Dame Alison Peacock is Chief Executive of the Chartered College of Teaching, a charitable Professional Body that seeks to empower a knowledgeable and respected teaching profession through membership and accreditation. Prior to joining the Chartered College, Dame Alison was Executive Headteacher of The Wroxham School in Hertfordshire. Her career to date has spanned primary, secondary and advisory roles. She is an Honorary Fellow of Queens' College Cambridge, Hughes Hall Cambridge and UCL, a Visiting Professor of Glyndŵr University and a trustee for Big Change, the Helen Hamlyn Trust and an adviser to the Institute for Educational & Social Equity.  She is a Director of the Edge Foundation and has honorary degrees from the University of Brighton and the University of Bath Spa. She is a Deputy Lieutenant for Hertfordshire. Her research is published in a series of books about Learning without Limits offering an alternative approach to inclusive school improvement.

Dame Alison Peacock will be delivering a session for all attendees at 9:15 titled ‘Our great teaching profession’.

Jenna Crittenden is the Curriculum Design Lead at the Chartered College of Teaching. She leads a national project Rethinking Curriculum, working within the primary sector to support schools to develop their own curriculum design. Prior to joining the college Jenna was a small school headteacher and primary teacher for over 17 years and has served as a chair of governors for a small school. Jenna is passionate about curriculum development and implementation and an advocate for primary uniqueness in the education life of young people. Jenna serves as a trustee of Team Up, a charity providing volunteer-led tuition to pupils from low-income backgrounds and MTPT (Maternity Teacher Paternity Teacher), a charity supporting schools to be family and life friendly workplaces in order for teaching to be a sustainable profession for all.

Jenna will be leading the session ‘Rethinking Curriculum- subject leadership in small schools’ in the curriculum strand at 14:30.

Phil Banks has been a class teacher, held four headship roles and founded a large, primary Multi-Academy Trust. He worked in Dubai for two years, but returned to Cornwall to take up the role of CEO for the North Cornwall Learning Trust. In 2024, NCLT merged to become part of Westcountry Schools Trust, where feel now holds a Director role.
Phil is completing a PhD focused on the impact of 'Belonging.' You can follow and interact with his work at thebelongingcollective.blog
His work has been intertwined with small schools and he has a great deal of experience in managing the demands and celebrating the opportunities in these settings.

Phil is joining us to leadership session ‘ Building a sense of belonging’ at 10:30.

Aimee Tinkler has been a teacher for 25 years during which time she has taught and led in schools in a variety of circumstances, including large multi-form entry schools and small, two class village schools. She has worked across the country as a system leader and with various organisations in an advisory capacity including the DfE, Ofsted and the Church of England Education Department. Aimee is closely involved with the work of the Chartered College of Teaching where she is President and a Founding Fellow and chairs the Membership Committee. She is currently engaged in doctoral research at UCL Institute of Education and has published research with a number of organisations.

Aimee is co-hosting the GBSS, leading a session at 10:00 in the research stream and also joining us for a panel discussion at 15:00.

Emma Kerr is an experienced Executive Leader of rural and town schools, including a new Free School. She holds the NPQH, has a BSc (Hons) degree in Business and completed a PGCE. Prior to being a teacher she worked in London buying programming for ITV, moving to Cornwall in 2005 to train as a teacher, be closer to family and enjoy being by the sea. She has taught in a variety of schools across the South West, across all age ranges and also in Sydney, Australia. Emma is an Education consultant, facilitator for NPQ programmes via Teach First/NIoT and an Academic Partner for the Professional Teaching Institute (PTI).

Emma is joining us for the leadership panel session ‘Wearing many hats’ at 14:00.

Chris Passey is an award-winning educator and author based in the West Midlands. He earned his MA in Educational Leadership from Coventry University and the National Institute of Teaching & Education. Chris is a Fellow of the Chartered College of Teaching, Chartered Management Institute, Institute of Leadership and the Royal Society of Arts. As the very proud Deputy Head of Kimichi School in Birmingham, Chris specialises in English curriculum design, SEMH provision and educational leadership. Additionally, Chris is a Chair of Governors and co-founder of think tank EduPulse and Coaching Unpacked with Sarah Cottinghatt and Adam Kohlbeck.

