How do we ensure that the purpose and values of the trusts we lead are lived and shared? This conference will explore the problem of trust and confidence in public institutions, and how it affects our schools and trusts.
It will offer some possible solutions in the form of answering four powerful questions:
Who is education for? In system design terms, our most vulnerable learners are often at the margins. We need to bring them into the centre of system design. And we need to make this a first consideration, not an afterthought.
Public value shifts our organisations away from the view of public services that has been dominant since the mid-80s (choice, competition, markets). Public value has emerged as a response to the limitations of new public management, to incorporate notions of more democratic and inclusive dialogue and deliberation.
Relational trust is about how we build and value our connections with one another. Viviane Robinson’s work has helped us understand that the ability to build relational trust is a core leadership virtue. Relational trust is grounded in social respect – and respectful exchanges are marked by genuinely listening to people say and by taking these views into account in subsequent actions.
Public narrative is a leadership practice of translating values into action. It is a way of engaging the head and the heart of others to join you in action on behalf of a shared purpose. Public narratives are narratives that many people share and that reflect deeply held cultural perspectives and shared histories.
Hear from some of today's leading educational thinkers
Give you and your leadership team time to re-think how your trust works
Connect with colleagues from school trusts across the country
Engage with innovative providers to the school trust sector
This summit is an extension of the CST Chief executives professional community - a unique space for school trust leaders to network, share, and learn, all year round. Community membership is an integral part of CST membership.
Executive Chairman, Intrinsic Labs
Sharath is a globally recognised authority on leadership at inflection moments. He is an acclaimed advisor, speaker and author supporting leaders and organisations to futureproof success. Sharath has also established a Generational Success Lab to help organisations across sectors navigate the generational inflection moment in our workforce and society. Sharath teaches leadership at both Oxford and Cambridge Universities. He is the author of two influential books, Inflection: A Roadmap for Leaders at a Crossroads and Intrinsic: A Manifesto to Reignite our Inner Drive. He was made an OBE in the Queen's 2022 New Year's Honours. He holds degrees from Cambridge University (First Class Honours), Oxford University & INSEAD (MBA with Distinction). Sharath lives in London with his wife and two boys. He is a keen reader, restaurant and theatre goer, traveller, and a nationally competitive pickleball player. He is currently working on Inheritable, an intergenerational novel.
Permanent Secretary, Department for Education
Susan Acland-Hood has been the Permanent Secretary at the Department for Education since September 2020. Susan’s previous roles in government include Chief Executive at HM Courts and Tribunals Service; Director of Enterprise and Growth at HM Treasury; Director of Education and Funding at the Department for Education; Policy Advisor on home affairs and justice, and then education policy at Number 10; and Head of Strategy at the Home Office. She has also held senior roles in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets and in the Social Exclusion Unit. Her civil service career began in 1999 at the Department for Education and Employment.
For details about commercial tickets, please contact conference@cstuk.org.uk.
CST members only: Full conference access on both days, including dinner and overnight accommodation on day one, and lunch on day two
Book your place£570 inc VAT at 20%
CST members only: Full conference access on both days, including dinner on day one and lunch on day two.
Book your place£510 inc VAT at 20%
Our summit takes place at Park Regis Hotel, Birmingham.
We recommend using public transport wherever possible to attend. The venue is within Birmingham’s Clean Air Zone and there may be additional fees for driving to the venue.
Park Regis Hotel
160 Broad Street
Birmingham
B15 1DT
The summit takes place on 7 & 8 July 2025.
Delegate registration will begin at 15:00 on 7 July, with the main programme starting at 16:00. The summit includes an evening dinner. The summit will finish at 15:10 on 8 July.
Delegate places include full access to both days of the summit, plus an evening dinner on day one and lunch on day two. Delegates can choose to book overnight accommodation as part of their ticket, or make their own arrangements.
Delegates are responsible for their own travel to and from the venue.
The event programme is provisional and subject to change. Booking terms and conditions apply.
Imagery is from past events and may not reflect the 2025 programme.
Confederation of School Trusts · Registered in England & Wales, company no: 05303883 · Charity no: 1107640.
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