Haili Hughes

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After a 15 year career in secondary schools, teaching English, Haili is now Director of Education at Iris Connect and a Principal Lecturer at The University of Sunderland, strategically planning and implementing teacher mentoring across partnership schools. She also delivers the ECF and the NPQLTD and works with the DfE as an ITT Quality Associate. 

She’s written three bestselling teaching books: 'Preserving Positivity' with John Catt, 'Mentoring in Schools' with Crown House and 'Humans in the Classroom' with McNidder and Grace. She also has two books due out with Routledge on using critical theory in GCSE English lessons and one on mentoring new English teachers with Crown House imminently and has just signed five new book contracts for 2024/5. 

She peer reviews for the Chartered College’s journal, ‘Impact' and runs three YouTube channels - one aimed at connecting university academics and able GCSE students and a CPD channel for boosting English teachers’ subject knowledge, as well as a mentoring sharing good practice channel. She’s passionate about bridging the gap between research and practice and also sits on the Chartered College’s council, after being elected in 2023. 

In addition to this she hosts a monthly podcast, available on Spotify, called 'Making Mentoring Matter' and is the Editor of monthly online 'Mentoring Magazine.' She moderates a Twitter community of 1000+ mentors and a Google community of over 100 academics/leaders who strategically lead mentoring and teacher development at scale.  

Over the last two years, she has spoken at conferences and provided keynotes in over 150 schools, colleges and universities. These have been on a wide range of topics, including coaching and mentoring, staff wellbeing, social justice themes, challenging all learners, literacy, questioning, teacher retention and cognitive science. She also provides consultancy and workshops to English departments and students on challenging the most able and subject specific CPD. 

Specialist Areas

• Coaching and mentoring 
• Staff wellbeing 
• Social justice themes 
• Challenging all learners 
• Literacy 
• Questioning 
• Teacher retention 
• Cognitive science 
• Workshops to English departments and students on challenging the most able and subject specific CPD. 

Publications 

• Preserving Positivity 
• Mentoring in Schools 
• Humans in the Classroom 

Need an expert speaker who will have your audience laughing and crying, galvanised into action and still talking about the experience a year later? I'm your woman. Here's why…
 

I'm a multi award-winning speaker with over 3000 keynotes under my belt. My keynotes stay with people for life by offering new & insightful perspectives on resilience, wellbeing, diversity & human-first leadership.
 

I have successfully created positive disruption in the education system delivering keynotes to teachers, leaders & CEOs. I advise governments, coach c-suite execs & have earned the nickname 'British Oprah' in the US.
 

What's my story? Well, I should be lost in a world of exploitation, prison, or dead - but I'm not. My TEDx Talk explains how Everyday Heroes interrupted my trajectory & changed my life: https://youtu.be/q3xoZXSW5yc. It's why a profit % of every keynote I deliver goes to supporting the leaders of tomorrow in schools!
 

From a child locked in a basement to the chaos of foster care & teen homelessness, I beat the odds, made it to university, became a teacher, & went on to become a CEO, TV presenter & stand up comedian!
 

My story would make a binge-worthy Netflix series. However, I focus on how I survived, thrived & went on to drive change. I'm the world-class reframer I am today thanks to the human-first leaders who had my back: A handful of teachers, foster carers, social workers & leaders. Now, I'm moulding more engagement & resilience in companies like:
 

👉🏾 Skillsoft
👉🏾 Stryker
👉🏾 Gucci
👉🏾 BBC
 

So, why have I been booked for 3K+ keynote talks? Because my talks aren't just "inspiring." They cause people to make changes. To think, feel & do things differently. I change people's minds about settling & give them the boost they need to take action.
 

As a speaker, I show up as my full-fat self. I share the secret to serving society without sacrificing your own soul & how being professionally vulnerable & personally authentic can increase engagement.

Most of all I help people to leave a lifelong legacy & create purpose alongside profit, & it doesn't end there. My team & I create ongoing impact through workshops & leadership coaching to build deep connections & invincibility into your organisation.
 

KEYNOTES TO INSPIRE ACTION
 

🔥 Reinventing the engagement culture
🦸 Going beyond a growth mindset
🎤 How to transform your work & life
❤️ Embedding ambitious resilience
 

Speaker Of The Year 2022 - WINNER
Best Live Gig 2022 - WINNER
Best Speaker - HIGHLY COMMENDED

Andy Griffith began his teaching career in 1989 and he still works with young people in schools on Merseyside, most notably All Saints High School in Kirkby. He is best known as the creator of the Outstanding Teaching Intervention (OTI) programme which has twice been recognised in the prestigious TES Awards. This programme emerged from his one day course, Outstanding Teaching which has been attended by over 25,000 teachers throughout the UK. The OTI programme is now an international franchise involving over thirty quality-assured trainers, its content based around his two best-selling education books, Engaging Learners and Teaching Backwards. Andy has been a prolific trainer in the past 20 years where he has developed an excellent reputation for delivering excellent, incisive and memorable training courses.

