Aaron Betesta

---

My name is Aaron and I am the owner of Laughtercise and our Chief Thunderbolt of Fun.

Flash.

BOOOOOOM, BOOOM, BOOOOOOM.

Did you hear that…?

It was three thunderbolts ⚡⚡⚡

That’s what you will get if you have me at your conference.

I will give your team the space to have joy, smiles and laughter. 

I will do this by playing a unique blend of Laughtercise activities that have been loved by education teams all over the world.

A thunderbolt of energy for your team ⚡

A thunderbolt of rejuvenation ⚡

A thunderbolt that will leave your team feeling re-connected and de-stressed ⚡

But the impact doesn’t stop there.

It goes on way after the conference. 

There will also be a legacy impact of your team being equipped with activities to engage young minds with.

I’m here for you if your team are feeling a bit under the weather. Energy is low. The clouds are out. It’s raining a bit. 

All you need is three thunderbolts ⚡⚡⚡

They will change everything.

So…shall we get cracking and remove some of those clouds? 

Specialist areas include:

· Energising education teams

· De-stressing education teams

· Re-connecting education teams

· Delighting education teams

Recent Feedback 

“Our team absolutely loved their Laughtercise session. There was an immediate impact and the team had a great time together. The session was incredibly fun but very precise in the way it engaged the mind and body. What is brilliant is the team have been doing all the exercises with the children so we’ve seen lots of benefits. The amount of feel-good the session has given us is immeasurable”

Beth, Head of People Experience – Child’s Time Limited

“The session was the perfect stress reliever and helped a team of experienced and new staff to bond. It was a fantastic combination of team building and mental/physical challenges that got belly laughter out of us all in such an organic way. Everyone left with a big smile on their face and felt energised and refreshed. The session far surpassed our expectations, I can’t recommend it enough”

Nicky, Director of Student Influence at Loughbourgh University

Socials 

@Laughtercise1 

Shaheen Myers is an experienced award winning education leader, author, keynote speaker and Founder of Balance-ed, with over 25 years’ experience across schools, multi-academy trusts and local government.
 

Her career has included headship and executive leadership, professional development and system leadership. Most recently, as Deputy Director for Education for Leeds City Council, Shaheen worked strategically across a complex education system of more than 350 schools and settings, working alongside school and trust leaders, the Department for Education, Ofsted and wider partners.
 

Today, through Balance-ed, Shaheen works nationally with headteachers, CEOs, senior leaders and organisations to address one of the most pressing challenges facing education: how we sustain the people who lead it. Her work brings together leadership supervision, executive coaching, organisational culture, wellbeing and leadership development, with a particular focus on the human and emotional realities of leading in education.
 

Shaheen is the author of The Human Side of School Leadership: How Courage, Connection and Care Transform Culture. Her keynotes draw on both extensive system leadership experience and deeply human stories, exploring courage, connection, belonging, culture and what it takes to lead well without losing ourselves in the process.
 

She is also the founder of the Human Side of Leadership Conference - creating spaces that bring leaders together around sustainable leadership, belonging, representation and positive change.
 

An experienced board member and education governance leader, Shaheen works across the sector as a coach, mentor, consultant and speaker. Her speaking style is warm, engaging, thought-provoking and grounded in the realities leaders and staff are experiencing right now.
 

Specialist areas include:

-The human side of school leadership
-Sustainable leadership and leader wellbeing
-Leadership supervision
-Organisational culture and belonging
-Courageous and compassionate leadership
-Staff wellbeing and retention
-Race, representation and inclusive leadership
-Leadership development and executive coaching
-Keynotes, conferences and whole-staff INSET

Bruce Robertson is the author of Power Up Your Pedagogy: The Illustrated Handbook of Teaching and The Teaching Delusion trilogy, published by John Catt Educational. Of Power Up Your Pedagogy, Professor Rob Coe of Evidence Based Education says: ‘To all teachers I would say: study this book, learn from it and act on it’. 

Bruce has been working in education for over 20 years, having trained as a chemistry teacher at The University of Edinburgh in 2002. As headteacher, Bruce’s leadership of Berwickshire High School has been instrumental in turning around a school rated ‘weak’ and ‘unsatisfactory’ in an HMIE inspection, to one that is now widely recognised as sector-leading in its approaches to teaching & learning improvement, ethos, and staff professional development.

As a consultant and trainer, Bruce is widely praised for his passion, clarity, and the practicality of his messages.