Chris is joining us for the leadership panel session ‘Wearing many hats’ at 14:00.

Heena is the Co-Founder of Climate Adapted Pathways for Education (CAPE) and served as a Senior Curriculum Designer for the Teacher Development Trust. Formerly, she was a Learning Design Manager at Ambition Institute, Head of Science at Bedford Free School and co-authored 'Cracking Key Concepts in Secondary Science'. Prior to this Heena was a Research Manager at the Environment Agency.

Heena Dave and Professor Leigh Hoath - Co founders of CAPE will be leading the session ‘Implementing Climate Change Education: a Curriculum of Hope’ in the teaching and learning stream at 11:00.

Leigh started teaching secondary science in the late 90s and moved into Higher Education where she has led on science teacher education in 3 universities before she was appointed as Professor of Science Education. She is Deputy Dean for the School of Education at Leeds Trinity University and a consultant to BBC Teach where she created the Blue Planet Live teacher materials and their Regenerators education campaign. Leigh is the immediate past Chair of the Association for Science Education and the cofounder of CAPE – Climate Adapted Pathways for Education – with Heena.

Heena Dave and Professor Leigh Hoath - Co founders of CAPE will be leading the session ‘Implementing Climate Change Education: a Curriculum of Hope’ in the teaching and learning stream at 11:00.

A former English teacher, Cat Scutt’s roles have since focused on supporting teacher development both online and through face-to-face activities, with a particular focus on development through collaboration and through engagement with research and evidence. She has worked as a teacher and advisor in the state and independent sector, as well as in corporate learning and development.

Cat will be leading a research session at 14:30.

Stuart Tiffany is an experienced primary school teacher, subject lead and history specialist, author and consultant. He works nationwide supporting schools, MATs, museums and other heritage organisations to develop their history education offer. Stuart has written for organisations such as BBC Bitesize, Pearson, the Historical Association, Teach Primary, and his first book was published in 2023. Pedagogically Stuart uses a blend of child development, cog-sci and classroom experience alongside rich conversations with colleagues to move history forward..

Stuart will be leading the session ‘History has the word story in it for a reason!’ in the teaching and learning strand at 14:30.

Mary Myatt FCCT is an education adviser, writer and speaker. She trained as an RE teacher and is a former local authority adviser and inspector. She engages with pupils, teachers and leaders about learning, leadership and the curriculum. Mary has written extensively about leadership, school improvement and the curriculum: ‘High Challenge, Low Threat’, ‘Hopeful Schools’ and ‘The Curriculum: Gallimaufry to Coherence’, ‘Back on Track’, ‘Huh: Curriculum conversations between subject and senior leaders’ and ‘Primary Huh: Curriculum conversations with subject leaders in primary schools’ with John Tomsett. She has established Myatt & Co, an online platform with films for ongoing professional development and the Huh Academy with John Tomsett. Mary has been a governor in three schools, and a trustee for a Multi Academy Trust. She maintains that there are no quick fixes and that great outcomes for pupils are not achieved through tick boxes.

Mary will be leading a session at 14:00 in the curriculum stream.

Elizabeth Olulari is the National Education Lead for Racial Justice at the Church of England National Society for Education. She has over a decade’s experience working in education leadership as an Education Consultant, Head of Science, EDI Director (Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion), SENCO and Safeguarding Lead.

Elizabeth is skilled in contextual safeguarding, coaching, strategic planning, education technology, curriculum development, and change management. She has special interests in mapping school visions, changing school cultures and sustaining change. She champions research and training in intersectionality and how it relates to all the protected characteristics.

Elizabeth will join us for a Keynote session at 12:00.

Christopher Such is the author of The Art and Science of Teaching Primary Reading and Primary Reading Simplified. He is an experienced teacher, school leader and consultant, who delivers professional development for schools, trusts and ITT providers on the subject of evidence-informed reading, mathematics teaching and curriculum development. He also works part-time as a member of Ambition Institute’s learning design team where he co-designed their NPQ in Leading Literacy.

