Case Studies

In a rapidly evolving educational landscape, leaders today face complex challenges that demand resilience, vision, and innovative solutions. This keynote invites us to consider how trust leaders can embody the conference theme of Lead, not plead, by harnessing the mental models and mindsets that fuel transformative leadership. Leora will explore three crucial domains of educational leadership during her keynote. This session will be a call to action, challenging educational leaders to transcend traditional roles, confront obstacles head-on, and create lasting change. Join Leora to explore new ways to lead with purpose, using Leora’s insights and expertise to fuel your journey as a transformative leader.

How can leaders at all levels ensure that they navigate challenges, and embrace opportunities, with confidence and a strong sense of purpose?  How can we model senior leadership so that we inspire and lift others, identifying and nurturing potential and investing in the next generation of school and trust leaders?

Recent research from Professor John Jerrim (UCL Social Research Institute and ImpactEd Group): ‘The link between school leadership, staff job satisfaction and retention’ identifies the capacity of strong leadership to build staff engagement.  As Professor Jerrim observes in a recent Schools Week article describing the research: ‘Leadership teams have strong evidence – if they needed it – to back up investing in relationship-building with their staff.’ 

How can we lead with purpose so that we build the most positive and constructive relationships with those we lead in order to drive positive change in our schools?    

This session on trust growth offers strategic insights and actionable strategies to navigate the challenges of growth effectively. At the heart of the message lies the importance of remaining true to your values as a leader throughout and beyond the growth phase.

Artificial Intelligence is reshaping industries—and education is no exception. In this session, we’ll explore how AI can be strategically leveraged in school academies to improve outcomes, streamline operations, and empower teachers while navigating critical concerns about privacy, equity, and cost.

We’ll explore the potential cost-saving benefits of AI-powered systems in administration, resource allocation, and personalised learning. We will contrast this with the ethical implications of data security and privacy. We will discuss the landscape of AI tools—free versus premium—and the accessibility issue. The session will also offer some practical uses of AI for teachers, from lesson planning and assessment to fostering creativity in the classroom.

Endeavour Academies is a cross-phase trust in Middlesbrough taking CYP from ages 2-18.
They have been working with the Reach Foundation over the last 2 years to develop a
Cradle to Career model of education. Central to this idea is the notion that the social
problems affecting schools are now too complex for a single organisation, like a school, to
be able to manage on their own. The Cradle to Career model encourages schools to develop
a deeper understanding of the challenges facing the local community and then to work much
more closely with community organisations to address them. The presentation focuses on
the work Endeavour have done with Reach, in developing their own charity The Endeavour
Foundation and cross-sector convening partnerships that have been established to enhance
the work of their schools.

This session will explore why a clear estates strategy is essential for managing competing priorities such as maintenance, capital projects, sustainability, and compliance. You’ll learn the key components of a successful strategy, including asset management, space utilisation, and technology integration, while addressing challenges like ageing infrastructure and evolving educational needs. Discover how strategic planning drives effective decision-making, resource allocation, and collaboration, with insights into stakeholder involvement, communication, and contractor perspectives. Packed with practical takeaways, this session will equip you with the tools and knowledge to develop a forward-thinking, sustainable estates strategy.

Join Warren Porter, Head of Education Strategy of IMP Software, to hear insights from the first ever forward-looking financial benchmarking report created from the budget assumptions of over 300 school trusts.

Warren will explore key trends from across the sector; the varied approaches that different trusts are taking to navigate budget challenges over the medium and long term; and emerging areas such as ‘lost income’ from falling pupil numbers vs capacity.