The Norfolk Headteachers' Conference | 12 October 2023
Norwich City Football Club, Carrow Road
VNET Education CIC and Educate Norfolk are delighted to be jointly hosting the Norfolk Headteachers’ conference in 2023/24. Our aim is to bring the county’s headteachers together to inspire and inform. According to your priorities, the conference is themed around Inclusion and Recruitment and Retention. We share in your belief that Norfolk should be among the best places to be educated in the country, best for the staff who work here and of course the best for every child.
Jaz Ampaw Farr embodies this message in her work, if you haven’t seen her speak, take this opportunity! Her work is genuinely transformational and all delegates will get 6 months access to her online package following the conference, completely free.
Wondering what the near future holds for education? Come and hear Sam Freedman share his insights on education policy now, and after the next general election.
With thanks to our sponsors:
iRock School of Music Compass
Keynote: The Power of Everyday Heroes with Jaz Ampaw-Farr
You came into Education to make a difference. The problem is that there are a lot of barriers in the way whether it’s retention, inclusion, SEND or funding there is always the challenge to do more with less. What’s important to remember while navigating chaos is that not only have you survived 100% of your toughest days but you also have agency and resources to create and embed real change.
In this keynote Jaz will share her incredible journey and how education and more importantly the individuals in school made it possible for her to go from a broken little girl to Speaker of the year and International resilience expert. Be prepared to laugh, cry and leave on a high with practical tips and strategies that you can apply the very next day.
Jaz Ampaw-Farr
The political environment, and the impact on our schools
Sam will join us to provide an overview of government and Labour party schools policy and what to expect in the run up to the election; as well as the major challenges that whoever wins the election will have to deal with.
Sam Freedman
- Date: 12 October 2023
- Time: 8:30 am – 4:00 pm
- Venue: Norwich City Football Club, Carrow Road, Norwich, NR1 1JE
- £125+VAT (For all Norfolk Heads)
Conference Schedule:
8:30am – Refreshments and exhibitor fair
9:00am – Welcome from VNET and Educate Norfolk
9:10am – iRock School of Music
9:25am – Workshops
10:15am – Refreshments and exhibitor fair
10:45am – Compass Led
11:00am – Sam Freedman: The political environment, and the impact on our schools
12:20pm – Workshops
1:15pm – Lunch and exhibitor fair
2:05pm – Keynote: The Power of Everyday Heroes with Jaz Ampaw-Farr
3:45pm – Close
Workshop 1:
Using an effective and child-centric MIS to help shape individual learning journeys.
In this session, Dipa Chohan, Lead Business Development Manager at Compass Education UK will explore the effective use of modern MIS technology, and the importance of data in helping to shape individual learning journeys to improve outcomes.
Workshop 2:
Becoming More Inclusive – The Difference
In this session, Mohamed Abdallah, Head of the Inclusive Leadership Course, will explore the fundamental principles for school leaders to challenge their preconceived notions of inclusion and reach beyond their immediate boundaries, in order to foster a more inclusive school community. Drawing upon The Difference Whole-School Inclusion Principles, Mohamed will explore valuable insights on leveraging key inclusion frameworks and cultivating effective relational practices. Through these strategies, school leaders are empowered to design and implement practices and systems that effectively address the unique contextual challenges faced by their school communities.
Workshop 3:
Teaching Emotional Literacy: how to increase pupils’ confidence, engagement and learning
There’s a missing foundation in education, according to teacher and author Richard Evans – one of emotional literacy. Not just our pupils’, but ours too. And it’s this ability to understand ourselves, and those around us, and adapt accordingly, which he believes underpins everything pupils and educators try to achieve at school.
In this session, Richard will show you how emotional literacy can be taught in schools through a process of deep listening, empathy and joint problem-solving. He will share with you his passport – a resource which helps staff work with students to unpick their barriers to engagement and learning – describe the impact it’s had in his and other educators’ practice, and show you how it can be tailored for your own school’s needs.
Workshop 4:
Understanding the drivers behind low attendance and measuring the impact of attendance support – ImpactEd
Attendance continues to be a core focus for schools and trusts across the country, this year more than ever. We know that there are numerous ways to monitor attendance and compare with others. ImpactEd are running a national programme to explore these drivers behind low attendance and unpick the nuances around what’s working well and what’s working less well. Through analysing recent research and working with partner schools, we’ve developed pupil-facing measures to help schools understand, identify and assess key drivers for low attendance in their school. These include looking at pupils’ behaviour, school engagement and feeling of safety in school. This session will focus on exploring these drivers. and sharing some of the findings from the programme
Workshop 5:
Led by Kevin O’Neill, Ambassador for the Inclusion Quality Mark Award
How a focus on whole school inclusion can be significant for recruitment and retention
Join Kevin and his colleagues to learn how they have successfully utilised inclusion policies in their schools to positively benefit recruitment and retention within their schools.
