John Murphy

Education Leadership Mentor and Advisor

John is a highly experienced former CEO who has grown and developed one of England’s leading school trusts and is now dedicating the next stage of his career as an Education Leadership Mentor, Advisor and Public speaker. As one of the founding CEOs of the National Institute of Teaching, John has contributed to the architecture of the school trust sector. John has become the Programme Architect for the BeReady Becoming the CEO programme and is currently enabling, equipping and sustaining 150 aspiring and current CEOs. Now John continues to use his skills and experience to support other leaders to succeed as a CEO mentor, leadership trainer and chair of national conferences that nurture the next generation of school trust CEOs.

Workforce

1 Breakout sessions: Series three

BeReady: An untapped opportunity? Unlocking the Growth and Skills Levy

Many trusts are looking for ways to strengthen workforce capacity without placing further pressure on already stretched budgets. This interactive session explores how the Growth and Skills Levy can support retention, talent development and inclusive provision, drawing on practical examples from trust leaders in both mainstream and special education settings. We will examine common misconceptions, practical implementation approaches and how funded development opportunities can be used to develop teaching assistants, create career progression opportunities and support staff into qualified teacher roles. Ideal for CEOs, COOs, and HR leads.

1 Workshop series three

Leveraging the levy: the strategic role of teaching apprenticeships

This session will explore how trusts can make strategic use of the apprenticeship levy to upskill teaching assistants and support staff into qualified teacher roles, while minimising costs. The levy is widely underutilised, often due to misconceptions about its relevance and complexity. This workshop will address myths surrounding the levy, share best practice, and offer a clear, operationally focused overview of how trusts can leverage the levy to create great career pathways. Attendees will hear directly from trust leaders who have used the levy to access the first TA to teacher pathway, without the need for a traditional degree. Join us to explore how integrated teaching apprenticeships can transform your workforce and talent development strategies.