Annual School Leadership Conference 2025

16 & 17 October 2025 at Saunton Sands Hotel, Nr Braunton, North Devon EX33 1LQ

 

Conference Programme

 

Gerard Strong

Director of Education, The Complete Education Solution (TCES)

Gerard Strong is an experienced school improvement leader and Director of Education at TCES, with a background spanning Ofsted inspection, strategic leadership, and system-wide inclusion. With a national track record of supporting schools to embed high expectations for neurodivergent and vulnerable learners, Gerard brings a rare blend of policy knowledge and personal insight.

As a parent of a child with an EHCP, Gerard also understands how exhausting the journey can be for families. His leadership is grounded in integrity, empathy, and the belief that inclusive practice must work for every child – including our own.

At TCES, Gerard leads therapeutic and online education services rooted in relational practice, family partnership, and trauma-informed approaches. He champions the TCES Inclusion Charter as a framework to move from performative inclusion to purposeful transformation across all school settings.

Keynote: When Inclusion Gets Personal – The Power and Practice of the TCES Inclusion Charter

What does it take to lead a school or trust that genuinely includes every child – even those with significant social, emotional, or mental health needs? In this keynote, Gerard Strong shares how TCES (The Complete Education Solution) has built a multi-site system of therapeutic and inclusive education – from specialist schools and online learning to in-community support – underpinned by a 25-year commitment to zero exclusions.

Gerard introduces the TCES Inclusion Charter and explores how it is used to embed trauma-informed, relational, and therapeutic leadership across all settings. The keynote will illustrate how this works in practice, from EBSA reintegration strategies and emotionally based school avoidance pathways, to quality assurance frameworks and leadership behaviours that support consistent inclusion.

This session challenges school leaders to think deeply about how inclusion can move beyond policy and into lived culture – and what it means to lead schools where every child is not only present, but truly seen, heard, and supported.

 

Kirsten Roy

Headteacher, National Online School (TCES)

Kirsten is an experienced, empathetic, and inspiring SEND professional who led TCES National Online School (TCES NOS) through a rigorous inspection to become the first online special school in the country to be quality assured under the Department for Education OEAS (Online Education Accreditation Scheme).

TCES NOS is a lifeline to many families, who credit the school with giving them their children back after months of persistent absence owing to extreme school-based anxiety, combined with other special needs. Many pupils who join TCES NOS have had a traumatic school career, often with a history of exclusion. Read more.

Keynote | Reaching the Unreachable: How online therapeutic education can reconnect excluded pupils

Kirsten Roy presents a pioneering solution for the most at-risk pupils – those who are excluded, self-excluded, or emotionally unable to attend school.

As Headteacher of the DfE-accredited National Online School (NOS), Kirsten shares how online therapeutic education is re-engaging young people experiencing Emotionally Based School Anxiety (EBSA) and persistent absence.

Using real case studies, she explains how NOS uses psycho-education, trauma-informed teaching, and relational practice to reintegrate pupils back into school, or provide long-term online support for those who cannot return.

This keynote offers a new answer to the growing EBSA and absenteeism crisis – and gives schools a lifeline to support their most vulnerable pupils while upskilling staff along the way.

 

Ben Davies

Psychological Skills Mentor, Chimp Management

Since joining Chimp Management in 2015, Ben has been a valued member of the team, known for his passion and enthusiasm in helping people develop a deeper understanding of their minds. His experience spans a diverse range of industries, including elite sport, finance, education, military services, HM Prison and Probation services, and the NHS.

Notably, he served as team psychologist for GB Taekwondo across two Olympic cycles and spent several years on tour with PGA and DP World Tour golfers. His applied work at the Army Foundation College in Harrogate and his ongoing role with a global financial institution focus on helping individuals develop insight and build the resilience needed to perform under pressure.

Keynote | Optimising the performance of the human mind

An engaging, reflective, and thought-provoking session, that aims to offer participants insight in to how their mind works whilst offering practical skills on how to manage thoughts, emotions, and behaviours more effectively and productively, increasing the probability of improving individual happiness, wellbeing, and performance. Chimp Management was founded by Professor Steve Peters to help people get the best out of themselves and others by understanding the workings of their mind.

 

Ben Newmark

Teacher, School Leader and Parent

Ben has been a teacher and school leader for twenty years. He is the father of two girls – one has a learning disability and is the reason he first became interested in inclusion and how we might make schools work better for all children.

 

 

Keynote | Dignity not Deficit

Over recent years inclusion has often been framed as about diagnosing need and then responding with additional and different interventions. In this talk Ben examines to what extent this has been effective and why such an approach has risks as well as potential benefits.

 

Cassie Young

Inclusion Executive Officer, Our Community Multi-Academy Trust

Cassie Young is the Inclusion Executive Officer for Our Community Multi-Academy Trust (OCMAT), a mixed Church and Community Trust in Kent. With over 18 years’ experience as a class teacher, SENCo, Headteacher, and system leader, she leads strategic SEND and inclusion improvement across 10 primary schools, including a specialist resource provision. Cassie is known for her honest, research informed approach to leadership to build inclusive cultures at scale. She regularly speaks at national conferences and blogs under the name “ModernCassie” on inclusive leadership, SEND strategy, and educational integrity.

Keynote: Principles for Inclusive Practice: Getting back to what matters

This session takes a hard look at what inclusion actually requires — not just in policies, but in practice, priorities, and people. Drawing on trust-wide learning and leader feedback, Cassie explores the non-negotiables of inclusive education and how they must be embedded into the everyday decisions of a school.

Participants are challenged to move beyond performative inclusion (“we say it’s a priority”) and reflect on whether their culture, curriculum, staffing and leadership behaviour really walk the talk. The session introduces seven core principles, from resource allocation to parental partnership and uses them as a springboard for self-evaluation, honest discussion, and collective action planning.

Key Themes:

  • Inclusion as a leadership behaviour, not a bolt-on role
  • Adaptive teaching as the baseline, not the intervention
  • Resourcing and staffing as mirrors of real priorities
  • The power of collaboration over SENCo heroism
  • Making inclusive culture visible — in classrooms, not just on paper

 

Rob Aubry

Head Coach, Para Swimming, Aquatics GB

Rob Aubry is a distinguished leader in Paralympic sport, serving as the Head Coach of the Great Britain Paralympic Swimming Team. Under his guidance, the team achieved unprecedented success, including their best performance in 40 years at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games. Rob’s focus on personalised training, athlete welfare, and performance innovation has led athletes like Maisie Summers-Newton, Ellie Simmonds, and Stephen Clegg to Paralympic gold, solidifying Great Britain’s dominance in Paralympic swimming.

 

Beyond coaching, Rob is an accomplished performance consultant, collaborating with a diverse range of organisations such as the British Army, Royal Marines, British Surfing, and the Commonwealth Games. His consulting work spans human performance enhancement, the integration of adaptive sports strategies, and the creation of elite performance environments. Additionally, his contributions to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport have helped shape policies on sport and disability inclusion. Read more.

Keynote: Breaking Barriers: High Performance, Inclusion, and the Power of Adaptability

Rob Aubry, Head Coach of the record-breaking Great Britain Paralympic Swimming Team, shares his unique journey from overcoming personal learning and hearing challenges to leading one of the most successful Paralympic programmes in history. In this session, Rob explores how elite-level coaching, adaptive strategies, and inclusive thinking can unlock potential – both in sport and beyond. Drawing on his work with Paralympic champions, the military, and national organisations, Rob demonstrates how focusing on personalisation, innovation, and welfare can drive extraordinary performance while fostering environments where everyone can thrive.