The Confederation of School Trusts is the national organisation and sector body for school trusts in England advocating for, connecting and supporting executive and governance leaders. Our Annual Conference has grown to be one of the biggest and most influential events in the education calendar in England, attracting 1300 delegates and dozens of leading figures in education.
Our 2024 event promises to be the biggest yet, building on our sell-out 2023 conference, guiding school trusts as they build for the future.
About CST
CST is a membership organisation of organisations. This means that the organisation – the trust – is the member. We are proud to support and represent 70% of the academy sector in England. Our members are responsible for the education of more than three million young people and children.
CST is shaping the education policy agenda for school trusts. Bringing together trusts in England from every region and of every size, CST has a strong, strategic presence with access to government and policy makers to drive real change for education on the big issues that matter most.
In addition to our annual conference, we organise a number of community conferences focuses on individual areas of school trust operation. We also run a range of training courses for school trust leaders and those involved in trust governance, and regularly publish guidance and thought leadership on the big issues facing the sector.
Chief Executive, CST
Leora Cruddas is the founding Chief Executive of the Confederation of School Trusts – the national organisation and sector body for school trusts in England. She has advised successive governments and sits on several Department for Education advisory bodies. She was recently the vice chair of the Head Teacher Standards Review Group, a member of the external advisory group for the Schools White Paper, SEND National Implementation Board and the Regulatory and Commissioning Review.
Prior to founding CST, she was Director of Policy and Public Relations for the Association of School and College Leaders. Leora has six years of experience as a director of education in two London local authorities.
She is a visiting professor at UCL Institute of Education.
Leora was made a CBE in the 2022 New Year’s Honours.
Deputy Chief Executive, CST
Steve Rollett is Deputy Chief Executive of the Confederation of School Trusts (CST), the national organisation and sector body for school trusts in England. Before joining CST, he was Curriculum and Inspection Specialist for the Association of School and College Leaders. Steve has sat on a range of advisory bodies, including Ofsted’s curriculum advisory group. Most recently he has supported Oak National Academy and the Department for Education’s remote learning advisory group. Originally trained as a history teacher, Steve was a Vice Principal of one of England’s most improved secondary schools before moving into a career in education policy.
