Richard McCann

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Born into poverty on a tough council estate in Leeds, England, Richard was placed on the “At-risk” register before he could walk and talk. Then, just one week before his sixth birthday, his mother was tragically taken from him when she became the first victim of a man who would go on to become one of Britain’s most notorious serial killers, Peter Sutcliffe.

What followed was foster parents, time in a care home, and then a deprived childhood living with his often violent and drunken father. Richard eventually left school with no qualifications and very little self-esteem. After stumbling from one mistake after another, he fell into petty crime and this led to a stint in the same prison as his mother’s killer! When he was released, he had few prospects and entered a suicide pact with one of his sisters. He had reached his rock bottom.

Find out how Educationalists influenced Richard to turn his life around and how he then and went on to become a Sunday Times No1 Best Selling author whose first book, Just a Boy, made sales of almost half a million in the UK alone and was translated into more than 10 different languages.

Today, Richard has delivered over 3000 presentations around the world, inspiring audiences with his story of overcoming adversity, and sharing his powerful iCan approach. In 2009 he founded the iCanSpeak Academy, training individuals and teams to enhance their presentation skills and communicate their message authentically and with confidence, so they achieve more effective results. 

Publications 

Available for purchase on amazon  

• Just a Boy - The true story of a stolen Childhood
• The Boy Grows Up -  Sequel to Just A Boy,  The inspirational story of his journey from broken boy to family man.

Sarah is an Educational Psychologist, Coach and Expert Speaker working with educators and leaders to help them grow their impact. Sarah has experience working within and partnering with Local Authorities and National Organisations to support their learning and growth. Her mission has always been to maximise the impact of Psychology; to help us understand ourselves and each other more deeply in order to be able to relate, learn and lead better together. 

Sarah’s work brings together lived experience, psychology and coaching. She works with you to create a professional learning opportunity that will meet your needs and nurture new ways of thinking and doing.

The three pillars of Sarah’s work are:

• Psychology – human development, neuroscience, learning, emotional intelligence, self-awareness and psychological theory. 
• The craft and practice of coaching – principles, models, tools and approaches of coaching.
• Understanding organisations and systems – organisational dynamics, leadership and improvement.

Specialist Areas

• Leadership – a series of bespoke workshops to support the development of self, others and ‘together’. 
• Coaching – one to one coaching, group coaching, team coaching.
• Coach in Residence – an opportunity to support the culture of the organisation through an individual and collective commitment to coaching.
• Wellbeing – interactive workshops designed to enhance awareness, offer insights and encourage change at the individual and collective level. 
• Resonant Conversations – improving the quality of our conversations by enabling the beliefs, skills and way of being that creates more connected and impactful conversations. 
• We:Align – a group coaching programme for women who want to grow their impact. This programme has been endorsed by Education Scotland. 

Recent Feedback

‘Sarah is an insightful collaborator. She ably applies evidence informed expert knowledge to deeply change practice and thinking’ 

Pauline Stephen, CEO, General Teaching Council, Scotland.

‘Even just one conversation with Sarah can change your trajectory. Having the opportunity to explore and dig deeper with a clear feeling of trust with a 'no judgements' supportive approach has helped me to enlighten my perspective and improve my approach to leading teams. Thanks Sarah!’

Head Teacher

Hywel has been a teacher for over thirty years. His reputation has grown hugely since he stepped out of the full-time classroom. He has found an incredible and innovative niche in the world of model teaching contributing to and advising curriculum designers and innovators from Barnsley to Brussels, from Cairo to Cleethorpes. Hywel is as at home in front of hundreds of Headteachers on the conference circuit as he is when working with EAL children on the carpets of their classrooms. Hywel contributes to the national conversation around education at school and university level. He is an experienced teacher in Special, Primary and Secondary settings, nationally and internationally. He is also a well- respected author and contributes regularly to a variety of publications. 

Hywel leads the PGCE programme in Drama at Huddersfield University and contributes to the Masters programme in Drama and Creative Writing at Leeds Beckett University. He also contributes to University Education programmes in Sheffield, Liverpool, Durham and Wolverhampton, Hywel still works with children, keeping his insight fresh, current and useful. His work deals with curriculum liberation, creative practice, engagement, leadership, literacy, teacher development and Imagineering – the liberation of the art of teaching.

