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 remarks from Leora Cruddas CBE, 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.
Opening remarks from Tamsin Frances, Executive Director, Transformation and Infrastructure, Ted Wragg, and Chair, CST People and culture professional community.
Executive Director, Transformation and Infrastructure, Ted Wragg
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 designed and what people experience every day. Edel will draw on her experience from organisations across sectors and her occupational psychology background to explore 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.
A short address from Dale Fahey, Head of Partnerships & Marketing, MyNewTerm.
Head of Partnerships & Marketing, MyNewTerm
Dale Fahey is Head of Partnerships at MyNewTerm, where he leads on building strong, strategic relationships with schools and trusts.
With a background in education and a passion for digital innovation, Dale works closely with partners to ensure the platform delivers real impact.
A short address from Catherine Hulme, Owner/Director, Leadership Edge.
Owner/Director, Leadership Edge
Catherine joined Leadership Edge as an Associate Coach in 2019 and became Owner/Director in 2022. A former secondary assistant headteacher (teaching and learning) and award-winning primary Governor, she also brings 10 years’ experience of working in the corporate sector, adding to her perspective on system-level leadership and organisational development. Catherine holds ILM Level 7 qualifications in both executive coaching and coaching supervision and is passionate about embedding empowering, ethical coaching conversations into the heart of school culture, to develop and sustain colleagues across the sector. After meeting her husband while at Durham University, she moved from Berkshire to Cheshire, where she is now a forever-learning parent in a neurodivergent family, enjoying mini-breaks to North Wales and daily walks with her enormous bernedoodle.
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.
CEO & Co-Founder, Edapt
Alistair Wood is Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Edapt, an organisation that gives legal support to teachers in employment disputes. Alistair previously served as assistant principal and head of sixth form at North London Collegiate School Dubai, and held teaching positions at Wellington College and North London Collegiate School Jeju in South Korea.
Choose from a series of practical workshops delivered by sector experts and trust leaders, exploring inclusive approaches to supporting neurodivergent staff, rethinking performance management, and how people professionals can strengthen their strategic influence across the trust.
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, Transformation and Infrastructure, Ted Wragg
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.
This workshop explores how values-led, intentional workforce planning can transform recruitment, retention, and career progression across trusts. Ben and John will examine how aligning recruitment practices at STEP Academy Trust with organisational values can attract and sustain a more inclusive workforce. The session will also explore how creating diverse entry routes such as apprenticeships, can build inclusive career pathways that support progression for all, including alumni, building a stronger, more connected workforce.
Chief Finance and Operations Officer, STEP Academy Trust
Ben has worked at senior positions with the public sector for many years and was part of a pilot programme for aspiring business managers run by the National College, achieving an Advanced Diploma in 2013. Ben joined STEP in 2014, and since that time has embedded a business strategy which has facilitated STEP’s growth from four schools in Croydon to 20 across London and the south east, as well as ensuring consistently strong outcomes for pupils. Currently, Ben’s remit includes oversight of the STEP Ahead Teaching School Hub, as well as all functions that support the education offer of the trust.
As part of Ben’s commitment to the education sector, he has been involved in shaping various pilots organised by the department, including the SRMA and mentoring CFO programmes. This is in addition to supporting the department on bespoke projects and undertaking trust reviews on behalf of regional directors as well as at the request of trust boards. Keen to support the sector in other ways, Ben also speaks at national conferences and has been commissioned by Ambition Institute and Fig Tree International to present on their executive programmes.
Ben is a qualified accountant and recently completed his NPQH. Ben is a Fellow of the Institute of School Business Leaders and past Trustee of the Institute.
Executive Director of Primary, STEP Academy Trust
John is originally from Liverpool and spent his secondary years on the Isle of Man, giving him experience of both urban and rural education. His teaching career began in 2001 in a middle school in Settle, North Yorkshire, before moving to London in 2003, where he has remained.
During his time in London, John has held senior roles including SENCo, inclusion leader and deputy headteacher, and has been headteacher in three schools across Newham, Barking and Dagenham, and Croydon and Sutton. He is now Executive Director of Primary at STEP Academy Trust.
John’s work has consistently focused on serving communities facing high levels of deprivation, with a clear moral purpose to raise aspirations and improve outcomes for children. Since joining STEP, he has been recognised as a National Leader of Education and now leads trust wide leadership development and the strategic oversight of SEND, including training, coaching and talent mapping.
Planning how to support your school leaders to build constructive industrial relations is important when handling any potential disputes. This session will help you have conversations with colleagues about the changes we are seeing across education and the need for Trusts to consider industrial relations as a potential challenge and risk for the future. Carl and Emma will cover early signs that industrial relations may be developing, negotiating fundamentals, and employee engagement and trust in leadership as key drivers of constructive dialogue.
Partner & Head of HR Services, Browne Jacobson LLP
Emma Hughes is a Partner and Head of HR Services at Browne Jacobson with a 20-year career in HR spanning significant change and organisational transformation across multiple sectors. A specialist in employee relations and trade union matters, Emma brings extensive practical experience of collective consultation, dispute resolution and ACAS conciliation, both as a former in-house HR Director and in her advisory work with clients. She has established and managed JNCCs and supports clients across all aspects of the machinery for consultation and negotiation with trade union colleagues.
