Senior Leaders Conference 2025: Two Days to Reset, Rethink and Reignite School Leadership

If there’s one thing school leaders rarely get, it’s time – real time – to step back from the noise, hear bold ideas, and connect with other school leaders. This November, HEP’s annual Senior Leaders Conference returns with exactly that: two days designed to challenge thinking, bring clarity, and spark the kind of conversations that last long after the closing session.

Across 20 – 21 November, we’ll gather for an agenda packed with nationally recognised speakers, big questions, practical insights and, of course, the chance to connect and recharge with colleagues at the beautiful Hanbury Manor in Ware, Hertfordshire.

We open with a speaker who never shies away from telling the truth as teachers experience it. Laura McInerney – former teacher, award-winning journalist, and co-founder of Teacher Tapp – brings her unique style and data-driven insight to what lies ahead for schools. Expect the myths to be separated from the realities, and the realities honed into practical insights.

Having spent more than 19 years teaching and leading in diverse and high-need schools, few people embody lived experience quite like Amjad Ali. His keynote, We are ALL leaders of SEND/Inclusion, promises to deliver his trademark humour, warmth and clarity to translate the complexities of teaching and leading SEND and Inclusion into practical strategies that challenge, inspire and stick.

Coaching is easy to talk about but difficult to do well. Matt Stone, Director of Education at Teaching WalkThrus and co-author of Coaching WalkThrus, joins us to cut through the noise. Matt’s work focuses on making Professional Development more meaningful and manageable – connecting ideas from research to what actually happens in classrooms.

Fran Hargrove, HEP’s Deputy Chief Executive, will give an overview of the new 2025 Ofsted inspection framework and explain how leaders can prepare for a positive inspection in their school. Case sampling and focused learning walks will also be unpicked – using these in school and departmental monitoring and self-evaluation.

Clare Sealy’s influence on curriculum and pedagogy is felt nationally, and her session promises to be one of the most practical of the conference. Her discussion, What To Do and What Not To Do in the teaching of writing will be unpicked with clarity, depth and decades of experience.

Leadership rarely travels in a straight line. Author, podcaster, and CEO of PiXL, Rachel Johnson brings research, insight and lived leadership experience to this honest exploration of the challenges leaders face, and what it takes to navigate them with purpose and resilience.

Known for exceptional outcomes and razor-sharp teaching strategies, Pritesh Raichura closes the conference with a session on securing full participation in lessons. With a track record that speaks for itself – from leading a science department that had a Progress 8 score of +2.55 to national recognition in Great Teaching, Unpacked by StepLab – Pritesh offers practical, high-impact strategies leaders can take straight back to school.

With a line-up that blends research, lived experience, challenge and inspiration, this year’s Senior Leaders Conference promises to be one of our most energising and thought-provoking yet.

Whether you’re seeking clarity on the big policy shifts, fresh ideas for leading people, or practical tools to strengthen teaching and learning, you’ll find it here – alongside a community of leaders navigating the same landscape.

Find out more about HEP’s past and upcoming conferences: https://haringeyeducationpartnership.co.uk/connected-member-networks/conferences/

Jonathan is the Lead for Communications and Content at HEP. He has a passion for storytelling and has previously worked as a journalist and communications advisor in New Zealand.