In addition to working in schools, Hywel is a regular contributor to conferences including The Sunday Telegraph Festival of Education, Northern Rocks, Practical Pedagogies, and The University of Belfast Thinking Conference. He is in demand as a conference keynote speaker working alongside colleagues such as Mick Waters, Karen Ardley, The Real David Cameron and Estelle Morris as well as associates of Ian Gilbert’s Independent Thinking Ltd, an organisation he is very passionate about. Hywel has recently worked for Barnardos, The Princes Trust, the National Galleries in Edinburgh, The Hepworth Gallery in Wakefield and the West Yorkshire Playhouse in Leeds as a visiting teacher. Hywel has attained a distinction in his Masters from Leeds Beckett University focussing on Poverty and Achievement in City Schools. Hywel contributed to BBC Bitesize acting as a content provider and script doctor during the Pandemic in 2020.

Publications

His award-winning book ‘Oops! Getting Children to Learn Accidentally’ is published by Crown House Publishing and has proved very popular with educators around the world and now is a feature on the reading list of many university teacher training courses.

His book ‘Uncharted Territories’ is written with Dr Debra Kidd and was published in 2018.

Hywel’s number one Bestseller on Amazon, ‘Botheredness’ was published in 2023

He also writes a regular column for the Times Educational Supplement about his encounters as a ‘travelling teacher’ and a weekly show ‘Hywel’s Teacher Stories’ on Teacher Hug Radio. He has also contributed fiction to a prison-based literacy reading programme developed by The Shannon Trust. 

Hywel is also a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and a Fellow of the Charted College of Teaching.

He also plays the double bass.

Oh, and part owns a commercial cask ale brewery with some pals. 

He was recently described as ‘..a world leader in enthusiasm’. 

Twitter: @hywel_roberts 

Facebook:  Create Learn Inspire Hywel Roberts

Threads: @Hyweleilianwyn

https://createlearninspire.wordpress.com/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">www.createlearninspire.co.uk  

Al is CEO NetSupport / Chair of a Multi-Academy Trust and of an Alternative Provision Academy. As well as his CEO and Chair roles Al is chair of his region’s Governors' Leadership Group and chairs the regions SEND Board.

With 20+ years of governance experience, Al also sits on the DfE’s Regional Schools Directors Advisory Board for the East of England. He is Chair of the BESA EdTech Group and also chairs his regional Business and Skills Board. 

He’s a well-known face in EdTech around the world; author of "My Secret #EdTech Diary" and the best seller "My School Governance Handbook", plus his most recent book “My School & Multi Academy Trust Growth Guide”, as well as co-author of "A Guide to Creating a Digital Strategy in Education". Al writes and speaks internationally on the effective use of Educational Technology and is a Forbes Technology Council Member. 

He is also the winner of the 2022 EdTech Digest Author/Speaker of the Year award, Edufuturist of the Year award 2023, winner of the BESA 2023 award for “Inspirational Leader”, and winner of the 2023 ERA award for “Outstanding Achievement”.

Al continues to support schools and EdTech vendors with consulting and mentoring – as well as writing for the wider education community and speaking at events.  

Specialist areas include

• Digital Strategy
• EdTech
• Safeguarding
• Governance
• Strategic Planning & Growth Strategies
• AI and future Tech

Programmes 

Publications

Al has written books to maximise the use of effective #EdTech in schools, alongside a new handbook for School Governors which helps those either looking to enter governance or for more experienced members looking for those annual checks and balances. A full list of these can be found on Al's website  Books - Al Kingsley - 📒 Education and Technology #EdTech 

Recent Feedback

"Al’s presentation on the future of AI to education leaders was hugely entertaining and thought provoking – certainly one of the highlights of the conference"

Mark London, Head of Marketing, Bromcom Computers PLC

"Knowing where to start and having fears allayed is key for headteachers when considering the opportunities and potential threats of AI.  Al’s good humoured and engaging approach puts people at their ease, but this is underpinned with a wealth of experience so that practicalities can be thoroughly explored. "

Carole Herman, Exec Director, Association of Secondary Heads in Essex.