In recent years Andy has helped a number of businesses and other organisations to raise the morale and performance of their staff. He has written about this in his latest book, The Learning Imperative (Business Book of the Year Award in 2019) which spawned the training course Leading for Excellence. 

Andy is also director of the community interest company, Dramatic Recovery which is at the vanguard of the social prescribing movement - using drama and performance to support people with mental health challenges some of whom have been referred through their GPs.

He has just released his latest book, The Working Classroom, which looks at the role education can play in addressing class discrimination and the best way to develop young people’s cultural capital.

Specialist Areas

• Pedagogy
• Assessment
• Curriculum Design
• Literacy
• Leadership of Learning
• Working with disadvantaged learners and communities
• Developing Cultural Capital
• How to train and develop staff 
• Expert speaker

Publications

• Engaging Learners
• Teaching Backwards
• The Learning Imperative
• The Working Classroom

Jennifer is a English teacher, Author, Blogger and Speaker.

In November 2012 she joined Twitter as @FunkyPedagogy. She posted her first teaching blog in January 2013.

Now, Jennifer is Assistant Principal for Teaching and Learning at Trinity Academy Cathedral, a state secondary school in Wakefield. Over the course of her career she has worked at a number of other schools in West Yorkshire as a Head of English, an AST and a Lead Practitioner.

She is the author of the best-selling books, ‘How to Teach English Literature: Overcoming Cultural Poverty’ (2019), ‘Teach Like a Writer’ (2020), ‘The Metacognition Handbook’ (2021) and ‘Essential Grammar: The Resource Book Every Secondary English Teacher Will Need‘ (2023).

Using her platform as FunkyPedagogy, Jennifer’s work has grown beyond writing to include: an online CPD library which raises funds for a number of charities through sales ; The Reading List Project; a guest blogging platform; a free resource library, and frequent appearances as a speaker at educational conferences, events, and on podcasts. 

Jenny runs a range of courses and programs to support school leaders, including coaching programs for heads of department. 

Social Accounts:

@FunkyPedagogy 

Vimeo -  @FunkyPedagogy

Dylan Wiliam is Emeritus Professor of Educational Assessment at University College London.

After a first degree in mathematics and physics, and one year teaching in a private school, he taught in urban schools for seven years, during which time he earned further degrees in mathematics and mathematics education.

In 1984 he joined Chelsea College, University of London, which later became part of King's College London. During this time he worked on developing innovative assessment schemes in mathematics before taking over the leadership of the mathematics teacher education program at King’s.

Between 1989 and 1991 he was the Academic Coordinator of the Consortium for Assessment and Testing in Schools, which developed a variety of statutory and non-statutory assessments for the national curriculum of England and Wales.

After his return to King’s, he completed his PhD, addressing some of the technical issues thrown up by the adoption of a system of age-independent criterion-referenced levels of attainment in the national curriculum of England and Wales.

From 1996 to 2001 he was the Dean and Head of the School of Education at King’s College London, and from 2001 to 2003, he served as Assistant Principal of the College. In 2003 he moved to the USA, as Senior Research Director at the Educational Testing Service in Princeton, NJ. In 2006 he returned to the UK as Deputy Director of the Institute of Education, University of London. In 2010 he stood down as Deputy Director to spend more time on research and teaching.

His recent work has focused on the use of assessment to support learning (sometimes called formative assessment). He was the co-author, with Paul Black of a major review of the research evidence on formative assessment published and since then has worked with groups of teachers all over the world on developing formative assessment practices.

Anna Ephgrave has been fascinated by babies and young children her whole life. She has volunteered in various capacities and also has ten years’ experience as a foster parent. She has over 27 years’ teaching experience, working for many years as an advanced skills teacher and most recently as an Assistant Head Teacher.

She has led her Early Years’ teams to four consecutive Outstanding grades from Ofsted. She promotes child-led learning in which children are given autonomy and respect. 

Anna now works as an independent author, expert speaker and consultant, supporting education practitioners both in the UK and abroad. She has had five books published including “Planning in the Moment”. Anna now lives in Bristol splitting her time between training work and looking after her grandchildren.

Specialist Areas

• Early years 
• Child-initiated play
• Planning in the Moment

Publications 

• The Reception Year in Action
• Nursery Year in Action
• Year One in Action
• Planning in the Moment with Young Children
• Planning in the Moment with Two and Three Year Olds

Recent Feedback

“Best training I have attended in 25 years”.

