Leora Cruddas CBE

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.

Hall 1

1 Series three

Beyond ‘belonging’: How can trusts nurture agency and aspiration in their pupils?

This session considers the growing body of evidence behind ‘belonging’ – which is widely acknowledged as the foundation for wellbeing and success in schools. It will also extend the conversation to embrace ‘becoming’, where every child not only feels like they belong, but also feels empowered and full of potential. The panel will discuss how trusts can nurture this agency and aspiration in their pupils, and how leaders can bring this evolving vision to life, for a more ambitious future for state education in England.

Hall 1

1 Series two

Building an inclusive school system

In this session, Tom will explore the policy landscape on inclusion and the opportunity we have to create a more equitable and inclusive school system, including through reforming our approach to special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). He will share insight from his work as chair of the DfE’s Expert Advisory Group for Inclusion over the last 12 months and then in conversation with Leora Cruddas, reflect upon the importance of both national policy (top-down) and sector leadership (bottom up) through this programme of reform.