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Senior Leaders’ Summer Conference 2025
Overview:
As a senior leader in education, you are the catalyst for change and inspiration within your community. Our Senior Leaders’ Summer Conference is one of our flagship events of the year. It is a day designed to honour your dedication, rejuvenate your passion and enrich you with innovative ideas and perspectives.
Why Attend?
Confirmed Speakers:
Valerie Hannon
SESSION TITLE: Reimagining Education for Human Thriving: Navigating Challenges and Opportunities for the Future
Educators face a huge challenge in seeking to reconcile the demands and requirements of the current English education system with the needs and expectations of their learners, in the context both of prevailing conditions and the prospects for the future. Many feel that we need a fundamental rethink of the purposes of education.
In this session, Valerie Hannon will explore some of the known challenges of the future and offer a vision of what an authentic response to them might entail. What if we reoriented towards a goal of thriving people, places and planet? What will ‘thriving’ really mean for humans? In this session we will dig into the implications in these ideas (currently being developed in the flagship OECD project ‘Education for Human Thriving’); look at some examples of schools taking them forward; and think about what it might mean in our own contexts.
Laura McInerney
SESSION TITLE: Education Trends 2025: What to watch on the horizon
In this keynote, Laura uses her knowledge from frontline education reporting, and inside sources, to give an insight into what changes are afoot in schools over the next twelve months, and beyond.
Drawing on data from over 10,000 teachers who have shared their experiences through daily surveys on Teacher Tapp for the past 7 years, this in-depth talk will provide primary senior leaders with crucial insights into key issues shaping education.
Jaz Ampaw Farr
SESSION TITLE: The Power of Everyday Heroes
Every morning, school leaders transform young lives, acting as heroes in their communities. Teaching is more than a job; it’s a daily commitment to creating stories of hope and possibility. This conference offers a space to share wisdom, explore transformative leadership strategies and gain fresh perspectives. Jaz’s keynote will chart her journey and the impact that everyday heroes like you had in shaping her life and making her the person she is today. You will leave the keynote inspired and recharged to continue transforming young lives with a zing in your step.
DATE: Friday, 20 June 2025
TIME: 09:30 – 15:30
VENUE: The British Motor Museum, Gaydon, Warwickshire
COST: £299 for non-subscribing schools. Additional places for subscribing schools will be charged at £200 each.
Our Senior Leaders Conference is kindly sponsored by:
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BOOKING IS ESSENTIAL
This event forms part of the Gateway Alliance – Senior Leaders’ Network CPD subscription. Schools that have purchased this subscription have 1 FREE place on the event (additional places will be charged at £200 per person). Places are charged at £299 per person for non-subscribing schools.
If you have any queries please don’t hesitate to contact us on 02476 347697 or email: info@gatewayalliance.co.uk
Laura Mclnerney
Laura is an education journalist, former teacher, and co-founder of Teacher Tapp, the daily survey app uncovering an accurate picture of teachers’ lives.
She started her career teaching in London comprehensives before being taken to court by Michael Gove for asking a difficult question about free schools. (She eventually won). Following this, Laura became a journalist, editing Schools Week and writing a column for the Guardian, before starting Teaching Tapp. She is regularly heard on BBC radio shows and has authored several books including Leading Academy Trusts with Sir David Carter.
Valerie Hannon
Valerie is a global thought leader, inspiring systems to re-think what ‘success’ will mean in the C 21st, and the implications for education. The co-founder of the Innovation Unit, Valerie is a radical voice for change, whilst grounded in a deep understanding of how education systems currently work.
After a distinguished career within education, Valerie now works independently to support change programs across the world. She has advised governments and worked with systems and schools on every continent, working with some of the most challenged as well as the leaders in education innovation. She is a regular keynote speaker and facilitator at international conferences and workshops, drawing upon her substantial research and publications.
Valerie is a Senior Consultant for OECD currently working on its High Performing Systems for Tomorrow program, specifically on a workforce for the future. Her book THRIVE (Cambridge University Press) has been highly influential. FutureSchool (Routledge) appeared in 2022.
