Explore the programme for the conference below. The day will bring together keynote sessions, workshops and opportunities for discussion, with a focus on the key people and culture priorities shaping school trusts.
We will be adding further programme details as we approach the conference in November, so please keep checking back for updates.
Opening performance from Moor Green Primary Academy, REAch2 Multi-Academy Trust.
REAch2 Multi-Academy Trust
As a proud member of the REAch2 Multi-Academy Trust, the largest primary-only trust in the UK, we benefit from an excellent support network and the challenge required to always aim higher. They recognise that every school is different and empower us to deliver a high-quality, bespoke curriculum that meets the needs of our unique and diverse school community.
Opening remarks from Tamsin Frances, Executive Director of People, Infrastructure & Innovations, and Chair, CST People and culture professional community.
Executive Director, People, Infrastructure & Innovations, Ted Wragg Trust
Tamsin has combined the skills and experience from a career in primary leadership and then in business and operations in secondary schools to now lead on operations and innovations at the Ted Wragg Trust. She loves working with leaders in education to create organisational cultures where staff feel valued, included and empowered to transform lives and strengthen communities to make the world a better place. Growing up in Torbay and having lived most of her life across the region of Devon and Cornwall she is passionate about making the South West the best place in the country to go to school and to go on to have a life of opportunity.
People and culture leaders are working in increasingly complex systems, balancing constant change, competing priorities and growing expectations. This keynote explores why creating connection has become one of the greatest organisational challenges of our time, introducing organisational coherence as a way of understanding the relationship between what organisations aspire to, how they're led, how they're designed and what people experience every day. Drawing on occupational psychology and lessons from organisations across sectors, the session explores how People and culture leaders can shape the conditions where trust, connection and performance thrive.
Chief Leadership Psychologist, and Founder of the Centre for Leadership Psychology
Edel Holliday-Quinn is an HCPC Registered Occupational Psychologist and founder of the Centre for Leadership Psychology. She specialises in leadership, organisational effectiveness and culture change, helping organisations create the conditions where people, teams and organisations can thrive by translating occupational psychology into practical, evidence-based solutions.
Over the past decade, Edel has worked with senior leaders across global organisations, designing leadership strategies, developing capability and leading large-scale organisational culture change. Formerly SVP, Global Head of Leadership and Culture at Citi Bank and Global Strategy & Leadership Manager at PwC, she combines deep commercial experience with academic rigour to bridge the gap between psychological science and organisational practice.
Edel holds dual Master's degrees in Occupational Psychology and a Bachelor's degree in Business. She is completing her Professional Doctorate at Birkbeck, University of London, where her research explores transformational leadership and organisational resilience during times of crisis. She is an Associate Lecturer at the University of Coventry and also a regular contributor to publications including Forbes, where she writes about leadership, organisational psychology and the future of work.
In this session, Jack will explore the national workforce picture through a system lens. Together, we’ll look at the critical role of high-quality data in understanding attrition, workload, and variation across schools, along with why retention is a more powerful lever than recruitment alone.
Lead Economist, National Foundation for Educational Research
An expert researcher and commentator on the school workforce, Jack’s research aims to understand changes in the recruitment, retention, development and diversity of teachers in the UK. A specialist with analysing large datasets including the School Workforce Census and Labour Force Survey, Jack uses statistical analysis to gain insights for policy and practice. Jack’s research is regularly cited in parliament and by media outlets.
Join Leora and a panel of sector voices to explore patterns and trends in industrial action, and maintaining constructive relationships. Full panel to be confirmed.
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.
This practical reflection session will help us distil the day’s insights into a small number of specific, actionable steps you can take back to their trust. Through guided reflection and focused discussion, attendees will identify what matters most for their context, clarify where to start, and leave with concrete next actions to strengthen HR practice in the months ahead.
Relationships are at the centre of everything we do. With around 80% of school budgets invested in staff, relational practice is not an ‘add-on’ but central to impact. However, many trust leaders are sympathetic to this idea but feel stuck in embedding it systemically. To assist us with this, Neil will explore the ‘why’, ‘what’ and ‘how’ of systemic relational practice, drawing on evidence and practical insight.
Co-Lead, The Relationships Project
Neil Denton serves as a co-lead of the Relationships Project, bringing expertise as a community mediator and academic. Co-author of the Bridge-builders Handbook and The Sense of Connection, Neil believes there is an energy within disagreement and conflict that can be a powerful force for positive change. He helps communities in conflict to find ways to solve real life problems and strengthen human relationships. Along with his work on relationships, he is a leader in community mediation and conflict transformation, an Independent Community Mediator, and a Professor in Practice with the After Disasters Network at Durham University.
Executive Director, People, Infrastructure & Innovations, Ted Wragg Trust
Tamsin has combined the skills and experience from a career in primary leadership and then in business and operations in secondary schools to now lead on operations and innovations at the Ted Wragg Trust. She loves working with leaders in education to create organisational cultures where staff feel valued, included and empowered to transform lives and strengthen communities to make the world a better place. Growing up in Torbay and having lived most of her life across the region of Devon and Cornwall she is passionate about making the South West the best place in the country to go to school and to go on to have a life of opportunity.
