Will Ord

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Mark Finnis is one of the UK’s foremost practitioners in restorative and relational approaches within education. With over two decades of experience working across schools, Multi Academy Trusts, Local Authorities, and educational organisations, Mark has become a trusted voice in helping educators build cultures rooted in connection, empathy, and belonging.

As the Founder of L30 Relational Systems, Mark supports schools in embedding restorative practice not just as a behaviour management tool, but as a whole-school ethos. His work empowers staff to move beyond reactive strategies and instead design environments where relationships are prioritised, values are lived, and every pupil feels seen, heard, and valued.

Mark’s approach is grounded in the belief that “children don’t follow rules - they follow relationships.” He works closely with leadership teams, classroom practitioners, and pastoral staff to create relational cultures by design, not by default. His training and consultancy have helped schools reduce exclusions, improve attendance, and foster more inclusive, emotionally intelligent learning communities.

He is the author of the best-selling book Independent Thinking on Restorative Practice, which offers practical guidance for educators seeking to build stronger relationships and more positive school climates. Mark is also a regular keynote speaker at national education conferences and has contributed to policy development around behaviour and wellbeing.

Mark’s work fills a vital gap in educational development - supporting schools to move from compliance-driven models to cultures of care, connection, and belonging. His sessions are known for being engaging, thought-provoking, and immediately applicable in real-world school settings and we are so delighted to welcome him to the The Learning Line family!

Exclusive keynotes, available via The Learning Line!

Baasit Siddiqui is an experienced educator, motivational speaker, entrepreneur, and television personality.

For many years, Baasit has collaborated with Schools and Businesses to inspire and educate young people in to recognising their potential and how it will support them in the world of work. Baasit has delivered workshops, talks and competitions to thousands of children across hundreds of schools.

His mission is simple, through combining his educational insights, entrepreneurial experiences, and a decade of television influence, Baasit strives to make a significant impact on young people’s understanding of education and its positive impact on career opportunities. 

Baasit has combined his unique television experiences on the BAFTA winning television show Gogglebox with his knowledge, experiences, and passion for education to deliver motivational workshops, competitions, and assemblies across schools, colleges, and universities. Whether workshops focus on television, media or digital literacy, Baasit ensures that students within the workshops develop their understanding of career opportunities as well as the skills and attitude required within these careers.

As well as this, Baasit has worked with multiple businesses in and out of the education environment. He has empowered staff that work with children through CPD, chaired panel discussions, hosted awards and delivered conference keynotes. Baasit recognises the importance of education and how it is everyone’s responsibility to inspire the next generation.

He is in the privileged position to be able to champion and celebrate the hard work of all staff that support young people in reaching their true potential. 

Growing up in the foster care system, my story begins in a world many only see in headlines. Raised in an environment marred by domestic violence, child abuse, drugs, crime, prostitution, and mental illness, my life was chaos. My mother struggled with Munchausen syndrome, and at 13 years old, I entered care with a heart full of anger, feeling like the world was against me. I became violent, abusive, manipulative—constantly searching for my next chaotic 'fix.'

But through this darkness came light, in the form of adults who refused to give up on me. School wasn’t a sanctuary in the beginning—it was just another place where I felt I didn’t belong. However, it became a space where I could forge meaningful connections, and it’s those relationships that helped me turn my life around. I’m living proof that every child is just one caring, trusted adult away from being a success. This belief drives every aspect of my work. 

Today, as a professional inspirational speaker, I harness my lived experiences to deliver powerful, real-world messages to audiences across the UK and beyond. Through storytelling, humour, and deep emotional connection, I invite audiences into the lives of children growing up in care and in difficult circumstances. My signature keynote, Through the Kids’ Eyes, offers a raw, emotive, and thought-provoking exploration of the care system, focusing on trauma-informed strategies and the importance of language in social care and education.

In my sessions, I share how my personal journey of trauma, recovery, and resilience can inspire meaningful action in the day-to-day practices of social care professionals, educators, and foster carers.

I encourage my audience to reflect on their own lives and ask: How can you take the stories I share and use them to improve the way you work with children? How can you become that one trusted adult who changes a child’s life?

I aim to inspire, motivate, and empower individuals to act. Whether it’s fostering emotional connections, understanding trauma, or breaking down the barriers children face, my presentations blend impactful storytelling with actionable insights. From heartfelt moments that will bring a tear to your eye to humour that will leave you smiling, I create an unforgettable experience that motivates people to implement real changes.

Keynote Topics and Themes Include:

• Through the Kids’ Eyes: A powerful exploration of the care system and the      lives of children within it, with practical strategies for trauma-informed      understanding and therapeutic approaches.

• Language That Cares: Understanding how the language we use in social care and education can either uplift or harm vulnerable children.

