Festival of Education: Teach First’s Friday Fest workshops (25 June)

This two-week festival is a key event in the education calendar as it offers an array of inspiring keynotes and CPD days, all bringing credible, topical and thought-provoking sessions that you can access for free.

Typically hosted within the beautiful grounds of Wellington College, this year’s festival will be a virtual experience in-line with COVID-19 guidelines. There will be daily keynotes taking place every afternoon of the festival and each Friday will feature valuable CPD opportunities for education professionals.

We’ll be hosting a number of CPD workshops over the two Friday Fests, aiming to bring you the latest thinking from a range of different voices in education. Please see the following workshops we have planned for Friday 25 June:

 

Novice to leader: the bumpy road of expertise in teaching

09:30 - 10:20

Key research and insights on developing expertise in teachers and leaders, the implications for schools, and ensuring knowledge truly sticks.

Speakers:

• Bridget Clay (CHAIR) – Director of School Leadership at Teach First
• Faye Craster – Director of Teacher Development at Teach First 

 

Believing in better: how great CPD brings classroom success

10:50 - 11:40

The biggest factor in pupil achievement is the skill of the teacher. Learn how investing in teachers creates sustainable classroom success.

Speakers:

• Reuben Moore (CHAIR) - Executive Director for Programme Development at Teach First
• Roger Pope - CEO of Education South West 

 

Equal opportunity: using comparative judgement in recruitment

12:10 - 13:00

How do we remove unconscious bias in recruitment? We share our work with No More Marking to apply comparative judgment with job applications.

Speakers:

• Tallulah Bygraves (CHAIR) - Head of Selection at Teach First
• Daria Kuznetsova - Executive Director for Strategy, Research and Performance at Teach First
• Daisy Christodoulou - Director of Education at No More Marking

 

Executive Leadership: how to be (not so) lonely at the top

13:20 - 14:10

Being an exec head or CEO is very different. We discuss some common pitfalls and challenges of executive leadership and how to overcome them.

Speakers:

• Reuben Moore (CHAIR) - Executive Director for Programme Development at Teach First 
• Christabel Shepherd - Executive Headteacher of Bradford's Copthorne and Holybrook Primary Schools
• Jane Fletcher - CEO at Aldridge Education
• Liz Robinson - Co-founder and Co-director of Big Education 

 

The power of networks in times of crisis

14:40 - 15:30

Networks experts Laura Fraser and Tim Mobbs will share their experiences of how networks have supported schools in the past year and the lessons that can be taken forward. A range of networks have formed and grown during the pandemic, each providing responsive, tailored support, with teachers and leaders in control of their own development. This session will review case studies of the forms network activity can take and the benefits – especially in a time of crisis. The session will also outline practical ways teachers and school leaders can implement networking solutions for themselves and their schools. 

Speakers:

• Laura Fraser (CHAIR) - Network Connector at Teach First
• Tim Mobbs - Network Connector at Teach First

 

Please find the events listing for Friday 18 June and our keynote session on Thursday 24 June.

For more information about the Festival of Education and how to register your attendance, click below:

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