Stephen Morales

Group CEO, Centre for Education Operational Excellence (CEOE)

Stephen has a 20 year career history in operations and finance, working at a senior level in the public and private sectors, both in the UK and abroad.

Stephen presided over the development and implementation of nationally recognised school business leadership professional standards and led the transition from the National Association of School Business Management to the Institute of School Business Leadership. Stephen works closely with the Department for Education in areas of policy reform, and his commitment to research to aid our self-improving system includes ongoing engagement with international jurisdictions including Australia, Europe, the Middle East and the US.

Building digital capability and capacity

1 Workshop series three

Evaluating what matters: Improving your digital capability in practice

Situated within the wider operational excellence context, this session explores how trusts are evaluating and strengthening organisational digital capability in practice. Drawing on the AI, Digital and Data Standards alongside wider improvement approaches, trust leaders will reflect on how they have benchmarked capability, identified gaps and vulnerabilities, prioritised improvement activity, and developed clearer roadmaps for improvement. The discussion will explore the practical realities of building digital capability - including leadership, sequencing, organisational readiness and culture - alongside the lessons and challenges emerging through the process.

Hall 10a

1 Series four

Leading through change: Unlocking operational efficiencies with the power of data

In recent research led by IRIS Education, over four fifths of education leaders cited budget constraints as a core challenge. This session will provide practical strategies and real-world insights into how to operate more efficiently, gain greater financial visibility, and help future-proof your trust’s success. Aimed at small to mid-size trusts, and those with ambition to grow – trust leaders will walk away with actionable takeaways to drive capacity, improve efficiency, and create the conditions where schools, and their pupils, can flourish.