• Building Resilience and Relationships: The role of trusted adults in fostering      emotional well-being and success for children in care.

• The Power of Connection: Why every child deserves an adult who believes in      them and how those connections shape futures.

My goal is simple: to inspire action. I don’t just speak for the sake of telling my story; I speak to make a difference. To inspire every audience member to think differently about the children they work with, to act with intention, and to become that one person who changes a child’s life forever.

Defying statistics is what I'm all about. I'm a x3 university graduate, x3 business owner, x3 dad to three beautiful girls, x1 husband to the most supportive wife, and a firm believer in we have the ability to change our present day and futures. So what we going to do with that? 

If you’re looking for a speaker who can move your audience to tears, laughter, and most importantly—action—then book me for your next event. Let’s make a difference, one story, one connection, and one life at a time.

Dr. Pippa Busch is an Educational Psychologist with extensive experience working with young people, families and educators. She began her private practice, The Child Psych, after years of working in the Local Authority, out of a desire to help young minds in their growth journey. Her approach is empathetic and engaging, supporting young people to open up while designing and steering them through a personalised pathway.

Dr Pippa regularly speaks at schools, and both UK and international conferences, on a range of topics including SEND, attachment, neuro-affirming practice and Autism . She is an accredited ELSA Lead Trainer, and recently worked with ELSA founder Sheila Burton, to create videos to be used in ELSA training across the UK. Dr Pippa is the lead on several modules for the Teacher CPD Academy, author of chapters in The Wellbeing Toolkit, and a contributor to the Cognitive Science Network by InnerDrive. As founder and lead of The Child Psych, she oversees a team who offer bespoke training and support to schools.

Dr Pippa received her doctorate from the University of East London.

Bespoke Training

The Child Psych offers bespoke training to individuals and groups that is specifically moulded to fit your school. Some examples of topics and delivery routes offered include: Full INSET day training at your school; SEND training online; and Emotional Literacy Twilight (after school training).

ELSA Training

Dr. Pippa offers ELSA training and supervision, courses are delivered across six days either in school or a different location. Annual digital ELSA supervision with  practitioners is also on offer.

Projects and Policies

The Child Psych provides informed and impartial assistance with policies and projects to educators across private and public settings, such as Inclusion Policies, SEND Performance, and Personal, Social, and Emotional Curriculum.

Leadership Counsel

Gain a new perspective and bounce ideas off a respected, industry-adjacent peer. Offering regular opportunities for School Leadership to speak with an Educational Psychologist was successfully trialed and implemented by Buckinghamshire Council.

Recent feedback

“We immersed our staff in the ELSA training course, and it gave us a wonderful amount of new information and knowledge we'd never before consider... I'm excited to implement the work". - Educational Staff

Publications

Teacher CPD Academy, lead author on the following modules:

• SEND & Cognitive Science

• Attachment The Wellbeing Toolkits

• Emotional Literature Skills

• Future Aspirations

• Emotion Coaching

• Growth Mindset

• Reflective Practice

  Leadership & Transformation Expert | Keynote Speaker | Certified Executive Coach | Author

“Helping leaders and organisations build systems that last.”

Narinder is a distinguished Leadership and Transformation Expert with over 30 years of experience leading improvement and change across education, social care, and wider sectors.

Her career has spanned headship, executive roles within multi-academy trusts, and her current position as a Department for Education RISE Adviser. At Elevate Multi-Academy Trust, Narinder led large-scale school improvement, developing systems and structures that built leadership capacity across multiple schools and secured sustainable impact.

As a certified executive coach and AOEA-accredited system leader, Narinder supports CEOs, executive teams, and senior leaders to unlock their potential, navigate complexity, and lead with clarity and purpose.

Today, she is a sought-after keynote speaker who inspires audiences with her warmth, insight, and practical strategies for system-wide improvement. Her focus is always on bridging evidence, policy, and practice ensuring that transformation is not just achieved, but sustained.

My Expertise

• System Leadership & Improvement – building structures that drive sustainable impact.  I have led some keynotes for trusts titled: Building capacity through a community of schools at MAT.  I have also written a chapter about this for      Critical Publishing.
• Executive Coaching – empowering senior leaders and executive teams.  I currently coach in MAT for senior executives and provide CEO appraisals 
• Leadership Development – developing leaders across all levels of MATs and networks.  I have worked with senior leadership teams and established clear systems for scaling school improvement as they grow with new schools joining, including due diligence systems
• Strategic Collaboration – designing partnerships that strengthen capacity.  I have worked with trusts on understanding context and my strap line is context is king – I have written and published on this to
• Development of teaching assistants – having led this in my trust with clear impact. I have been asked to keynote a trust TA conference 