Specialist areas include

- Pedagogy

- Professional learning, including pedagogical coaching

- Curriculum

- Assessment

- School leadership

- Improvement planning and evaluation

Recent Feedback 

"Mind Expanding!" How I would describe a professional learning session with Bruce Robertson.
Having read The Teaching Delusion trilogy, I booked onto a professional learning session led by Bruce, which was excellent. Bruce is an inspirational and thoroughly engaging speaker who talks with a real passion about learning, teaching and assessment. Following this event, we invited Bruce to work with all of our headteachers and senior leaders to support the launch of our local authority focus on high quality learning, teaching and assessment. Bruce speaks passionately about learning and teaching, draws on theory, research and experience, to give very practical advice that school leaders can take away and use in schools immediately. Giving concrete examples, Bruce demonstrates how we can build a culture of continuous improvement in our schools with a focus on pedagogical improvement. Just brilliant! The trilogy of books by Bruce are also full of practical examples on how we can improve our practice and develop a culture of professional learning within our schools. 

Kay MacDonald, Quality Improvement Officer, Aberdeenshire

Bruce was the keynote speaker at the Association of School and College Leaders Northern Ireland (ASCLNI) Conference in November 2022 where he addressed 80 school leaders on the theme of Connected with Teaching and Learning.

In his first presentation ‘Power Up your Pedagogy’, Bruce aimed to develop delegates understanding of thekey messages from cognitive science and educational research about the principles that underpin high-quality pedagogy. Through a series of Learning Lessons, Bruce challenged the audience to think about how learning happens and shared excellent, evidenced based tips which any teacher intent on improving his or her practice would be wise to implement.

In his second presentation delegates were challenged to reflect on how a teaching-centred leadership model might be used to drive teaching and learning transformations across their schools by creating a culture that no matter how good teaching is already, we need to keep making it better and better.

Bruce draws not just on his own professional experiences but also on the evidence gathered by leading educationalists including Daniel Willingham, Dylan Wiliam and Doug Lemov, and presents in an easy to listen to and engaging way. One school leader in attendance said Bruce Robertson's presentations were excellent: insightful and practical. I highly recommend Bruce as a presenter/trainer.

  Robert Wilson, ASCL Northern Ireland Regional Officer

Publications

· Power Up Your Pedagogy: The Illustrated Handbook of Teaching

· The Teaching Delusion

· The Teaching Delusion 2: Teaching Strikes Back

· The Teaching Delusion 3: Power Up Your Pedagogy

Values

Singh (or Amarbeer as he’s sometimes known) is a former secondary maths teacher, experienced leader and teacher educator who believes that great teaching is the most important lever schools have in supporting pupils. His fundamental belief is that every child is entitled to a quality education, and great teaching is at the heart of that. Singh’s work is driven by the principle that it’s not about doing “more”, it’s about tweaking the fantastic work teachers and schools already do to make it even more impactful.

Whilst his background is in mathematics, Singh now specialises in teacher development across all subject areas, supporting teachers and leaders to improve classroom practice through evidence-informed professional development. If the best way to improve student outcomes is to develop great teachers, and the best way to develop great teachers is great teacher education, then it stands to reason that great teacher education is pivotal in supporting students. To put this into action, Singh works collaboratively with teachers, leaders and schools across the country through training, coaching and consultancy underpinned by humility, accountability and critical reflection.

Experience

Singh has held a range of roles in secondary mathematics and the wider education sector. As a Lead Practitioner, he led departmental professional development while demonstrating consistently high-quality teaching in his own classroom. In his current role as Senior Trust Lead for Maths, he has built on that experience to support colleagues across multiple schools through curriculum development, instructional coaching and pedagogical improvement.

Alongside this, Singh has increasingly focused on whole-school professional development, helping teachers and leaders improve classroom practice regardless of subject specialism. Since 2021 he has worked as a Teacher Educator for Ambition Institute, serving as an instructional coach, Master's tutor and facilitator across the Early Career Framework, the reformed NPQs and a range of regional and national conferences. More recently, he has delivered keynote presentations at events including the Get Further Conference and a Trust Leadership Conference, sharing practical, research-informed approaches to improving teaching and learning.

Commitment to Professional Development

Singh’s approach is built on a commitment to his own development, seeking every opportunity to improve through further study and by reading and writing about educational research. This has led to him completing a Master's in Expert Teaching and authoring Dunlosky’s Strengthening the Student Toolbox In Action.

Alongside this, Singh works as an Evidence Lead in Education for Greenshaw Research School and writes for both the Education Endowment Foundation and the Chartered College of Teaching, helping to bridge the gap between educational research and classroom practice.