 "Al's keynote was thought-provoking, engaging and gave delegates practical take-aways to consider further in their schools, settings and trusts. It was an expertly delivered speech that helped set the scene for the conference"

Laurence Shenker, Conference and Events Manager

" Al Kingsley’s presentation was a perfect blend of inspiration, practical advice, and light-hearted humour—leaving us both informed and entertained. He made complex AI discussions engaging and accessible. "

As an experienced teacher educator, inspector, expert speaker and author, I have supported hundreds of schools, colleges and universities, in the UK and overseas, to enhance the quality of education and the learner experience. An experienced researcher and classroom practitioner, my focus is to combine sound educational theory with clear and practical strategies for those planning, delivering, supporting and leading learning. This helps busy classroom practitioners and managers to focus on what will have the greatest impact on their learners and their success.  
 

My experience over the last twenty years reflects my areas of expertise:

• Programme leader for the PGCE in initial teacher education 
• Lead national Growth Mindset consultant
• Lead inspector 
• Specialist on developing learners’ academic buoyancy and resilience
• Author on technology enhanced learning, resilience, and new apprenticeships 

Books

• ‘Helping Students to Thrive, Not Just Survive, in Education’ – Routlege (in publication)
• 'Adult and Lifelong Learning', in Lord J. (ed.) An introduction to theory, research and evidence-based practice in educational psychology. London, Sage Publications. 
• 'The Essential Guide to Teaching New Apprenticeships'. London, Learning Matters.
• 'What is Vocational Learning?', in Lord J. (ed.) Studying Education. London, Learning Matters.
• ‘Enhancing Learning through Technology in Lifelong Learning’. Oxford, Open University Press. 

Now working exclusively with The Learning Line for speaking arrangements, Prof Sam Twiselton is a highly motivated, energetic, and high-profile education professional and academic with a life-long commitment to the transformative potential of education to change lives and create a socially just society.  She was the founding Director of Sheffield Institute of Education – and is now emeritus professor at Sheffield Hallam University.

Sam is a government advisor for multiple policy initiatives linked to teacher recruitment, retention, and development. She is an inspirational keynote speaker and workshop facilitator. Areas include teacher development, teacher expertise, mentoring, supporting ITT and Early Career Teachers (ECTs) curriculum development, education policy development, influencing and maximising impact.

She thrives in situations requiring creative and innovative solutions to complex challenges and is able to speak with inspiration about this.  She has substantial experience of senior leadership and management in a range of education sectors. 

Sam has spent a working lifetime taking the lead and showing initiative, with the ability to build great working relationships, based on understanding, empathy, and trust. She has the ability to get on with people from any background and has taken a leading role in successfully managing change on a very large scale. 

In 2018 Sam was awarded an OBE for services to Higher Education and was named by Education Business as the 10th most influential person shaping education in England. Have worked with leaders and staff in a wide range of educational settings in England and internationally. Leadership experience and highly effective people skills combine to give an impressive skillset:

* Excellent communications skills        * Flexible and responsive                  * Outstanding people skills

* A successful leader                              * Researcher & published author     * A global view of life

* A highly effective public speaker        * Teamwork facilitator                       * Highly diplomatic

 Specialist Areas 

• Initial Teacher Training
• Early career teacher support and development
• Mentoring
• Teacher development
• Teacher expertise
• Strategic approaches to teacher and leader development
• Education policy development
• Education system level strategy

Potential Session Titles (all adaptable to different contexts)

General Teacher Expertise Development

1. “Are you a Concept Builder or a Task Manager? Why does it Matter?”

2. “From Concept Building to Curriculum Building: How to Develop Practice Thinking to Create an Effective Curriculum?”