Finally, in my role as a DFE RISE adviser, I am leading on the early years agenda for the Yorkshire and Humber region.  I was also a keynote at the regional DFE EYFS conference

Publications:

• AOEA series – Chapter – Building capacity through a community of schools
• Co-author of publication 2018: Leadership in Urban Settings based on headship at Hunslet Moor Primary Creating Change in Urban Settings | Singular: a creative publishing agency based in Norwich (singularpublishing.com)
• Teacher training materials for South Sudan 2015-20, including school cluster guidance, ITT programme
• Using the video camera to develop speaking and listening skills in the classroom – Focus on Communications – Micros and Primary Education, 1998
• Bed time stories activity pack, 1999 - Shelter
• Flying High with Literacy 1 – Quality teaching in Literacy 1999, Questions Publishing
• Flying High with Literacy 2 – Quality teaching in Literacy through a range of genres,1999, Questions Publishing
• Co-ordinating English at KS1 – Falmer Press, 2000
• Education 3-13 vol 29, June 2001 – A model for continued professional development

Dr Suzanne Zeedyk is a research scientist fascinated by babies’ innate capacity to connect.  Since 1993, she has been based at the University of Dundee, Scotland, within the School of Psychology (where she now holds the post of Honorary Fellow).  Her academic career began in the USA, where she completed her PhD at Yale University.

In 2011, Suzanne stepped away from a full-time academic post in order to establish an independent training enterprise.  Its aim is to help the public understand all that science has discovered about the importance of emotional connection for human health and happiness.   More than 150,000 people will now have now attended her speaking events, and many more engage with her via social media, podcasts or media contributions.  The two words that come up repeatedly in feedback, from those attending one of Suzanne’s training sessions, are “inspirational” and “thought-provoking”.

In 2014, Suzanne broadened her public reach even further by founding the organization connected baby.  She and her team work to help parents and professionals make practical use of the science of connection.  You can find out more by visiting the connected baby website.  Relationships matter – as much for human brains as for human hearts.

Suzanne works throughout the UK and beyond with organisations keen to think more deeply about fostering connection, compassion and resilience.  Her core aspiration continues to be strengthening awareness of the decisions we take about caring for our children — because those choices are integrally connected to our vision for the kind of society we wish to build.

Laura Knight is Founder and CEO of Sapio Ltd, a consultancy specialising in digital  strategy and innovation. Laura is an expert in leading the strategic development of  technology for teaching and learning, 1-1 devices, artificial intelligence, digital skills, and  online safeguarding. 

Laura is a disruptive thinker, international keynote speaker, coach, and consultant, and is  passionate about creative problem-solving. She supports leaders in schools, universities,  and commercial organisations with exploring the art of the possible, and leverages  technology to transform outcomes, systems, and teams. Her book The Little Guide for  Teachers on Generative AI, published by Sage, is out now. 

Laura works with a number of advisory boards including the Good Future Foundation,  Bridge the Gap, the Practitioners' Panel for AI in Education and the Independent Schools  Council Digital Advisory Group. She also works as an expert advisor to international  governments, edtech companies, and schools' groups on digital strategy and educational  policy, and provides training and input for associations such as the Independent Schools  Association, the Independent Schools Teaching Induction Panel, the Society of Heads, and  the Independent Schools’ Bursars’ Association. She also works with the highly regarded  international consultancy EDT&Partners, providing strategic educational consultancy to  clients around the world, including ISTE and the International Schools Partnership 

 Tom is an expert in oracy, metacognition and Philosophy for Children. An experienced teacher and leader in several schools, Tom has been Head of Humanities, Religious Studies and Philosophy, as well as sat on Senior Academic Management Teams. He has worked as Online Learning Manager at The Economist Educational Foundation. He has been CEO, at The Philosophy Man for seven years, and Co-Founder and Director of Hidden Leaders. He still works in classrooms week-in, week-out.

A Durham philosophy graduate, Tom is co-author of four books for teachers - and his most recent, Thinking Moves A-Z: Metacognition Made Simple, has been translated into four languages and is about to be launched as a bilingual text in China. He regularly writes materials received by over 17,000 educators in 91 countries. He has written for several Headteachers' publications and his article was chosen by the UK government as its principal guide on how to help children discuss the war in Ukraine. 

In 2014 he was awarded The Walter Hines Page Scholarship by the English-Speaking Union to research the role of assessment in philosophy.  He co-presented the TedX Talk "Hmmm Questions" in 2017 and is one half of "Spot and Stripe", the popular children's miniseries used in schools worldwide. Tom continues to work with schools to help them embed philosophical discussions into their curriculum. His ideas are rooted in his vast experience working with all age groups and are known for their immediate impact on learning.