Monday 13th April 2026
Celebrating 10 Years as a Trust!
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Join us as we mark a significant milestone with a conference designed to inspire and connect every member of our community.
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As we celebrate the Trust's tenth year, we are delighted to welcome you to a new venue offering ample free parking and generous space for networking, collaboration and professional learning. ​
Delegates will be able to participate in a range of relevant and meaningful breakout sessions, alongside keynote addresses from two exceptional speakers:
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Maggie Alphonsi, Rugby World Cup–winning former England international, and
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Michael “Eddie the Eagle” Edwards, Britain’s first Olympic ski jumper, celebrated for his courage, resilience and remarkable journey at the 1988 Winter Games.
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The programme includes dedicated sessions for teaching staff, office teams and site staff, and the day will conclude with an uplifting performance from the Manor MAT Choir.
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Booking is open - read the descriptions of the Breakout Sessions below. IMPORTANT: Please book ONE session from each group of Sessions A, B and C.
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Key points before you arrive...
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Registration and refreshments from 8.30am. Sign-in upon arrival. Conference begins at 9.15am in the Ringside Suite.
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Ensure you have booked in and chosen your selected breakout sessions.
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Bring your school ID badge to sign-in.
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There is plenty of free parking at the venue. You can stay overnight at the Holiday Inn for a 10% discount. Contact us for details.
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Lunch and refreshments are available. Allergies and specific diets have been catered for. If you would prefer to bring your own lunch, you are welcome to do so.
new venue!
This year we are at Dunstall Park.
Arrival from 8.30am
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There is ample free parking at venue.
Enter the site via the Holiday Inn.
Dunstall Park,
47 Dunstall Mews,
Wolverhampton
WV6 0PE
Keynote Speakers
Here is who will be sharing with us throughout the day...
Maggie Alphonsi
Maggie Alphonsi is a former athlete who is changing the game on and off the field. She’s broken down barriers and smashed stereotypes. She will share her lessons learnt from sport and business on what it takes to be a be a leader in a high performing environment. She will focus on creating that winning mindset and help you be the best version of yourself. She will get you to step out of your comfort zone and lead with your strengths. She will inspire and motivate. You will leave the session feeling energised and driven to take that next step forward. You won’t want to miss it!
Eddie the Eagle
Eddie ‘The Eagle’ Edwards is Great Britain’s first Olympic Ski Jumper. Ranked 55th in the world, this qualified Eddie as GB’s only candidate for the Calgary 1988 Winter Olympic Games.
With the UK public backing the plasterer from Gloucester, Eddie hit the slopes pursued by the international press & media. Eddie competed in the 70m and 90m events during the Games, but unfortunately came last in both.
Eddie discusses succeeding against all odds. You’ll learn how this Eagle landed on his feet, even if it wasn’t in quite the same style as his sporting rivals!
Agenda
Arrival from 8.30am on Monday 13th April
Registration and coffee in the Concourse, everyone moving to the Ringside Suite ready to start at 9.00am
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9.00am Welcome - Ringside Suite
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9.0am Keynote - Maggie Alphonsi - Ringside Suite
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10.30am - 10.55am Refreshment Break
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Breakout Session A:
10.55am - 11.40am Culture of Excellence - Wendy Jackson - Ringside Suite
for all Teachers and Support Staff
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10.55am - 11.40am Office and Site Staff Sessions: Upstairs (lift available)
for Office and Admin Staff - Practical Housekeeping & System Management
for Site Staff - COSHH Training with Bill Gwilt & James Rowden
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Breakout Session B:
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11.40am - 12.35pm - Mentally Healthy Habits
Charlie Burley - Ringside Suite - 200 places
Session repeated at 1.30pm
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11.45am - 12.45pm - Upstairs (lift available)
New Ofsted Framework - Lynda Townsend & Donna O'Toole
Pupil Premium / Empowerment Pathway - Karl Rogerson
The Power of Operational Excellence - Mark Bilney
Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) - Carol Sutton
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Lunch​​
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Breakout Session C:
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​1.20pm - 2.20pm - Upstairs (lift available)
The Leadership Myth - Alan Rogers
Pupil Premium / Empowerment Pathway - Karl Rogerson
Finding solutions for tricky situations in the MAT’s IRPs - Fiona Beardsley
Intro to Gestalt Language Processing - Hazel Shaw
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1.30pm - 2.20pm - Mentally Healthy Habits
Charlie Burley - Ringside Suite - 200 places
Session repeated from the morning.