Reception teacher

“Inspirational” 

Head teacher.

I have a number of strands to my earning and learning life. My academic career has mostly been spent in University Departments of Education, teaching and researching the psychology of learning.  Beginning as a post-doctoral researcher in the University of Oxford Department of Experimental Psychology, I then took up a lectureship in the Psychology of Education in London at the (now UCL) Institute of Education.

Five years later, I moved to Chelsea College Centre for Science and Maths Education, and then to King's College London Department for Educational Studies. Afterward, I was Professor of the Learning Sciences at the University of Bristol Graduate School of Education, and I finished my university career as Research Director of the University of Winchester Centre for Real-World Learning.

Officially, I am now ‘retired’, though I still travel the world giving talks and running workshops, and work as a  Visiting Professor back at King’s College London. During my career, I also worked with the likes of James Lovelock and Fritjof Capra at the Schumacher College for Ecological and Spiritual Studies at Dartington Hall. I have also worked closely with the maverick Buddhist scholar and mediation teacher Stephen Batchelor at the Sharpham Centre for Buddhist Studies. 

You will get a flavour of this diversity from my books, and also from a selection of my engagements over the years:

• Consultant on education to the Royal Albert Hall
• Workshop leader for Premier League Youth Football Coaches
• Lecturer at the Siobhan Davies Dance School and the London College of Fashion
• Inaugural lecturer at Her Majesty's Treasury Learning Centre
• Meditation teacher at Atsitsa holiday centre on the Greek island of Skyros (where I met my wife Judith)
• Consultant to the Centre for Contemplative Education research project on mindfulness in European schools (under the auspices of HH The Dalai Lama)
• Guest lecturer at the Harvard Learning Innovations Laboratory (LILA)
• On-going consultant to the South Australian Department of Education and Child Development
• Regular keynote speaker since 2000 at the biennial International Conferences on Thinking
• Consultant to The Ideas Foundation
• Speaker at the Edinburgh International Summit on Culture (2022)

Education 

In education, I am best known for developing the concept of ‘learning power’: a collection of skills and attitudes that underpin someone’s ability to tackle complex matters with confidence, capability, and relish. This active engagement is a valuable skill for adults as much as for children in school. It can be taught in the classroom, alongside all the standard subjects, as proven by my work and that of my collaborators.

The insights and resources we developed under the ‘brand’ of ‘Building Learning Power’ over a 15-year timespan have been successfully adopted by a number of schools around the world. More recently, international research groups have developed similar theories. Together, they are forming a new school of thought about teaching and learning for the 21st century. I call this ‘The Learning Power Approach’. The books below chart the development of this new way of thinking about the nature and purpose of education. 

• Powering Up Your School
• Powering Up Students
• Powering Up Children
• The Learning Power Approach
• What’s the Point of School?
• Wise Up
• Building Learning Power
• The Learning Powered School
• Educating Ruby

The Mind

As a cognitive scientist, the main focus of my work has been on expanding our conception of intelligence. We all share the notion that intelligence is tied to complex abstract thinking and problem-solving - the kind of skills that IQ tests purport to measure. I would argue that intelligence ought to relate to how regular people function in the real world, and how it can help them solve everyday problems.

​

Real-world intelligence is fascinating because it depends as much on intellect as on our values and emotions. As exciting new research suggests, the processes of mind and body are so intricately interwoven that, should we neglect part of them, we would automatically become less intelligent. I’ve explored this fast-developing field in a series of books, of which Intelligence in the Flesh is the most recent.

• Hare Brain, Tortoise Mind
• The Wayward Mind
• Intelligence in the Flesh
• The Heart of Buddhism
• Noises From the Darkroom
• The Psychology of Awakening

Paul McGee is a visiting Professor at the University of Chester and one of Europe’s leading  speakers on the subject of change, resilience, wellbeing, and communication. His book SUMO became a Sunday Times best seller and his book Self Confidence reached number one in the  WHSmith’s business chart and remained there for a further 24 weeks. His books have sold over a quarter of a million copies worldwide. He has appeared on BBC Breakfast television and is a regular contributor on BBC Radio.  

He’s spoken for more than 1,000 organisations in over 40 countries to date, including GSK,  Shell, Adidas, and the NHS. From India to Italy and from Bangkok to Brisbane, Paul’s messages  have resonated with a global audience. 

He has had the privilege of working with one of the world’s top management gurus the late Dr Stephen Covey and his  work has been endorsed by Sir Clive Woodward. Chris Evans described Paul’s book How Not to Worry as “a gift to the  world.” His clients include prominent blue chip organisations, public sector bodies and a leading Premier League football club.

