher Wellbeing Index 2025, 86% of school leaders and 76% of teachers are stressed. The current climate in many schools is resulting in teachers and leaders feeling exhausted, unseen, and speeding toward burnout. This level of overwhelm leads to high staff absence costs, poor retention, and inevitably impacts the students’ ability to learn, grow and flourish. In this fun and interactive session, Rowena looks at reducing stress, and reigniting a passion for the role. Participants will learn practical, easy-to-implement strategies to create a thriving culture of well-being across their schools and teams. 1. Discover 3 keys to go from overwhelmed to thriving both as a leader and an organisation. 2. Apply tools that improve productivity, energy, and fulfilment at work. 3. Improve school culture and save resources.

It's often thought that, as leaders, we have to choose between a kind working environment or a highperforming one. This keynote sets out to prove that kindness actually drives success. Based on the scientific research and principles from Graham Allcott's book, KIND, this keynote will show you how kind acts lead to higher levels of teamwork, innovation and productivity as well as help shift work culture and society at large to something better. Key Takeaways: - Why kindness is essential for success. - The 8 Principles of Kindfulness at Work: a practical guide for injecting kindness into your team and organisation. - Discovering how kindness boosts productivity, creativity, and happiness. - Gaining insights into building a culture of high performance through kindness How kindness drives employee engagement and retention

The role of confidence in successful leadership is both significant and undisputed and yet organisations are full of leaders and teams who don’t have as much as they want and, even worse, are not doing anything about it. In this session we will explore the inner power of confidence, understand our own unique confidence stories and then master the 4Ps of the confidence code. Participants will leave with a greater understanding of their confidence triggers, strategies for systematic confidence development and be able to manage self-efficacy dips, spirals and build foundational confidences that unlock everything else.

Our training sessions include: Reflecting on what gives us a sense of belonging Exploring our own relationships and journeys with belonging Considering how we gather staff voice on belonging Reviewing the perception gap between stakeholder groups Considering how to create a belonging culture and a belonging curriculum Discussing the policies and practices that need to change to increase levels of belonging My new book on this theme is out in January: https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/author/hannah-wilson

Perfectionism often hides beneath high standards, but underneath sits fear — fear of getting it wrong, being judged, or not being enough. In this reflective session, leaders explore how perfectionism shows up in their work, what deeper needs it tries to protect (safety, control, competence), and how it quietly fuels stress, overthinking, and procrastination. Through guided questions and shared insight, participants begin to loosen the grip of “getting it right” and create space for presence, clarity and choice. They’ll leave with a rewritten inner story and one tiny, practical habit to interrupt the perfectionist cycle in real time.

To drive genuine improvement, we must master Didagogy: the science of professional development- teachers teaching teachers. This fast-paced, high-impact workshop deconstructs the shift from Pedagogy (teaching children), Andragogy (adult learning), Heutagogy (self-determined growth) to Didagogy. As a Senior leader, you don’t just need a strategy; you need an implementation loop that changes daily habits. We will dive into the cognitive science of teacher development, exploring why most CPD fails and how to build a culture of "Micro-Refinements." Grounded in the "Try, Refine, Ditch" mantra, you’ll leave with a toolkit to transform performative sessions into sustained professional learning. Expect no fluff, just evidence-informed tactics to ensure your T&L vision actually sticks in the classroom.

This interactive workshop equips school leaders with a clear, compliant framework for implementing AI in educational settings. Participants will understand what generative AI is and isn't, including its capabilities, limitations, and bias considerations. The session explores applications for supporting students, teachers, and leadership teams, emphasising human-in-the-loop approaches and essential safeguards. Leaders will receive a toolkit including an AI evaluation checklist, responsible use policy template, and implementation plan. The workshop provides strategies for developing school-specific AI policies ensuring data privacy and ethical use. Leaders will leave with immediate next steps to begin their AI journey confidently, aligned with DfE guidance.

Many of us returned to schools last year after the summer break to be greeted by St George flags on lamp posts outside our schools. The current rhetoric about refugees, and the divisive langauage that is surrounding us on social media about groups of already marginalised people is a challenging one for us in schools. How do we counter a strong narrative that appears to be building and taking root without being political or 'taking sides'? Andrew will demonstrate how his school have used weekly assemblies and a clear consistent "No Outsiders" ethos througout the year to counter the division. Delegates will leave with strategies, resources and ways to talk to parents and bring people on board.