Programme
08.30 – 09.00: Breakfast
09.00 – 09.15: Welcome and introduction
Andrew Haldenby, Director, Reform
09.15 – 10.15: The state of education
A panel debate chaired by Andrew Haldenby, Director, Reform
English education is failing. Half of all 16 year olds still leave school without a basic set of decent qualifications. England is tumbling down the international education league tables. What can be done? Radical ideas have been advanced to shake up education – putting universities in charge of the school curriculum, or allowing profit-making companies to run schools. Can these proposals transform schools, or does England need a fundamental reappraisal of what education is for and how to deliver it?
Professor Francis O’Gorman, Head of English, University of Leeds
Paul Woodgates, Head of Consulting to the Education Sector, PA Consulting Group
Camilla Cavendish, Chief Leader Writer, The Times
Professor Dylan Wiliam, Deputy Director, Institute of Education
10.15 – 10.30: Coffee
10.30 – 11.30: Supporting quality teaching
A panel discussion chaired by Nick Seddon, Deputy Director, Reform
Evidence consistently shows that quality teaching is the single most important factor to influence educational outcomes. This session will examine how good teaching can best be supported. It will consider whether there is a role for technology in helping teachers to innovate and maximise the benefit of their classroom experience and pedagogical expertise and consider the importance of subject specialism in quality teaching.
Rt Hon Lord Knight of Weymouth, Former Minister of State for Schools and Learners
Rod Bristow, President, Pearson UK
Professor Sir John Holman, Director, National Science Learning Centre
Professor Judy Sebba, School of Education and Social Work, University of Sussex
11.30 – 12.00: Nick Gibb MP keynote speech
A keynote speech by Nick Gibb MP, chaired by Andrew Haldenby, Director, Reform
The Minister of State for Schools will set out his agenda for reforming school education.
12.00 – 12.45: Lunch
12.45 – 13.45: Raising the bar
A panel debate chaired by Dale Bassett, Senior Researcher, Reform
The quality of school education, and the differences between academic and vocational routes, are more hotly debated than ever. To what extent should children be “selected” to follow an academic or vocational route at 14? Will academic or vocational education best serve the needs of individuals and the economy in the future? How can the quality of education be raised? Would a liberalisation of the qualifications market be a driver for improving or falling standards?
Simon Lebus, Chief Executive, Cambridge Assessment
Professor Deborah Eyre, Visiting Senior Research Fellow, University of Oxford
Amanda Spielman, Research and Development Director, ARK Schools
Ros McMullen, Principal, David Young Community Academy
13.45 – 14.45: Education for less
A panel discussion chaired by Andrew Haldenby, Director, Reform
The schools budget will come under increasing pressure as public spending is brought under control. Does a reduction in spending have to mean a reduction in quality? This session will examine the potential for waste reduction, workforce reform and tackling national agreements to reduce costs while improving the quality of school education.
Steve Beswick, Director of Education, Microsoft
Shaun Fenton, Headmaster, Pate’s Grammar School
Chris Davies, Education Director, Tribal
Dale Bassett, Senior Researcher, Reform
14.45 – 15.00: Close
Closing remarks on the day’s discussions from Andrew Haldenby, Director, Reform
The conference is kindly sponsored by Cambridge Assessment, PA Consulting, Pearson and Microsoft.