ASCL Cymru Annual Conference 2027

The Parkgate Hotel, Cardiff 

Together we create a better future.

Join colleagues from across Wales at the ASCL Cymru Annual Conference 2027, an opportunity to reflect, connect, influence and inspire.
 
School and college leadership in Wales has never been more challenging. Leaders are navigating recruitment and retention difficulties, managing increasingly stretched budgets, implementing ALN reforms, responding to safeguarding concerns, and ensuring every child has the opportunity to thrive. At the same time, many schools and colleges continue to face growing challenges around attendance, wellbeing and school readiness.
 
Yet amid these pressures, one thing remains a defining strength of Welsh education: collaboration.
 
Every day, leaders across Wales work together to make the seemingly impossible possible. We support one another, share expertise, and find solutions that protect opportunities for children and young people despite significant challenges. Together, our collective voice is stronger, louder and more influential than any one of us alone.

Together we create a better future
This year's conference will provide a platform to share experiences, shape the future of education in Wales, and ensure that the realities facing school and college leaders are heard by those who make decisions.
 
More than a conference
The ASCL Cymru Annual Conference is more than a programme of speakers and presentations. It is a rare opportunity to spend time with people who truly understand the complexities of leadership. People who have walked in your shoes, appreciate the pressures you face, and recognise the responsibility you carry every day.
 
The conference offers space to:

  • reflect on the challenges and opportunities facing education in Wales
  • connect with colleagues from across the country
  • build supportive professional networks
  • share ideas and practical solutions
  • prioritise your own wellbeing and professional development
  • return to your setting informed, inspired and empowered

Most importantly, every session is designed to provide practical, relevant and evidence-informed insights that can be immediately applied within Welsh schools and colleges.

Speaker
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Pepe Di'lasio

ASCL General Secretary

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Emmanuel Botwe

Headteacher, Tytherington School Macclesfield

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Hywel Parry

ASCL Cymru President 2026-27 and Headteacher, Ysgol John Bright

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Claire Armitstead

ASCL Cymru Director

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Chris Ingate

Conditions of Employment Specialist: Pay

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Our programme will inform, challenge and inspire, with keynote sessions covering critical issues affecting education today, including:

  • lessons from Australia's social media ban: what can Wales learn and what pitfalls should we avoid?
  • effective behaviour interventions and creating positive school cultures
  • artificial intelligence, safeguarding and deepfakes: protecting yourself, your staff and your school
  • harnessing AI for school leadership
  • making a difference for disadvantaged learners
  • leader wellbeing and resilience
  • education apprenticeships and workforce development
Hear from national education leaders:
  • Cabinet Secretary/Minister for Education
  • Estyn
  • Education Workforce Council (EWC)

ASCL Cymru reserves the right to amend the programme should circumstances dictate.

Thursday 28 January 2027

08:35       Registration, refreshments and exhibition  
         
09:15       School Choir
         
09:30       Welcome and introductions
Claire Armitstead, ASCL Cymru Director
         
09:40       ASCL Cymru President’s Address
Hywel Parry, ASCL Cymru President 2026-27 and Headteacher, Ysgol John Bright 
         
10:00       Keynote
Anna Brychan MS (invited)
         
10:40       Refreshments and exhibition 
         
11:10       Keynote
Owen Evans, HMCI Education and Training (invited)
         
11:40       ASCL Cymru Director’s Address
Claire Armitstead, ASCL Cymru Director 
         
11:55       ASCL President’s Address
Manny Botwe, Headteacher, Tytherington School 
         
12:15       Keynote
Gavin Oattes, Managing Director, Tree of Knowledge 
         
13:10       Headline Sponsor: Steplab
         
13:15       Lunch and exhibition 
         
14:00       Keynote – AI for Leadership
Hayley Cheney, Education Adviser (Primary), STEM Learning
         
14:30       Keynote – The effect of the social media ban in Australia
Michael Wilkinson, Clickview
         
15:00       Keynote – The need for a National Funding Formula in Wales
Julia Harnden, Deputy Director of Policy, ASCL 
         
15:20       Keynote – Transparency of Funding in Wales 
Cath Gibson, ASCL Cymru Education Policy Officer
         
15:30       Keynote – Empowering young people to make a positive change
Humanutopia 
         
16:00       Refreshments and exhibition
         
16:20       Panel session: Safeguarding AI
Chair – Margaret Mulholland, SEND and Inclusion Specialist, ASCL
         
17:05       General Secretary’s Address
Pepe Di’Iasio, ASCL General Secretary
         
17:30       Close of day one
         
19:30       Wine Reception and Conference Dinner

ASCL Cymru reserves the right to amend the programme should circumstances dictate.

Friday 29 January 2027

08:35       Registration, refreshments and exhibition  
         
08:30       Meeting for ASCL Cymru Local Representatives
         
09:00       Welcome and introductions
Ann Pearson, National Officer, ASCL Cymru 
         
09:20       Keynote – Apprenticeships in Schools in Wales
Matt Hilliker, Director, Achieve More Training 
         
09:45       Keynote – Numeracy Intervention
Magma Maths 
         
10:10       Keynote
Tiffnie Harris, Data, Disadvantage and Primary Specialist, ASCL  
         
10:40       Refreshments and exhibition
         
11:00       Keynote
Mark Burns, One Plus Learning 
         
11:25       Keynote
Lisa Wilkinson, Chief Executive, Education Workforce Council (EWC) 
         
11:55       Pay and Conditions and Legal Update 
Chris Ingate, Conditions of Employment Specialist: Pay
Faisal Sameja, Senior Solicitor, ASCL
         
12:35       Close of Conference
(Grab and go lunch available) 

Receive the latest updates from ASCL experts on:

  • legal developments impacting schools and colleges
  • Welsh education policy
  • pay and conditions
  • financial planning and budget management

The future of education in Wales will be shaped by leaders who are willing to come together, share their experiences and champion the needs of children, young people and the profession.
 
Join us in Cardiff and be part of a community committed to making a difference.
 

Headline, bag sponsor and exhibitor

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Evening reception sponsor and exhibitor 

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Dinner sponsor and exhibitor

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You can also visit the following exhibitors at the conference 

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Full attendance (conference attendance on both days with dinner and accommodation on Thursday night)
ASCL member £375
Non-member £435
 
Day delegate attendance on both days (no dinner or accommodation)
ASCL member £340
Non-member £410
 
Day Delegate attendance on one day
ASCL member £190
Non-member £210
 
Group discounts
10% discount is applicable for groups of two or more
25% ASCL Cymru Council members and ASCL local representatives

Headteachers, deputy headteachers, assistant headteachers, business leaders, and ALNCos working in schools and colleges in Wales.
 

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