On 21 and 22 November 2024, staff and leaders from across our Trust came together to put a spotlight on learning – how children learn, how teachers learn, and how a trust learns together. Looking ahead to the new year, this year’s conference was a dynamic event highlighting the achievements of great teachers and students across the Trust.
The conference was attended by key sector figures include Leora Cruddas, the founding Chief Executive of the Confederation of School Trusts and Dr Sam Sims, an Associate Professor at the UCL Institute of Education and Head of the Research Team at Ambition Institute. We heard expert inputs from Chris Such on reading, Josh Goodrich on developing effective coaching practices and Steve Farndon, on increasing pupil motivation.
To start the event, three exceptional students from Ormiston Sir Stanley Matthews academy – Aiden, Ethan, and Jack– took to the stage, captivating the audience with charming opening remarks and keeping attendees entertained and engaged before welcoming CEO, Tom Rees, for his opening speech.
Throughout the day, attendees were treated to compelling and thought-provoking keynote speeches from our distinguished guests, including Leora Cruddas CBE who spoke about the challenges and opportunities facing the sector, Dr Sam Sims, who focused on supporting schools to improve not prove, to better manage the workloads of teachers and leaders, and finally co-founder of Teacher Tapp and education journalist, Laura McInerney, who spoke about the challenges around recruitment and retention and how schools are placed to address these.
Talented pupils from across Ormiston were at the heart of the event, with many taking to the stage to share their creative passions. Vedika, a Year 10 student from Stoke High School wowed the audience with a stunning, classical Indian dance, Bharatanatyam, inspired by her second-place accomplishment at Ormiston’s Got Talent, Birmingham. Ormiston Sir Stanley Matthews Academy’s talented choir also performed a medley of pieces from a variety of musical theatre productions, including Mary Poppins, and Jacob, accompanied by Ivan, Year 10 students from City of Norwich School, electrified audiences with a performance on electric guitar and drums.
Attendees also had the opportunity to take part in a range of expert-led workshops which encouraged teachers, leaders, governors, trustees and sector-members to explore and examine their practices. Based on what we heard during the conference, we will continue to reflect on the year ahead and how we can continue to provide excellent learning opportunities for pupils both inside and outside the classroom.
Tom Rees, Chief Executive Officer at Ormiston Academies Trust, said: “The Ormiston Academies Trust Annual Leadership Conference is a significant event for our Trust, academies and colleagues, and it is always an exciting few days. This year, it was inspiring to come together with talented pupils, passionate principals and leaders, and leading practitioners and experts from the sector, to spend time focusing on what makes great teaching and learning.
“Ormiston has a founding commitment to exceptional learning, and this year’s conference reflected closely on how we realise this for our teachers and pupils; the continuing importance of learning in providing the best opportunities for all our young people; and shared an optimistic view of how we can continue to achieve more together as a Trust.”