3. "Mastering the Craft: The Pursuit of Teacher Expertise"

4. "Becoming an Expert Teacher: Deepening Knowledge and Understanding"

5. "The Expert Teacher: Sharing Wisdom and Best Practices"

6. "Expertise in Action: What does Excellence in the Classroom Look Like? How do we help People to Develop it\/"

7. "Leading the Way: Creating Pathways and Support to Develop Teacher Expertise"

8. "The Power of Expertise: Transforming Teaching and Learning"

9. "Teaching with Authority: Building Credibility and Trust in the Classroom through Mentoring"

10. "The Art of Expertise: Cultivating Support, Knowledge and Strategies for Success"

11. "Raising the Bar: Inspiring Teacher Excellence and Advancement"

12. "Empowering Educators: Unlocking Potential in the Classroom"

13. "Building a Culture of Continuous Learning: Supporting Teacher Development"

System Level

14. “ Golden Threads and Tapestries: Using the Learning for Government Teacher and School Leader Development Policy”

15. “Exciting Times for Teacher and School Leader Development”

16. “Teacher and School Leader Retention and Development: Why it Matters and How to Improve it”

Reflections on Influencing Policy

17. “Multiple Perspectives, Multiple Stakeholders: Finding the Common Ground”

18. “System Level Thinking: Challenges and Opportunities

19. “The Art of Negotiation: Learning from Advising Governments”

Quotes

Sam is one of the most inspiring, insightful and engaging speakers we have been fortunate to have speaking at our Challenge Partners events. Her honest, authentic and practitioner focused approach to working with HTs and CEOs is evident from the extremely warm and positive feedback we have received from colleagues. Sam is very well respected in the educational world and a tour de force in the field of teacher education and continuous professional development. She has been very generous with her time and always responsive to our requests for support. In summary, Sam is an exceptional educational leader who continues to have a systemic impact on our education system.

Dame Sue John, Executive Director, Challenge Partners

Through her hard work, level-headedness and willingness to speak out and cut through many of the tensions within ITT, in her time advising the government on ITT Sam has been able to contribute to breaking down many of the barriers that existed within the sector. She recognised that collaboration – not competition – was the only way progress could be made and has advocated for that approach ever since – winning colleagues around on her way.

The sector is now a much more joined up one, with universities and school-led provision seeking new and ever more innovative ways to collaborate to create exceptional programmes of teacher education. 

Emma Hollis, CEO of NASBTT

‘Samantha Twiselton is a respected figure throughout the education sector and can be relied on to provide honest, robust, informed and politically astute advice. I have worked with her for many years and would recommend her without reservation’. 

James Noble Rogers, CEO of UCET

Shaun Dellenty (NPQH, FCCT, FRSA, B’ed Hons, HonDrEd) is a multi-disciplined and multi award-winning expert speaker, trainer, writer, educator and advocate for LGBT+ inclusion. In 2010 he was widely reported as the one of the first UK gay state school primary school leaders to ‘come out’ to his whole school community in the national and international press. Shaun wrote the acclaimed 2019 Bloomsbury book ‘Celebrating Difference- A Whole School Approach to LGBT+ Inclusion’ recommended in UK Parliament by Lord Michael Cashman and recorded in Hansard. 

Shaun has worked in education since 1996 variously as a primary phase class-teacher, subject lead, school leader, cross borough strategic school improvement advisor, school governor and initial teacher trainer. Shaun currently works part time as a secondary school DEI lead at Leighton Park in Reading, whilst also continuing his writing, global advocacy and consultancy. 

In 2009 Shaun founded the acclaimed compassion-based LGBT+ inclusion education strategy ‘Inclusion For All’ initially aimed at tackling LGBT+ bullying in his (then) London Primary School. Around 120,000 UK education professionals alone have since benefitted from Shaun’s talks and training in state primary, secondary and faith schools in addition to the independent sector and initial teacher training providers. Shaun has spoken at numerous national and international education, human rights and anti-bullying conferences and online webinars. Shaun’s global reach now extends to over twenty-five countries with his most recent work reaching eight European countries and audiences in Mumbai and North America. 

In addition to his school and university-based work, Shaun has supported numerous national and international organisations with intersectional LGBT+ inclusion strategies, including the Church of England, NSPCC, Safer Networks, BBC, Houses of Parliament, Show Racism The Red Card, National College, Kidscape and Amnesty. Shaun also delivers numerous education conference talks and lectures for business diversity and affinity networks including HSBC, Lloyds, BBC, Wipro and Ibstock and he has supported a number of teacher trade unions in development of school-based support for LGBT+ stakeholders.  

Shaun has helped numerous organisations produce resources and training materials to support schools with LGBT+ inclusion, including the NAHT, National College and The Open University. 