With a keen interest in employee engagement and culture, Emma has in recent years focused significantly on coaching senior leaders through the complexity of people leadership, trade union disputes and delivering training to leaders at all levels on managing staff relationships. She is a keynote speaker on Browne Jacobson's HR Visionary Pathway, a CPD programme for strategic leaders in education.
Emma has been with Browne Jacobson for nine years and is a member of the firm’s Education Board. She is a Trustee at Education Support and at the Institute for Employment Studies (incorporating IPA). A former Chair of Trustees for a 16-school trust in Worcestershire, she previously served as HR Director at Academy Transformation Trust and led HR for Ark Schools' regional schools in Birmingham.
Industrial Relations Specialist, Confederation of School Trusts
Carl Parker is a professional with extensive experience in industrial relations across the private and public sector. He is ASCL’s former Head of Industrial Relations where he was responsible for consultation and negotiation with local authorities, school trusts and the independent sector. Over recent years, he has supported many school leaders in an increasingly tense industrial relations climate in education. His expertise in the field is further supported by his educational background, having completed a degree in economics and administration with a focus on labour and industrial relations from the University of Warwick.
This session explores how Comms, HR and leadership can work in partnership to strengthen recruitment across your trust, where employer brand, storytelling, and internal culture all play a role. With recruitment challenges continuing across the sector, a more joined-up approach between internal teams can position your trust as employer of choice. Even if your trust doesn’t have a dedicated MarComms team, we’ll explore how aligning messaging, amplifying authentic staff voices, and leveraging word of mouth can help attract and retain the next generation of teachers in a competitive market.
Associate Communications Consultant, Talent Architects
Helen Kitchen represents Talent Architects, a consultancy helping schools become great places to work. She brings over two decades of corporate PR, branding, and communications expertise to the education sector, focusing on how trusts attract and retain staff. Prior to her current role, Helen spent two decades managing corporate reputations across global sectors and operating as an independent communications consultant. Over the last two years, she has worked directly with HR directors and executive leaders in school trusts to bridge the gap between human resources and communication. Helen specialises in auditing messaging, defining clear Employer Value Propositions (EVPs), and treating communication as a vital recruitment tool. Her practical approach ensures schools move past standard job listings to showcase their unique employment offer and keep top talent.
According to recent research by Teacher Tapp, 25% of teachers self-identify as neurodivergent, of which a large percentage is comprised of the younger generation. As we seek to create sustainable conditions for staff to thrive, this session explores a partnership approach to supporting neurodivergent staff, where accountability, shared responsibility and flexibility are prioritised, instead of falling back on reactive statutory interventions. Chris will highlight how proactive, values-led HR practices can improve staff wellbeing, retention, and foster an inclusive culture within your trust.
Neurodiversity and Education Specialist - Education Lead - ADHD UK
Chris Benson is the first serving headteacher in the UK to publicly disclose living with ADHD on a national level. He has lived neurodivergence as a pupil, a teacher, a headteacher of 15 years — and as the parent of an autistic son and a daughter with ADHD who spent eight months unable to face school (EBSA). He knows what it looks like from every seat at the table. That changes everything about how he works with schools.
Neurodivergence is not a deficit to be corrected. It is a difference to be understood. Educators don’t need to be experts in neurodevelopmental conditions — they need to be experts in the children in front of them.
When evaluating your trusts’ professional development policy, is there a different way of ‘thinking outside the box’ when it comes to performance management? In this session, Elaine will share their trust case-study, and the learnings that came from creating a strategy that feels fit for purpose, instead of perfunctory. Join this session to connect, share your own policies, and learn from others in the room.
Director of People, Active Learning Trust
Elaine is the Director of People at Active Learning Trust, a values-led school trust, with a family of 21 schools based across Cambridgeshire, Suffolk and Norfolk. Previously, Elaine has worked in HR roles for over 25 years across a variety of organisations, including Cambridgeshire County Council and Local Government. She was also Assistant Director for HR at EPM, primarily working with school trusts across the country.
Drawing on her experience at Ted Wragg Trust, Lisa Thomas shares six practical lessons from building an organisation-wide people strategy. The session explores strong HR foundations, organisational leadership, challenging established practice, listening beyond the data, professional development and the importance of relationships. Participants will reflect on their own trust context and identify practical actions to strengthen their influence and people strategy.
Director of People, The Ted Wragg Multi Academy Trust
Lisa is an experienced HR leader with over 25 years in the public, private, and third sectors. She has worked in the education sector for over a decade, bringing a deep understanding of how effective people strategies can shape and support school communities to thrive.
As Director of People, Lisa plays a pivotal role in supporting the trust’s mission to transform the lives of children by creating an inclusive, enabling and values-driven working environment. She is passionate about empowering leaders and staff to flourish so they can deliver the very best outcomes for children.
Lisa is currently completing her ILM Level 7 qualification in Executive Coaching and has recently begun a Certificate in Reflective Supervision in Education. These reflect her commitment to nurturing leadership capability and building reflective, supportive cultures across the trust.
Driven by a strong belief that our people are the ones that will transform lives, Lisa’s ambition is to make the trust the greatest place to work in the South West, where every colleague feels valued and inspired and are developed so they can really make a difference.
Founder, Talent Architects