Chris Such will be sharing his session ‘The art and science of primary reading’ at 10:00 in the teaching and learning stream.

With over 20 years of experience in education, Danielle Lewis-Egonu has become well-known for her innovative and effective leadership style. Growing up in London, Danielle was exposed to a diverse range of cultures and experiences from a young age. This instilled in her a deep appreciation for the value of education as a tool for empowering individuals and promoting social justice. Danielle is known for her commitment to creating supportive and inclusive school environments, where all students are valued and encouraged to reach their full potential. Her focus on building strong relationships with students, parents, and staff has helped to foster a strong sense of community within her schools.

Danielle is a dedicated and visionary leader who has significantly impacted education in London, South East England and beyond. Her commitment to excellence and her passion for empowering students to achieve their full potential continues to inspire others.

Danielle will be leading a session at 10:30 in the Curriculum stream.

Andy Wolfe is Executive Director of Education for the Church of England and oversees the programmes, networks and research of the Church of England Foundation for Educational Leadership – working with thousands of school leaders across the UK, particularly through the Church of England’s role as a large lead provider of NPQ programmes. He is committed to combining rich theological reflection with evidence-informed approaches to improving teaching, learning and leadership in schools.

He has authored many of the Church of England’s educational leadership resources, including pioneering the ‘Called, Connected, Committed’ leadership framework (2020) and ‘Flourishing Together: A Christian Vision for Students, Educators and Schools’ (2021) and ‘Our Hope for a Flourishing Schools System: Deeply Christian, Serving the Common Good’ (2023).

Andy also oversees the Church of England’s ‘Growing Faith’ national work in relation to faith development in schools, churches and households, the Archbishops’ Young Leaders Award,a range of national policy briefs, working closely with dioceses, MATs, universities and FE colleges across the country, including the development of large-scale apprenticeship programmes for hundreds of colleagues across the national Flourishing Trusts Network.

Andy will be joining Dame Alison to open our event, celebrating the small but mighty nature of small schools.

Kate Smith is the Network Leader for the national network HeadsUp4HTs who focus on intentional well-being and emotional support for school leaders. She is a former small school headteacher, and currently supports the HeadsUp4HTs Community through coaching, events and local authority and MAT programmes.

Kate will be leading ‘Reconnecting with your purpose as small school leaders: a Japanese concept for wellbeing ‘ in the leadership strand at 14:30.

Jo Luxford is Hub Principal of four tiny schools in rural North Devon: Bridgerule C of E Primary School; Bradford Primary School and Nursery; Black Torrington C of E Primary School and Highampton Primary School. Jo also leads on the Early Years Foundation Stage across the 14 Primary Schools in her trust and is chair of governors for a cluster of three small schools in another local trust. Jo has taught in schools of all sizes but has developed a real passion for championing the relevance of small schools both in terms of their roles in village and rural communities and in terms of their place in the educational landscape of the UK.

Jo will lead a session at 11:00 in the leadership stream.

Alex Pethick is an experienced primary school teacher and leader.As Director of Curriculum at the Knowledge Schools Trust, Alex co-founded the Primary Knowledge Curriculum, a not-for-profit organisation that provides curriculum materials, guidance, and professional development to thousands of teachers nationally and internationally. Currently, over one-fifth of the schools using the PKC are small schools.

Alex will be leading ‘Sequencing and enacting a curriculum for schools with mixed aged classes’ in the curriculum stream at 10:00.

Tom Couquhoun has been teaching for 25 years and has held various leadership roles in two large secondary schools in the South West. He is currently Assistant Headteacher at The Blue School in Wells. He facilitates a number of Research School Network training programmes alongside managing the work of our growing group of ELE & EA’s. Tom also delivers keynote presentations at conferences and events across the region. Tom is passionate about engaging with research evidence to improve teaching and learning and enjoys supporting other professionals to do the same.

John and Tom will be leading a session at 14:00 in the Research stream.

John Rodgers has been a teacher for 24 years, the last 19 in Cornwall. He currently works as an Assistant Principal at Mounts Bay Academy, Penzance. He is also Content Lead for Secondary Literacy for RS Network.

