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National Primary Leadership Conference 2026
Course Code: C0013
£349.00
CONFERENCE AIMS
Keynote Educational’s first National Primary Leadership Conference has been designed to provide primary school leaders with the insight, strategies, and confidence to meet the evolving challenges of education head-on and thrive in 2026 and beyond. Grounded in cutting-edge research, current policy priorities, and proven practice from across the sector, this high-impact one-day event offers leaders the opportunity to step back from the day-to-day and engage with the big issues shaping primary education. Through expert-led sessions, delegates will explore future-focused approaches to:- Leading with clarity and values in times of change
- Designing and delivering a coherent, inclusive and ambitious curriculum
- Building and sustaining high-performing, motivated staff teams
- Harnessing AI and digital tools ethically and purposefully
- Translating vision into action for lasting school improvement
BENEFITS OF ATTENDING
- Gain authoritative insight into the key national priorities and policy shifts shaping primary education in 2026
- Strengthen your curriculum leadership with evidence-informed strategies for equity, coherence, and excellence
- Learn how to recruit, retain, and develop a thriving staff team with a culture rooted in trust, autonomy, and wellbeing
- Explore how to design and implement a purposeful, ethical strategy for AI across schools and trusts
- Refine your ability to translate school vision into actionable improvement plans with measurable impact
- Take away tested strategies to balance accountability with values-driven leadership
WHO SHOULD ATTEND
- Primary Headteachers and Principals
- Deputy and Assistant Headteachers
- Primary MAT and Trust Leaders
- Aspiring Headteachers and Senior Leaders
- Curriculum, Teaching & Learning and Phase Leaders
- School Business Leaders involved in strategic planning
- School Improvement, Local Authority and Trust Advisors working with primary settings
Programme
10.00am
Steve Smith, Director of Professional Development, Keynote Educational
10.05am
Leading Primary Education in 2026 and Beyond
Focus: The national picture, policy changes, future challenges and opportunities
- Understand the key national priorities shaping primary education in 2026 and what they mean for your school
- Explore the implications of recent and upcoming policy changes on curriculum, accountability, and assessment
- Explore ways in which your school can embrace inclusive practice through Learning without Limits
- Consider your leadership response to current systemic challenges: adapting strategy while staying rooted in values and moral purpose
- Ensure professional learning is at the heart of your leadership
Dame Alison Peacock, Chief Executive, Chartered College of Teaching
11.00am
11.20am
Curriculum Leadership that Drives Outcomes and Equity
Focus: Explore how to develop and implement an ambitious and inclusive curriculum
- Consider what equity in curriculum design looks like and how to close gaps through pedagogy and content
- Understand the principles for retaining progression and sequencing with falling pupil numbers
- Explore how to lead curriculum development through distributed leadership and staff empowerment
- Hear about practical strategies for evaluating curriculum impact meaningfully, without defaulting to data-heavy models
Claire Mulhern, School Improvement Advisor, Discovery Schools Academy Trust
12.10pm
Focus: Recruitment, retention, professional development, and wellbeing
- Discover effective strategies for attracting and retaining excellent staff in a competitive market
- Develop a school-wide culture of trust, autonomy, and continuous professional growth
- Explore how to lead with empathy, supporting wellbeing without compromising on standards
- Reflect on how leadership behaviour shapes team performance, motivation, and staff voice
Dr Kulvarn Atwal, Principal Learning Leader, The Thinking School Federation
1.00pm
2.00pm
Focus: Designing purposeful, ethical AI strategies trust-wide
- Why Do Schools Need an AI Strategy?
- Key Strategic Considerations
- Building the AI Strategy
- AI Evaluation Cycle
- Challenges and Mitigations in AI Adoption
Julie Carson, Director of Education, Woodland Academy Trust
2.50pm
2.55pm
Focus: Turning vision into strategy and action
- Learn how to refine or relaunch your school vision in a way that inspires clarity and buy-in
- Explore ways to translate strategic intent into measurable improvement plans
- Look at ways to track progress, evaluate impact and sustain improvement
- Gain practical ideas for engaging stakeholders, children, staff, governors and parents in a shared strategic journey
Dawn Ferdinand, Headteacher of the Year in a Primary School 2024-2025, Founder & Director, FLE-x
3.45pm
Conference - Code: C0013National Primary Leadership Conference 2026
London | Friday 12 June 2026
SPEAKERS
Dame Alison Peacock, Chief Executive, Chartered College of Teaching
Claire Mulhern, School Improvement Advisor, Discovery Schools Academy Trust
Dr Kulvarn Atwal, Principal Learning Leader, The Thinking School Federation
Julie Carson, Director of Education, Woodland Academy Trust
Dawn Ferdinand, Award Winning Primary Headteacher, Founder & Director, FLE-x
Course Brochure