Jaz Ampaw-Farr
Multi-award-winning inspirational speaker and one of the top female motivational speakers in the UK, Jaz is a force of nature who galvanises people to take action.
This world class re-framer has a unique ability to help people reframe their stories and situations, bringing transformation in their work, life and communities. This is Jaz’s alchemy.
Jaz combines lessons learned from a challenging and often brutal childhood with those from her rise to TV presenter, TEDx Speaker, stand-up comedian and Z-list reality TV star.
Her authentic honesty and humour consistently empower people to think differently about leading themselves and others.
Along with her husband Ed, Jaz is co-founder of the leadership development consultancy Be Human First Limited. Together, they help leaders who want to influence, inspire and motivate their teams with greater engagement in order to grow their businesses and leave a lifelong legacy.
All of our Sponsors and Exhibitors will be present in our Exhibition Area during the day of the Conference
Our Sponsors:
Find out what staff, pupils and parents really think!
School Surveys supports over 450 schools in gaining insights from staff, parents, and pupils. It
fast (it takes 3 minutes to set up a survey), efficient, and professional—built to fit seamlessly into the busy lives of school leaders and their communities.
Survey reports provide reliable, benchmarked data, show progress over time, and help track the impact of policies.
Reports are generated automatically, giving leaders the clarity and speedy confidence to drive real improvement.
Equipping children for life through high quality, free and accessible workshops within an experience they will never forget. Rock Kidz is a social enterprise dedicated to teaching children important life lessons through music. Since starting in 2015 our Primary Schools programme has risen in popularity across the North-West and there have been many success stories from pupils who have been impacted by our work and messages. Our experienced team of musicians bring a fresh and innovative approach to learning by delivering interactive sessions that are both fun and enjoyable.
Steplab provides everything schools and trusts need to deliver evidence-based, world-class professional development. From precise teaching techniques and expert models to actionable insights and real-time coaching, they help teachers embed evidence-informed practices and improve every day.
Our Premium Exhibitors:
3P Learning is a world leading educational software company with a mission to create better ways to learn. Supporting 250,000 teachers and around 5,000,000 children in 132 countries, 3P Learning is proud to work alongside educators to deliver a love of learning into classrooms and homes. 3P Learning’s core educational software suite includes Reading Eggs, Writing Legends, Mathletics, Mathseeds and Brightpath.
The mission, in partnership with UCAN, is to become the GO-TO apprenticeship full-service solution for all UK schools and Multi Academy Trusts. Unlike other training providers operating across multiple sectors, A4E works exclusively with schools. The organisation’s DNA is uniquely education. With their training provider partner UCAN they provide best in class curriculums, delivery capability and full customer journey experience for the education sector. Participating schools become stakeholders in the company, taking an active part in shaping programmes, delivery, and future learning innovation.
UCAN/A4E offers a portfolio of school specific apprenticeship programmes and services and will continue to innovate to remain relevant and offer the most value to the changing requirements of schools. Through contextualising the curriculums, content, and delivery to an exclusively schools’ market. To learn more about their exciting new apprenticeships programmes including Level 5 Specialist Teaching Assistant, School Community Health and Wellbeing Champion and Student Development and Support Worker visit their website (link above).
Arbor is home to the UK’s most-popular MIS and school management software. Give your staff time and power back with an MIS that makes every day easier and more collaborative. Join-up your critical school operations with specialist, top-rated HR, Finance and timetabling tools. Make your school data meaningful and easy to action with market-leading benchmarking and reporting. Join the 8,500+ schools and MATs using Arbor to transform the way they work.
Biopic Photo is led by a former headteacher who understands the power of strong visual storytelling in education. They specialise in high-quality photography and videography, creating professional images for websites, marketing materials, and prospectuses, as well as immersive video tours that showcase your school’s strengths, facilities, and ethos.
With a background in education, they know what parents look for when choosing a school, and we tailor our visuals to highlight what makes yours unique. Their photography captures vibrant learning environments, engaged students, and dedicated staff, while their video tours provide an authentic and compelling insight into school life.
From website updates to social media content, we offer cost-effective, high-impact solutions that enhance your school’s presence. Let Biopic Photo help you create a lasting impression with stunning visuals that truly represent your school’s vision, values, and community.
