| 08:45 |
|
|
|
Registration, refreshments and exhibition |
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
Part One – Digital Strategy and Infrastructure: What has to be in place before AI works? |
| 09:10 |
|
|
|
Welcome and framing the day
Jade Parkinson-Hill, UK Education Community Manager, Canva |
| |
|
|
|
|
| 09:40 |
|
|
|
Human-centred school leadership in the age of AI
Rob Robson, ASCL AI and Digital leadership consultant |
| |
|
|
|
|
| 09:55 |
|
|
|
Standards, Cyber Security and DfE Digital Policy
Katherine Moulds, Deputy Director, Digital Strategy for Education, DfE |
| |
|
|
|
|
| 10.05 |
|
|
|
Key considerations for developing and implementing a Digital and AI strategy
James Browning, Chief Operating Officer, Lift Schools
- Key principles and guardrails for developing a Digital and AI strategy in schools/MATs.
- Practical steps for implementation and common challenges.
- Reflections on aligning strategy with staff capability, culture, and governance.
- Presented through the perspective of AI strategy development and implementation at Lift Schools, but with practical considerations as to how this could apply to all.
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| 10:20 |
|
|
|
Signposting to support
Bitesize introductions to the support offered by the exhibitors |
| |
|
|
|
|
| 10:25 |
|
|
|
Refreshments and exhibition |
| |
|
|
|
|
| 10:45 |
|
|
|
Implementing and leading on AI strategy across a trust
Garret Fay, CEO, Insignis Academy Trust
Governance and strategy at trust level: what changes when AI has to work across many schools, not just one
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| 11:15 |
|
|
|
Building Our Own: School-Led AI Innovation at Scale
Alice King, Associate Principal, Beauchamp College
What happens when a school stops waiting for EdTech companies and builds an AI solution aligned to its own educational vision?
This session shares the findings from a large-scale action research project led by Alice King at Beauchamp College, involving almost 1,000 students across two schools and the implementation of The Big Teach App, a bespoke AI-powered assessment and learning platform. The research explored how AI can support retrieval practice, provide immediate formative feedback, reduce workload and improve student outcomes whilst preserving teacher expertise.
Findings showed that professional development, implementation quality and leadership were stronger predictors of success than the technology itself. The project offers a practical blueprint for school leaders seeking to harness AI responsibly, improve assessment practices and create sustainable innovation driven by educational need rather than commercial opportunity. |
| |
|
|
|
|
| 11:50 |
|
|
|
Lunch and exhibition |
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
Part Two – AI in Practice: Teaching, Learning and Inclusion |
| 12:35 |
|
|
|
Supporting students with SEND with Reading
Heba Al-Jayoosi, Assistant Head (Inclusion), Mayflower Primary School
What AI looks like when applied to one specific, high stakes, area of practice |
| |
|
|
|
|
| 13:05 |
|
|
|
The headlines say AI can mark – here’s what checking it actually looks like
Emma Espin, Digital Innovation Lead, ARK Academies
Sophie Flanagan, Head of Assessment, ARK Academies
Testing the hype against the evidence in one everyday teacher task |
| |
|
|
|
|
| 13:35 |
|
|
|
Can AI really democratise education?
Rowena Kidd, Deputy Headteacher, Stratford High School
Is artificial intelligence rapidly transforms education, a critical question arises: can AI truly level the playing field, or will limited resources widen the equity gap for disadvantaged students?
This session explores how Stretford High School - a school serving an above-average population of double-disadvantaged learners - ensured its students were not left behind on the AI starting block. Rather than attempting to adapt to costly commercial products, the school’s teachers led the creation of a bespoke, context-driven AI feedback tool built specifically around Stretford’s curriculum, constraints, and community needs.
This session will discuss the tool’s Copilot-style interface, detailing how preloaded prompts and learner-need flags (such as dyslexia, ADHD, and reading age) enable TAs to extend student thinking. Particular focus will be placed on how we trained our TAs - who support disadvantaged students directly within the lesson - to model how to use AI ethically and correctly. Finally, we will share candid insights into what went well during implementation, as well as the practical barriers faced along the way. |
| |
|
|
|
|
| 14:05 |
|
|
|
Panel – Project Extinction: AI in the classroom - Classroom Trials and Tribulations
Chair: Sarah Waseem, Vice Principal, Canons High School
Panellists include: Madeleine Champagnie, Innovation Lead and Head of English, Thames Christian School and Lex Lang, Deputy Head, Innovation and Partnerships, Caterham Prep School
Closes the day by testing the claims made across both halves - strategy and practice - against a live, chaired debate |
| |
|
|
|
|
| 14:55 |
|
|
|
Closing remarks and networking opportunity |