Shaun has also advised at UK government committee and policy level. Between 2016 and 2019 he facilitated a three-year island wide change-management process on the Isle of Man In to support the Island to embrace LGBT+ community members in schools and other public services, including presentations at the Tynwald with the Chief Minister and other government ministers in attendance.

In 2016 Shaun was designated a ‘Point of Light’ for services to the LGBT+ and education communities by the Prime Minister and twice named one of the 100 most influential LGBT+ people in the UK by the Independent on Sunday ‘Pink List.’ In 2016 he was also named ‘Education Champion’ at the national Excellence In Diversity Awards and honoured with the Freedom of Southwark. In 2020 he was named Guardian top twenty figures in public life ‘Global Diversity List’ alongside Barrack Obama. Orpah Winfrey and Jacinda Ardern. In 2021 Shaun was bestowed with the Freedom of the City of London and named a ‘Pride Inclusion Advocate’ by Pride Life Global. In 2022 he was top 50 on the first ever UK Diversity Power List. He was also awarded an honorary Doctorate form the University of Derby for services to the LGBT+ and education communities. In 2010 the Bishopsgate Institute in London established a permanent legacy archive to Shaun’s work at https://www.bishopsgate.org.uk/collections/shaun-dellenty-archive

Shaun is a Fellow of the Chartered College of Teaching, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and member of the National Association of Headteachers LGBTQ+  Network. He is an adviser to the Global Equality Collective and a contributor to several other books including the recent book from DiverseEd ‘ Manifesto’ published April 2022. 

Shaun’s work has regularly featured in national and international press, and numerously on podcasts, the BBC, Channel Four, Sky News, ITV Daybreak and most recently on the Pride and Progress Podcast and Radio 4’s acclaimed ‘Soul Music’ episode honouring the legacy of 80s LGBT+ pop group Bronski Beat’s song ‘Smalltown Boy.’  

Shaun lives in London with his husband whom he married in the Houses of Parliament in 2016. Shaun is a member of actors union Equity and has appeared in a range of theatre and TV and film productions including the film ‘After 82’, the long running soap Emmerdale as well as numerous voice overs and live presentation work. Shaun is currently writing his second book, a memoir of his life and advocacy. 

Tom has been a dedicated educator for over fifteen years, serving as an Assistant Head and English teacher in South London. His passion for teaching has taken him across the globe, where he has taught English in Nigeria and Malaysia, EFL in Bangkok and Harrogate, as well as Sociology, Media Studies, and Humanities in Croydon.

Tom's expertise extends beyond the classroom. He is an Evidence Lead for Education and regularly leads training courses for teachers nationwide. He is a sought-after speaker at national teaching conferences, including Researched, The Festival of Education, and LitDrive.

His experience includes organizing top-rated CPD sessions for both individual schools and multi-academy trusts. These sessions covered curriculum planning and pedagogy specific to English, as well as cognitive science and explicit/direct instruction.

Additionally, he has provided advisory services for multi-academy trusts, the DfE, and Ofsted, with a focus on curriculum sequencing, pedagogy, and literacy provision across various subjects.

Specialist Areas 

• Explicit / direct pedagogy
• Explicit English teaching
• Designing English curricula 
• The great Teaching toolkit
• Cognitive science: Cognitive load theory, generative learning strategies, activating hard thinking; memory; study skills and revision techniques
• Instructional and curriculum sequencing 

Recent Feedback

‘Highly recommended’ David Didau, OAT Academies English Lead

‘Most cognitive science is based in Maths/science settings. Not many people have thought more than Tom about its application in the English Classroom’ Carl Hendrick, Professor of Applied Sciences Academica University of Applied Sciences and author of ‘How Learning Happens: Seminal Works in Educational Psychology and What They Mean in Practice.’

‘Tom has a rare gift of connecting theory to concrete practice…a masterclass’  Stuart Kime, Director of Education for Evidence Based Education

‘The use of direct instruction, worked examples, completion problems and backwards fading. Brilliantly explained.’ Tom Sherrington WalkThrus

‘I love hearing Tom speak’ Daisy Christodolou, Director of Education NoMoreMarking and author of Making Good Progress.