John is interested in supporting schools to make evidence-informed decisions by gathering and interpreting data to identify priorities, exploring approaches to meet those priorities and implementing them effectively. He has provided extensive support to schools across the Southwest on a range of issues, including SEN, Metacognition, Learning Behaviours and Secondary Literacy. He is particularly interested in supporting schools with evidence informed approaches to literacy and has led Professional Development Programmes on disciplinary vocabulary, reading fluency and reading comprehension.

John and Tom will be leading a session at 14:00 in the Research stream.

Ben Towe is the Executive Headteacher at Calstock and Stoke Climsland Primary Schools, an LA federation in East Cornwall. He has been a headteacher since 2013 and has always worked in small schools since qualifying as a teacher in 1996.

Ben has previously worked with the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust (SSAT) and was a training lead for The Global Learning Programme, funded by the Department for International Development (2013-2017). He continues to have a keen interest in Global Learning and geography.

Ben is currently the PTI South West Hub lead and recently won the inaugural PTI Primary Impact Award for his work in geography curriculum design.

Ben will be sharing a session at 10.30 in the teaching and learning stream.

Jade Pearce is Head of Education at The de Ferrers Trust. She is author of ‘What Every Teacher Needs to Know: How to embed evidence-informed practice into your school’ and ‘Desirable Difficulties In Action’. She hosts a quarterly ‘Teaching and Learning Spotlight’ discussing recent education research.

Jade will be leading a session at 10.30 in the Research stream.

Cassie Young has been an educator for over 15 years, working in both South London and Kent as a class teacher, SENCo, and Headteacher. She is now the Inclusion Executive Officer for Our Community Multi-Academy Trust (OCMAT), a mixed church and community trust consisting of 10 schools, including a Specialist Resource Provision (SRP) for speech, language, and communication disorders. Cassie also provides outreach support to primary, secondary, and special schools, helping them improve their practices. She is passionate about inclusion, music for all, and educational research.

Cassie will be joining us for a session on SEND within small schools at 10:30.

Nigel Genders is the Chief Executive of the National Society for Education and the Church of England's Chief Education Officer. Nigel leads the Church’s national work in education which serves children and young people in churches, schools, colleges and universities. Nigel’s role in education has developed over 32 years of ordained ministry working in a variety of roles including vicar, school chaplain and Diocesan Director of Education. He has been Chief Education Officer since 2014.

Nigel will be joining us for a panel discussion at 15:00.

Chris Parham has been a primary school teacher for 13 years, primarily teaching in mixed-age class settings. His first headteacher post is at St Issey C of E School and over the past six years, I have led the school to grow from 29 to 130 students. The school has recently joined the Rainbow Multi Academy Trust, which consists of 15 schools. His focus has been on enhancing the school curriculum to align with evolving educational standards and meet the needs of the community. This effort has been instrumental in achieving positive outcomes in recent Ofsted and SIAMS inspections.

Chris will join us at 11:00 in the curriculum stream for a panel discussion, ‘Does something need to give in a small school curriculum offer?

Claire Bills is a primary school head teacher who is passionate about building strong teams that lift each other up. She believes that when every member of staff flourishes, children thrive as well. For five years, she led a small 4-class primary school, where they reviewed the curriculum and restructured subject leadership to better support staff while ensuring students had an outstanding educational experience. Currently,Claire leads a larger primary school, having just implemented mixed-age classes, applying her experiences from the small-school setting. She is dedicated to a curriculum that not only drives academic success but also ensures each child feels valued and discovers their potential.

Claire will join us at 11:00 in the curriculum stream for a panel discussion, ‘Does something need to give in a small school curriculum offer?

Emma Barker is currently headteacher of three small, rural primary schools so knows only too well the challenges that small schools face. That said she also knows how joyful small schools can be. Her first headship was in 2019, and since then she has led three schools to a positive Ofsted outcome (previously RI). She has spent considerable time developing a broad and balanced curriculum to suit mixed-aged classes in a rigorous and robust way to provide a great education for all. This in turn has been successfully shared and implemented within other mixed-aged schools in the family of schools.

Emma will join us at 11:00 in the curriculum stream for a panel discussion, ‘Does something need to give in a small school curriculum offer?