ASCL Autumn Leadership Conferences 2025 - London, South East, East of England 1

Crowne Plaza Kings Cross

*This event is now full*

'As a new head it was good to have lots of “meaty” input throughout the day – EVERY presenter delivered an interesting and informative presentation.' Delegate feedback from the 2024 series.

These popular conferences feature essential updates by our policy specialist team, delving into the latest developments in policy and procedures and how these will impact on you and your organisation, helping you plan with confidence for the year ahead.

Suitable for all leaders and decision makers working in all phases of education and types of school, these conferences are an essential event in the education calendar.

We are working on the programme at the moment so please do return to this page for updates.

Speaker

Pepe Di'Iasio

ASCL General Secretary

Jo Rowley

ASCL President 2025-26 and Deputy Headteacher, Walton High School

Manny Botwe

ASCL Immediate Past President 2025-26 and Headteacher, Tytherington School, Macclesfield

Mike Sheridan

HMI, Regional Director, East of England and East Midlands

Julia Harnden

Deputy Director of Policy

Tom Middlehurst

Deputy Director of Policy

Chris Ingate

Conditions of Employment Specialist: Pay

Margaret Mulholland

SEND and Inclusion Specialist

Programme

8.30					Arrival and exhibition
9.25					Welcome and Introduction ASCL Regional Officer
9.30					Keynote Jo Rowley, ASCL President 2025-26 and Deputy Head, Walton High School Manny Botwe, ASCL Immediate Past President 2025-26 and Headteacher, Tytherington School
9.50					General Secretary Address: State of the Nation Pepe Di’Iasio, General Secretary
10.10					The new Ofsted Framework Mike Sheridan HMI, Regional Director East of England and East Midlands
10.50					Sponsor session – Academy21
11.00					Refreshments and exhibition
11.20					Securing the Future: Pay, Policy and People in Education Chris Ingate, Conditions of Employment Specialist: Pay This session will provide a strategic overview of current and forthcoming changes affecting the education workforce. We will highlight national trends in recruitment and retention, including teacher training and support staff data. Delegates will be briefed on significant legislative reforms under the Employment Rights Bill, such as enhanced parental leave, and flexible working rights. The session will also emphasise the importance of flexible working, offering practical guidance on policy development and cultural change. Finally, we will encourage a shift away from performance-related pay towards sustainable leadership and professional growth, equipping leaders with the tools to support staff wellbeing and retention
12.00					Funding and operations 2025/26: Building organisational resilience Julia Harnden, Deputy Director of Policy and Funding Specialist We will take you through the latest policy developments relating to funding and business leadership for the current academic year.
12.40					Sponsor session – Vivify
12.50					Introduction to lunch discussion questions
13.00					Lunch and networking
13.50					Curriculum, assessment, SEND and behaviour Margaret Mulholland, SEND and Inclusion Specialist This session will begin with an update on the Curriculum and Assessment Review interim report and what we can expect to see in the final recommendations to be published later in the autumn term. This section of the presentation will consider the implications of the CAR for school leaders and what they should be prepared for. The latest information on qualification reforms will also be covered and then detail on SEND, the new whitepaper, attendance and behaviour. The final section of the session will consider curriculum and assessment implications with a particular lens on inclusion and closing the gap.
14.30					Refreshments and exhibition
14.45					Accountability, RISE and data Tom Middlehurst, Deputy Director of Policy Tom will reflect on the session from Ofsted’s HMI about what the changes mean in a practical sense for schools and colleges. The session will also cover the new RISE teams and what intervention looks like, the data from the summer, the lack of Progress 8 data and the upcoming school profiles.
15.25					Q&A and final remarks
15.45					Close

ASCL reserve the right to amend the programme should circumstances dictate

Fees

The conference fee for this event has been frozen at 2024 rates and we would encourage you to bring colleague(s) to increase the benefits for your organisation.

Standard rates for bookings

£285 (ASCL member)
£315 (non-member)
ASCL Council members £210 - 25% discount
ASCL Local Representatives – free of charge
Additional colleague from your leadership team £150

ASCL Local Representatives and Council members will also have the opportunity to attend a private meeting with the General Secretary and representatives from our member support team on the morning of the conference.

Day

14 October 2025
time

08:30 - 16:00
location

London
Day

See 'fees' tab below