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All return to the Ringside Suite​​
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2.30pm - 3.30pm Keynote - Eddie the Eagle - Ringside Suite
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3.30pm MAT Choir Performance - Ringside Suite
A look back at last year's conference
Mentally Healthy Habits
Charlie Burley
Have you ever heard the phrase, ‘you can’t pour from an empty cup’ and thought, “That’s a nice sentiment, but how on Earth do I do that?”
Yeah, me too!
The 3Ps of Mentally Healthy Habits aren’t about telling you to just leave work early or exercise an hour a day...
They’re about empowering you with practical, bitesize strategies - and equipping you with the skills to actually implement them!
In this session, staff will:
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Better understand their own mental health
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Understand the role of identity in supporting mental health
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Create a menu of practical, bitesize strategies based in neuroscience
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Shift their perspectives on what wellbeing means for you
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Build confidence in prioritising their own wellbeing
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Charlie Burley, known as "The Teachers' Health Coach," is a former primary teacher, qualified nutritionist, and mental health coach dedicated to helping educators overcome burnout. He provides 1:1 coaching, workshops, and school training to help staff build healthy habits, set boundaries, and manage stress. He is also the author of Little Guide for Teachers: Healthy Habits for Teacher Life and hosts the Rewriting Wellbeing podcast.
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Culture of Excellence
Wendy Jackson
This session invites teachers and teaching assistants to reconnect with the craft and privilege of our profession. We will be exploring how our shared Teaching & Learning Principles shape the experiences children have in our classrooms every day. Together, we will consider what it truly means to create a culture of excellence, where ambitious curriculum thinking, high expectations, meaningful relationships and assessment-informed practice combine to transform outcomes. We will explore how we can collectively recognise, amplify and sustain the very best practice across our Trust, so that it translates into daily classroom decisions..
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The session will be practical, reflective and rooted in our shared commitment to securing excellent progress and outcomes for every pupil so that we can consider how we collectively recognise, refine and strengthen great practice across our schools.
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Office & Site Staff Sessions
Bill Gwilt
James Rowden
There will be COSHH training for our Cleaning team and Site Manager teams, looking at relevant aspects of the control of substances hazardous to health regulations.
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Office staff will have a session on a number of topics including Practical Housekeeping & System Management
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New Ofsted Framework
Lynda Townsend & Donna O'Toole
This session will focus on the inclusion aspect of the renewed inspection framework. Inclusion is built into every evaluation area in the new framework.
The session will enable you to:
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• be clear on how inclusion is embedded as a theme throughout the new framework.
• prepare yourself for the case sampling and how it works.
• prepare for the inspector meetings with the SENCo, pupil premium lead, inclusion lead, family support worker, nurture leads.
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This session is aimed at Inclusion leads, SENCo s, Designated safeguarding leads, Family Support Workers, Nurture leads.
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Pupil Premium / Empowerment Pathway
Karl Rogerson
How can schools support disadvantaged pupils, moving beyond "closing the gap" to fostering true excellence?
Participants will explore the latest Pupil Premium policy updates including OFSTED
Examine the "wicked problem" that requires collective, "clumsy" solutions.
Challenge deficit-based language, unconscious bias, and explore the primacy of high-quality teaching as the most effective intervention.