Giving Back

Community has been at the heart of Singh’s work since he was a teenager. In 2017 he founded the charity Inspired Learning to support disadvantaged students in his local community. As CEO, he volunteers his time to work directly with students while developing partnerships with schools, community organisations and businesses to help achieve the charity’s vision of creating a level playing field for every student.

Specialist Areas Include

• Teaching and Learning
• Teacher Development
• Professional Development
• Formative Assessment / Assessment for Learning
• Effective Classroom Instruction
• Instructional Coaching
• Interleaving
• Consolidating Learning (including Retrieval Practice)
• Educational Myths (and how to avoid them)

Publications

• Dunlosky’s Strengthening the Student Toolbox In Action
• Measuring What Matters: Redefining Data’s Role in Schools
• Three Top Tips for Classroom Management
• Mic Check – Can Someone Please Sort the Feedback? (Parts 1 & 2)
• Making Worked Examples Work     (Parts 1 & 2)
• The Common Pitfalls of CPD – and How to Avoid Them

X -   @SinghAmarbeerG

Sufian stands as a beacon of innovation and dedication in the realms of education and community service, embodying the essence of transformative leadership.

As the Director of Teaching School at Chiltern Learning Trust, Sufian plays a pivotal role in steering the educational philosophy towards excellence, ensuring that each learner within the trust's schools receives unparalleled opportunities for growth and development. His commitment to high standards in teaching and learning is not just a professional mandate but a personal mission to uplift every child to reach their utmost potential, no matter their circumstance.

Innovatively challenging traditional professional development models, Sufian has introduced a concept he calls "social CPD." This forward-thinking approach to professional development, makes it more inclusive and engaging through informal gatherings like "Coffee and Croissant" mornings or "Women in Education" meet-ups that welcome children.

These sessions are not only informative but also foster a sense of community among educators, making learning enjoyable and accessible. His ability to blend social elements with professional learning underscores his belief in the power of communal growth and shared knowledge.

Beyond his educational endeavours, Sufian's heart for community service shines brightly. His is an advisor and board member of several different charities, including Working Options in Education, The Culture Trust, The Level Trust, Luton Town Football Club, and The Luton Food Bank.

Growing up in Luton, he understands first-hand the challenges of deprivation and social deviance, fuelling his drive to empower young people and inspire them to dream beyond their circumstances. Sufian is not just an educator he is a visionary, shaping the future one learner, one educator, and one community at a time.

For more information, or to book Sufian click the below to arrange a free consultation where we will discuss the unique needs and goals for your school.

@unleashing_me 

www.chilternlearningtrust.org

Andy Vass has been an educator for 51 years. A former Headteacher, he now works as a psychologist, trainer, best selling author and coach. His word of mouth reputation has enabled him to provide workshops, conference input, leadership development and personal coaching in twenty six countries to over 80,000 teachers.

The TES described him as “one of the foremost trainers in the UK” and that his work “challenged conventional wisdom”

His work is grounded in the unique concept of Emotional Agility which bridges the learning gap between contemporary psychology and conventional practice and offers insights into the latest thinking around how human beings thrive and flourish.

“What percentage of your internal dialogue nourishes and nurtures your capacity to lead your organisation? What percentage depletes and disconnects you from your resourcefulness and capacity to inspire and influence? How do you redress the balance?”

Andy’s ability to support sustainable change emerges from how his work impacts positively on people’s emotional health and attitudes which enhances their capacity to be consistently very good at what they do. You can’t have a healthy organisation without psychologically healthy people who feel significant at work.

Conference keynotes and workshops

· Increasing your capacity to lead – initiating positively empowering dialogues
· Help others become even stronger and more capable – influencing without authority
· Correcting children with dignity – the language that blends high challenge and high support
· Building an emotionally healthy team – coaching with humanity
· Focusing attention – a culture of optimism
NB Andy aspires to make all his work bespoke to the client’s context.

“The language you use creates the reality that you and the people you lead, experience”

What people say
"All great thinkers render the complex simple, the unachievable doable and the out of reach attainable. That is Andy’s gift to us as a coach and trainer"
Sir John Jones, International Leadership Consultant and Educational Commentator

"This programme was intellectually stimulating and hugely practical too"
R. Cook, Pastoral Director, Melbourne

"This has made me think very deeply about the nature, quality and purpose of my conversations with colleagues"
Headteacher, Camden

"An eye-opening experience into the power of language and questions to help people find solutions"
Rob Rave, Ernst & Young

"Very significant impact on me in that it gave me a positive mindset and attitude to demonstrate that supporting improvement and growth is conversationally attainable"
Headteacher, Stockport

My work is characterised by a lively blend of humour and energy. I seek to bring humanity, warmth, and curiosity to my work because it is authentically who I am and, I believe, that is when we are at our best. 