Chatty® helps schools create confident communicators. The innovative software, Chatty Toolbox®, enables staff and parents to easily find and fix speech, language and communication needs – without needing to be a speech and language expert. Chatty Toolbox® provides simple tools and ready-to-use resources to identify children’s needs quickly, target the right support, and track progress over time.
It’s ideal for all children – whether they need help with speech sounds, understanding language, building vocabulary, or developing confidence to communicate. It’s equally useful for supporting children learning English as an Additional Language, and for children with social, emotional and mental health (SEMH) needs, where communication difficulties can often sit beneath the surface.
Used by schools across the UK and overseas, Chatty Toolbox® puts communication support at everyone’s fingertips – saving time, building confidence, and helping every child find their voice.
Discover how you can reduce your energy costs by up to 70% and move faster towards net zero with no upfront capital investment. eEnergy helps your school achieve this in three ways:
eEnergy’s intelligent data solutions help eliminate energy waste and validate your savings. With their unique £40m Net Zero fund, backed by NatWest, they offer competitive, compliant, off-balance sheet de-carbonisation funding. They have delivered over 1000 successful projects, helping schools save more than £100m.
Hepp DT specializes in delivering high-quality Design and Technology (D&T) services for primary schools, offering engaging workshops, expert training, consultancy, and ready-to-use material resource kits.
Aligned with the National Curriculum, Hepp DT focuses on creativity, problem-solving, and hands-on learning, helping children design and make products that address real-world challenges. Their immersive workshops transform classrooms into dynamic learning environments, integrating subjects like literacy, numeracy, and science while covering key elements of the design cycle, structures, mechanisms, and electrical systems.
For educators, Hepp DT provides bespoke training and consultancy, ensuring teachers feel confident in delivering the D&T curriculum. Whether through INSET days, full-day or twilight sessions, their training is tailored to meet school-specific needs.
To support high-quality D&T teaching, Hepp DT also offers pre-prepared resource kits and tools, eliminating the hassle of lesson preparation.
NAHT is the UK’s largest professional trade union for school leaders. They are a politically independent organisation representing more than 38,000 head teachers, executive heads, CEOs, deputy and assistant heads, vice principals and school business leaders. Their members work across the early years, primary, special and secondary schools; independent schools; sixth form and FE colleges; outdoor education centres; pupil referral units; social services establishments and other educational settings. In addition to the representation, advice and training that they provide for existing school leaders, they also support, develop and represent the school leaders of the future through the middle leadership section of our union. They use their voice at the highest levels of government to influence policy for the benefit of leaders and learners everywhere.
OxEd & Assessment is a University of Oxford spinout company committed to improving early language and literacy outcomes. Founded by world-leading researchers, Professors Charles Hulme and Maggie Snowling, OxEd leverages decades of rigorous research in language development and educational interventions to create practical tools for schools.
Their flagship programme, The NELI Programme, is an evidence-based oral language assessment and intervention programme designed to strengthen children’s oral language skills. It includes an assessment to screen all children in less than ten minutes, whole-class enrichment, and a 20-week targeted intervention proven to improve children’s oral language skills. Independent evaluations, including large-scale Randomised Controlled Trials, have demonstrated that NELI helps pupils make up to seven months’ additional progress in language skills. Positive effects are also maintained long-term, with improvements in language, reading comprehension and single word reading. Research also shows that EAL children make the same progress as their peers speaking English at home and children’s behaviour also improves as a result of receiving NELI. Used by more than 10,000 schools, NELI helps to close the language development gap and lay strong foundations for literacy success.
The UK’s Number One School Playground Provider with over 25 years of experience in crafting Outdoor School Playgrounds. With expert Outdoor Learning Consultants, Dedicated Project Managers and Qualified Product Designers, Joiners and Installers, you can rest assured that Pentagon Play is the best company for your playground developments. Whether you’re looking for a bright and exciting EYFS playground transformation, or a versatile Outdoor Classroom space to suit all of your pupils, Pentagon Play can support you through every stage of the development, crafting a high-quality and durable Outdoor Learning space that will stand the test of time.