Suitable for: School leaders, Pupil Premium leads and teachers
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Karl Rogerson is the Principal of Billesley Primary School and Director of the Billesley Research School. He has led the school since 2016, guiding it to become an EEF Research School in 2019, where he focuses on evidence-based practices to drive school improvement. Passionate about professional development and developing people, Karl is dedicated to fostering leadership and continuous growth among staff. He is committed to high standards in teaching and learning, especially for disadvantaged pupils. Prior to his current roles, he worked as a curriculum consultant for Birmingham Local Authority, supporting schools in developing effective teaching and learning strategies across the city.
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The Power of Operational Excellence
Mark Bilney
Meeting Educational needs in Challenging Times – The Power of Operational Excellence
This session will look at the role Operational Excellence (OpEx) plays in helping MATs meet the challenges of delivering high quality education in increasingly challenging times. After a brief introduction, the session opens with the ‘Why?’ – why is OpEx vital to any education environment in 2026? We will discuss some of the financial and operational challenges facing MATs today. We will move on to the ‘What?’ – what is the OpEx Methodology and what are the key tools used to deliver benefits. Finally, we visit the ‘How?’ - how is OpEx embedded (technically and culturally) and how are the benefits it delivers sustained? We will also look at how you can upskill your teams to deliver OpEx in your MAT.
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The session is aimed at members of support functions such as Finance, Facilities, Legal, Operations, and HR. It is also aimed at leaders – from CEO and C Suite, through to Heads of, and to team leaders.
It will be interactive and will give attendees an insight into the OpEx approach and how it benefits the whole MAT - pupils, parents, teachers and support staff.
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Developmental Language Disorder (DLD)
Carol Sutton
Approximately 7% of all children have a Developmental Language Disorder (DLD). This means that they will have difficulties understanding and/or using all known languages, creating obstacles to communication and learning in everyday life. Most people have never heard of DLD and yet it is a common condition that will be present in the classroom.
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This session will explore some of the challenges that these children have and how educators can support their communication and learning in school.
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The Leadership Myth
The Leadership Myth
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Leaders are always confident.
Leaders are always hard-edged.
Leaders are always good with people.
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But that is a myth.
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Leadership is not a title and it is not a personality type. It is happening every day – in classrooms, corridors and offices. Teachers, teaching assistants and office staff are shaping culture constantly through tone, standards, care and decisions.
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We do not choose whether we inspire. That is already happening. We only choose the actions that do the inspiring.
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This session challenges the idea that leadership is “for certain types of people”. Instead, we will explore how a range of different natures can bring the same essential qualities needed for leadership. How the quiet can be courageous. How the organised can be visionary. How the relational can hold firm boundaries. How the direct can lead with warmth.
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Schools are led by teams and teams need balance. Courage and compassion. Structure and warmth. Accountability and humanity.
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If you have ever thought leadership is not for you because you are not tough enough or not loud enough, you may be exactly the balance the team needs.
This session is about stepping into leadership as you – not by emulating someone else, but by understanding your strengths and using them intentionally.
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Manor MAT is stronger because you belong here. We are investing in you so that the very best version of you shows up for our children every single day.
Because the real myth is that leadership belongs to someone else.
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Finding solutions for tricky situations in the MAT’s IRPs
Fiona Beardsley
This workshop is for staff who work in the Trust’s internal resources provisions, our unsung heroes! Through using a framework of context, action, results, learning and next steps this workshop will support practitioners to find collective solutions to the tricky situations they work with and manage on a day-to-day basis.
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If you attend this workshop, please come with a challenge that you want to find a solution for. Putting our collective heads together will achieve solid take a ways for you to put into practice in your individual settings.
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Intro to Gestalt Language Processing
Hazel Shaw
This session is aimed at Teachers and Teaching Assistants, particularly those working in SEN provision hubs with children with ASC. The session will provide a practical introduction to Gestalt Language Processing (GLP), helping staff understand what it is, how it presents and how it differs from analytic language development. Through the use of video examples, the training will support participants to recognise common features of GLP in children and understand why these learners benefit from a different approach to language support. The session will focus on practical strategies that can be used in everyday classroom situations to support communication, respond effectively to children’s language and create environments that nurture language development in a supportive and pressure-free way.
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