Workshop 6:
Wellbeing for inclusion
Ever wondered what a class wellbeing challenge might do for those who might not feel part of the wider school community? How about what mindful breathing might offer for the most disaffected in their worst moments? Ariane and Josh have undertaken extensive reading and research and worked with young people in Norfolk and beyond for many years and in this workshop will show how a focus on wellbeing for students, and staff can lead to a more inclusive and cohesive school community.
The workshop will introduce you to our framework for schools aiming to create a culture of belonging and inclusion for staff and students.
Key topics include:
- Research into longevity, general wellbeing and brain health
- Aspects that a health and wellbeing literacy curriculum could include
- Practical tools that you could embed in your daily practice
- Examples from countries where a health and wellbeing curriculum is already embedded in schools.
Ariane Hoppler
Ariane Hoppler has an MA in Education and Learning Sciences, BA in Religious Studies, BA in Social Work, Pedagogy and Health and an MA in Art History. Ariane is also a Yoga and Mindfulness teacher. She has been a lecturer for Health, Social Pedagogy and Education in Germany and is still a visiting lecturer for German Universities.
Ariane has worked extensively in various fields of youth work including youth mental health projects as well as international youth work and education projects funded through the European Erasmus programme. Currently, Ariane is also supporting the education of children in rural Cambodia through the New Futures Organisation, supporting the training of local teachers.
Joshua Barnbrook
Josh has a BA in Education and Social Science and a BTEC Level 3 in Education and Training. He’s worked in a Primary School as Teaching Assistant for children with additional needs such as learning disabilities and autism. He also delivered Lego therapy and Speech Therapy to children across all age ranges. He’s volunteered with LGBT+ young people and young people with additional needs.
Josh’s interest in health and wellbeing was sparked during his work with the British Red Cross as a First Aid trainer. He led Wellbeing initiatives for staff and was part of the team implementing the Health Education England Mental Health Project for young people at Centrepoint. He’s a qualified Mental Health First Aider and has collaboratively designed and delivered Healthier Lifestyles training to staff at Norfolk County Council.
He’s also been delivering Equality and Diversity training for almost 20 years at a range of organisations in the private sector e.g. BP, PwC, JP Morgan Chase; the voluntary sector e.g. Centrepoint and public sector e.g. Norfolk County Council. Most recently he was the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion lead for Learning and Development at Norfolk County Council.
About Compass Education UK
Compass is a fully featured, cloud based MIS supporting over 2,000 schools every day, helping to make the school day more productive, more impactful and more enjoyable. With over 40 available modules, Compass easily handles all areas of school administration from student and staff management, reporting, statutory returns, parental engagement, to timetabling and much more! Allowing you to create the right combination of tools to unlock productivity for administrators, and make life easier for teachers and parents.
Schools that use Compass tell us that they spend less time on administration, drive better parental engagement and spend more time delivering inspiring learning experiences. We’d love to help you do the same!
About iRock School of Music
iRock School of Music is a peripatetic music service for primary schools, specialising in teaching children how to play in rock and pop bands!
At iRock School of Music, they focus on developing the whole child, providing an engaging learning experience where children can express themselves in a safe and positive way. By offering accessible music education that breaks down many traditional barriers some lessons can have, children can flourish academically, gain confidence, foster positive friendships, and develop invaluable life skills.
Educate Norfolk is the Headteachers’ Association for Norfolk primary and secondary schools. In a fragmented and often challenging landscape, they provide support, collaborative opportunities and a collective voice for school leaders in Norfolk.
Their purpose is:
- To identify and address the most poignant issues impacting on Norfolk’s leaders and their schools
- To improve the wellbeing of Norfolk leaders
- To encourage and support system generosity for the improvement of all Norfolk schools
- To act as Norfolk’s voice in the wider education landscape
- To work with and be a conduit of information to and from local and national organisations including the DfE, local MPs and the LA, furthering Norfolk causes on a national stage
- Facilitate and support effective induction for Headteachers
VNET Education CIC is a wholly independent, not-for-profit, Community Interest Company dedicated to supporting schools’ self improvement journeys.
VNET Education CIC supports schools, academies and MATs across East Anglia and beyond through a vibrant network. They facilitate CPD, training, consultancy, events, conferences, research and longitudinal projects across our community to support education professionals, for the benefit of children and young people. Read more…
