The CST CEO Summit is a 24-hour residential event for trust leaders. It’s a safe, supported space for reflection, connection and inspiration at the end of the summer term to inform and challenge your thinking for the year ahead.
The Summit, now it its third year in a new venue in central Birmingham, is tightly focused on a particular aspect of trust leadership practice. Our 2026 theme of unlocking the partnership dividend is both an invitation and a call to action.
With expert guidance from innovative leaders from education, government and other parts of the public sector, we will take a highly practical look at how we can reframe our approach to civic leadership to enable our children and our communities to flourish, especially in areas of disadvantage.
Leading in place is not a new concept. It has been enacted in different ways, and on different terms in different professional silos. Our summit centres on a new theory of change to give you practical guidance on navigating the barriers to effective action through the power of relationships, combining data, story and deep listening to generate evidence, and by acting as integrators as well as providers.
The event is a unique opportunity to strengthen your networks, renew your sense of purpose and acquire a range of practical strategies and tools that will help you to continue to make positive and lasting change for the children and communities that you serve.
The Summit is for members of CST professional community for CEOs. You are also welcome to bring another leader from your trust to support their professional development and the embedding of this practice in your organisation.
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.
Minister for School Standards, Department for Education
Minister for School Standards, Department for Education
Georgia Gould was appointed Minister of State (Minister for School Standards) at the Department for Education on 6 September 2025. She was previously Parliamentary Secretary at the Cabinet Office between 9 July 2024 and 6 September 2025. Georgia was elected as the MP for Queen’s Park and Maida Vale in July 2024.
Chief Executive, CST
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.
Director, Empowering Leadership
Director, Empowering Leadership
Maggie has worked for many years in senior leadership positions in schools and local authorities. She was the director for leadership development, research and succession planning at the NCSL in England and interim chief executive until 2013.
She now works internationally with leaders and their teams in education and other sectors fostering practices that reduce stress, anxiety and overwhelm and increase effectiveness and resilience through the practice of presence & compassionate leadership. She is the author of Leading with Presence; it's an inside job, published in 2022 by Cadogan Press.
She is a Trustee of L.E.A.D. Academy Trust, of Bedfordshire Schools Trust, The Chair of the School of Contemplative Life, and has just finished a nine year term as a trustee of The Story Museum, Oxford; a museum dedicated to the power of story to change lives.
She was awarded the CBE for services to Education in 2014.
For details about commercial tickets, please contact conference@cstuk.org.uk.
CST members only: Full conference access on both days, including dinner on day one
Book your place£630 inc VAT at 20%
Our summit takes place at The Grand 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.
1 Church Street
Birmingham
B3 2FE
The summit takes place on 13 & 14 July 2026.
Registration starts at 12:00 on 13 July, followed by lunch with the main programme running from 13:00 to 17:30. There will be a drinks reception from 19:00, followed by dinner from 19:30 to 21:30.
Day two will run from 09:00 to 13:30. Lunch will be provided, whether you prefer to stay and network, or grab and go.
Delegate places include full access to both days of the summit, refreshments on arrival, drinks reception, dinner and accommodation on day one.
Places also include breakfast, refreshments and lunch on day two, whether you prefer to stay and network, or grab and go.
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 future programmes.
Confederation of School Trusts · Registered in England & Wales, company no: 05303883 · Charity no: 1107640.
CST Professional Development Ltd · Registered in England & Wales, company no: 10354936 · VAT Registration Number 270 0880 18
Registered offices both at 167-169 Great Portland Street, 5th Floor, London, England, W1W 5PF