Andy specialises in positive psychology and the science of human flourishing. The reward for grinding out his PhD is that he gets to call himself a Dr of Happiness. If you put the cheesy title to one side, the good doctor believes there has never been a more important time to focus on mental health and wellbeing. 

Andy has been described as a ‘wellbeing revolutionary’. His mission is to change the narrative and re-focus psychology away from what’s wrong with people to what’s right. His messages act as a gentle nudge towards people taking charge of their own mental health. 

People love Andy’s simplicity and humour. His keynotes have been delivered to rave reviews all over the world. Andy’s training is designed for modern times; it’s specially formulated to develop resilience, personal responsibility and a readiness to embrace change. His corporate clients include Microsoft, Jaguar Landrover, IKEA and HSBC, but he’s particularly passionate about delivering in education. 

Andy’s training style is interactive, entertaining, inspiring and challenging. He also gives you lots of superbly simply strategies that you can do straight away.

Andy is also a best-selling author. He started out writing for children, with his Spy Dog series selling a million copies worldwide. He now writes about wellbeing and leadership, with many of his books appearing in the best seller lists.

Specialist areas include

Andy's specialist areas are leadership, wellbeing, positive psychology and emotional intelligence. He works with staff, pupils and parents to raise the wellbeing bar. He also works with head teachers and school governors.

The aim is always to raise the aspirations of students and staff, and to help turn common sense into common practice. There’s a lot of talk about ‘best self’ and ‘living your best life’ – and Andy helps with that!

Andy can run one off training sessions or a series of workshops that change the culture. Primary schools that go through a programme can achieve Outstandingly Happy Schools status. Secondaries can achieve Investors in Wellbeing. These programmes are about embedding positivity, wellbeing and resilience into the school/college culture.

Key Stages 

All Key Stages

Publications

• The Art of Being Brilliant
• Shine; Rediscovering Your Energy, Happiness and Purpose
• The Happiness Revolution
• How to be a Well Being
• The Little Book of Emotional Intelligence
• Leadership: The Multiplier Effect
• Zest: How to Squeeze the Max out of Life
• The Art of Being a Brilliant Teenager
• Diary of a BRILLIANT Kid (and more)

Recent Feedback

“Our September inset for a group of schools was hosted by Andy. To say I was inspired was an understatement. Andy’s ethos is still fresh in my mind. His message of determination, resilience and making the most of every moment helped me in every way possible. It’s turns out that Inset was as valuable for me as a mum, as it was for me as a teacher/SENCO. Andy’s message and philosophy travels with me every day - thank you is not enough!” - Teacher
 

“We had a great session with Andy tonight and following the session I received an email from one of my 'toughest nuts to crack'. We don't have many but the author of the email below was one of the reasons why I invited Andy in. I wondered if you could pass it on to Andy along with my heartfelt thanks for working his magic? Smiles all around tonight and an inbox bursting with many other reflective messages.” - Head Teacher 

“I had my independent SIA (An OFSTED inspector) visit on Wednesday this week. He conducted a Learning Walk as he had done with me last around 18 months ago. He was amazed by the changing culture. He noted that children at the school had always behaved well but now there was a vibrancy and liveliness in classrooms and the children were not just passively behaving but actively displaying the school values. He noted the consistency of approach in classrooms and the children’s ability to talk proudly about their problem solving and willingness to always try hard. It was great! Thanks Andy – our work with you has massively enhanced our ability to grow a new culture at school.” - Head Teacher

“In 20 years of teaching, dare I say it, this has had the biggest impact on children… Lots of initiatives have come in through the government, through funding that we get, but actually, looking at the whole child and how a child feels about themselves actually really does make a difference. The children…have now got this ‘can do’ attitude that nothing’s going to hold them back and so far nothing is…” - Head Teacher

I have just arrived home and I am absolutely buzzing following that amazing training session. So much so, that I felt I had to say thank you for arranging it for us! To be honest I never thought I'd find myself saying quite such a heartfelt thanks for a school twilight, but hand on heart, it was brilliant!

This training was great on many levels, for me personally, but even better for the children and adults around me because I really think I can put a lot of Dr Cope's recommendations into practice, straight away.  Sorry if I sound a little OTT but honestly, it was great! Thank you  - Teacher