He combines his love of comedy and football by supporting Wigan Athletic and Bradford City. 

Recent Feedback

“In our twenty years of running conferences, Paul McGee is the only speaker we have ever invited back. That above all  explains the benefit we feel we have gained from hearing Paul’s SUMO philosophy.” 

Doug Perkins, Dame Mary Perkins CBE, Founders of SpecSavers 

“I would have no hesitation in recommending Paul McGee and his SUMO philosophy to any organization who wants to  engage a large number of staff in a way that provides excellent value for money compared to more conventional ways of  training.  The overwhelming feedback has been that the sessions were inspiring, thought provoking, humourous but above all  practical in helping my staff make a positive difference.” 

Julie Spence, Chief Constable, Cambridgeshire Police 

“I saw Paul present at an international conference. He uniquely addresses one of the biggest barriers to personal and  business development... our own minds. The SUMO philosophy was a unanimous hit. Very, very powerful stuff!”  

Simon Newton-Smith, General Manager, Virgin Atlantic, Southern Africa 

Mary Myatt is an education adviser, writer and speaker. She trained as an RE teacher and is a former local authority adviser and inspector. She engages with pupils, teachers and leaders about learning, leadership and the curriculum. 

Mary has written extensively about leadership, school improvement and the curriculum: Her most recent work focuses on the Huh Curriculum series for primary, secondary, SEND and Alternative Provision with John Tomsett. 

She has established Myatt & Co an online platform with films for ongoing professional development including the popular Primary Subject Networks and Secondary Subject Networks. In order to meet the demand ongoing curriculum and leadership development, Mary has set up the Huh Academy. 

Her most recent work is the development of The Teachers’ Collection, underpinned by the findings from the ‘Faster read’ research from the University of Sussex.

Mary is a patron of CAPE, she has been a governor in three schools, and a trustee for a Multi Academy Trust. She maintains that there are no quick fixes and that great outcomes for pupils are not achieved through tick boxes.

www.marymyatt.com 

X: @MaryMyatt

During my tenure as CEO of the fourth largest Multi-Academy Trust in England, I have led on improvement of 47 schools moving from special measures/failing status to Good and Outstanding, whilst successfully establishing and opening a number of Government funded schools through the Free school route. With 52 Primary and secondary Academies serving some of the most disadvantaged communities, and a workforce of 5000 staff, I am proud to have led, grown, and developed one of the UK’s leading academy Trusts. I have overseen the growth of the Trust onboarding 41 of the schools and currently the Trust is undergoing further growth of a further three secondary academies. 

This is all underpinned by my unique 36-year career in the sector, both as a serving headteacher across seven schools in the Primary, Secondary, All Through, and Special sector including residential SEMH.

As one of the Founding CEOs of the newly established National Institute of Teaching providing the golden thread of Teacher development and Research across the country. Having won the government contract of £126 million to deliver our vision of a school system that nurtures the talents of teachers and leaders at all stages of their careers, so they can provide children with the world-class education they deserve.

I am passionate about developing and enabling others demonstrated by my previous work as a Leadership advisor in Future Leaders. I also have a particular expertise in behaviour management, having co-authored a best-selling self help guide for teachers “Why are you shouting at me?”. 

I am active across the education sector as a Trustee of E-ACT (National Sponsor), a Trustee of Place2BE the country’s leading children Mental Health Charity and I am Founding Trustee of the National Institute of Teaching that provides Teacher Development and Research to thousands of teachers and leaders across the country. I play a key role in the education sector, and I currently chair and led on a number of national conferences where we teach the next generation of CEOs in the sector. 

I stepped down as CEO in September 2023 to lead my own consultancy, for which I am using my knowledge, skills and expertise working to supporting leaders of schools and Trusts to succeed 

across the education sector.

Areas of Expertise:

- Keynotes to large audiences

- One to one mentoring 

- Developing authentic leadership and growing a vision

- School Improvement 

- Developing organisational design and strategy 

- Developing a people strategy

- Developing effective governance

- Developing a growth strategy 

- Learning and Development  

Recent Feedback

John has been instrumental in helping our strategic thinking develop at a critical point of our trust maturing. His experience, expertise and networks have been shared with generosity, integrity and humour. His ability to connect with teams of all disciplines means that his work is well received and impactful.

Sarah Bennett CEO of Inspiring Futures through Learning  

John’s style combines strategic vision and mission, his commitment to education and societal challenges is inspirational.

He is extremely knowledgeable in relation to the high level challenges faced by leaders, he is solution focussed and always considered in his advice.
John is generous with his time. He sees the root of problems easily, and through his experience and extensive network offers solution focussed strategies and support.
Shaun Ireston CEO of the Great Schools Trust