Peters is the UK’s leading specialist supplier of children’s books and furniture to schools and public libraries, and they’re passionate about inspiring children and young people to read.
Their qualified librarians and children’s book specialists read and review more than 10,000 newly published children’s books every year, supporting schools with all of their reading requirements, from reading for pleasure to educational titles and curriculum topic support. From hand-picked book packs to tailored book selections to meet your pupils’ needs to library audits, they are there to help.
They also offer a free interior design consultation service to help you create inspiring reading spaces in school. Inform them of your requirements and they can do a site visit or work from digital plans and photographs to create a 3D CAD design and quotation. From small reading corners to large libraries, the team can bring your vision to life.
Primary Quiz makes integrating low-stakes quizzing effortless with an extensive collection of interactive, lesson-ready whiteboard resources.
Engage students in dynamic quizzes, games, and reasoning tasks across English, Maths, Geography, History, and Science. With ever-refreshing activities (multiple-choice quizzes, retrieval boards, spelling walls, arithmetic busters, and more), learning stays fresh, effective and fun.
Designed by an experienced headteacher, Primary Quiz is designed to save educators hours of planning time, while fostering teamwork, collaboration, and deep understanding. Offering unlimited retrieval practice and SATS-busting quizzes, Primary Quiz will transform your classroom into a hub of active learning, ensuring pupils retain knowledge in a fun, low-pressure environment. A game-changer for your classroom!
Scanning Pens is a global EdTech company providing award-winning assistive reading technology. Their C-Pen Reader 2 and Exam Reader help learners with reading challenges access text independently and confidently. Used in thousands of schools, their tools support literacy, exam access, and inclusion. They work closely with educators to deliver CPD-accredited training and impactful implementation strategies. Their latest UK-wide Pilot Program invites MATs to explore the power of reading pens through a free 60-day trial. With evidence-backed results and flexible leasing options, they’re here to transform the literacy journey, one reader at a time.
Created and supported by a team of speech and language therapists, Speech Link and Language Link are award-winning, online, standardised assessments, interventions, staff training and resources empowering schools in their work with speech, language and communication needs (SLCN). Their packages, available by annual subscriptions, support pupils aged 4-14 years. The robust assessments allow school staff to quickly screen all students; enabling early identification of SLCN. The whole-school approach aims to ensure that no student falls under the radar, that those with severe needs are identified for discussions with specialists where appropriate and that all students reach their full potential.
Working with schools to deliver direct Speech and Language Therapy services where it’s needed the most, a dedicated Speech Therapist can visit your school on a weekly, or half termly basis depending on your needs and budget. Together, they can
1) Set a manageable caseload by prioritising the children from Nursery through to Year 12,
2) Assess and offer advice for your high level EHCP children,
3) Provide reports for EHCP applications and
4) Support with annual reviews to ensure you’re meeting each child’s EHCP requirements. They also offer training packages to upskill your staff team, maximising the effectiveness of our intervention together.
Teach Active is an online resource providing schools and teachers with high quality lesson plans and resources designed to deliver all areas of the Maths and English curriculum through movement. The bank of 3500 plans are written by Maths and English consultants, are mapped to the curriculum and will complement and enhance any existing planning/scheme.
Teach Active have won numerous awards and received national recognition for creating healthier, happier and better attaining children through this approach. Although Maths and English, schools will be pleased to know Teach Active is endorsed as outstanding use of the PE funding.
Jon Smedley, Teach Active Founder, works with schools across the UK and Internationally. Furthermore, Teach Active is based on research from Loughborough University, proving the school day is 33% more active, whilst children are also happier and achieving better.
As an InVentry Premier Reseller, X Digital Media provides InVentry products, upgrades, supplies, and training to schools in the UK, improving safeguarding and security.
We also supply Paxton door access equipment and offer a Staff ID card printing service for custom ID cards featuring your name, photo, and school details, together with card holders and lanyards. Additionally, we offer Newline Interactive Touchscreens which create an interactive and immersive learning experience for students.
From safeguarding equipment to classroom technology, we offer comprehensive solutions for diverse educational needs.
