Agenda & Speakers

Sign up for sessions from 16th May.

There is a lot of choice but don’t panic. On the morning Thursday 16 May you will be sent a link to a form where you can register for your chosen sessions and rank your selections.

Jump to session
Welcome & Keynotes
Session Three
Session Four
Session Five

Session One & Two

9:00am Keynote One
10:00am Break
10:20am Keynote Two

A note about the keynotes

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Our Trust has grown to the point where we can no longer comfortably fit all staff into one room. This year, therefore, you will be put into one of two groups. Group 1 will be in the Assembly Hall, and will hear first from Carlene Firmin and then from Lee Elliot Major . Group 2 will be in the Sports Hall and will hear first from Lee Elliot Major and then from Carlene Firmin.

Contextual Safeguarding: Moving beyond referrals to creating safer school contexts

Professor Carlene Firmin

Room TBC

In this session, Carlene Firmin, founder of Contextual Safeguarding, will outline the key features of the approach and its implications for schools. She will introduce activities that create safety within and outside of schools and suggest ways for schools to work with young people, parents, multi-agency partners and local businesses to protect young people from extra-familial harm. Carlene's session will identify both structures and cultures that facilitate safety in school environments, and the roles that everyone can play in creating them. 

 

Carlene Firmin is Professor of Social Work at Durham University where she runs the Contextual Safeguarding research programme. 

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Equity in education: improving outcomes for under-resourced learners

Lee Elliot Major

Room TBC

In this session, Lee Elliot Major will set out the equity approach, which strives to make classrooms genuinely inclusive, while acknowledging the material and cultural impediments to learning outside the school gates. This follows his recently published book, Equity in Education which was ranked among Amazon’s 'Hot New Releases in Education’.  

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Lee challenges the deficit mindset that has dominated national education policy. This includes replacing unhelpful labels such as ‘disadvantaged pupils’ with ‘under-resourced pupils’ and recognising social class biases in the classroom. Lee will provide some best bets for classroom practice to improve outcomes for all pupils. 

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Lee Elliot Major is Britain’s first Professor of Social Mobility, based at the University of Exeter, and speaks about social equity across the world. 

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Session Three
11:30-12:20pm

The aims of this session are:

  • To build awareness of ‘Adultification Bias’ including definition linked to the research of Jahnine Davis and Nick Marsh. 
  • To recognise the ways in which the Adultification Bias dynamic may operate within families, organisations and communities, including how it may become further entrenched by our recognised ways of working and actively harm children, their self-esteem, confidence and achievement. 
  • To explore ways in which Adultification Bias can be addressed through a series of evidenced-based practice models. 

 

Sarah is the Headteacher of Streatham Wells Primary, published author of Time to Shake Up the Curriculum and Chair of the Lambeth Violence Against Women and Girls Forum. 

  

Suitable for all phases, pastoral and safeguarding teams.

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In this session, Simon will share Woodside Primary School’s approaches to parental engagement, and the impact these have had, using case study examples and with a focus on families of pupils with SEND. He will explore the role of external agencies, and offer takeaways for colleagues in the shape of recommendations and signposting for further reading. 

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Simon Clay is the Early Help and Inclusion Officer at Woodside Primary School in Oswestry.

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Suitable for pastoral leads and inclusion teams in primary and secondary.

This session focuses on using evidence-informed and proactive strategies to improve behaviour. The session talks through the RULER approach and how this can be used to improved children’s understanding of emotions and their ability to regulate. We will look at how the universal offer of a strong character curriculum underpins good behaviour and reduces to need for reactive strategies.

 

Michael is the Headteacher and Behaviour Hub lead at Charles Dickens Primary School and Nursery. 

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This interactive session will consider different types of SEND in the classroom and how students' needs may be met, especially in subjects that require extended written responses, a knowledge of current affairs and classroom debate. Focus will be especially on meeting the needs of students with ASD, ADHD, dyslexia, visual and hearing impairment. No knowledge of Economics is required. 

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Josie Baker has worked at Charter North Dulwich since September 2022, teaching Economics GCSE and A-level. Following a career in arts marketing, fundraising consultancy and arts and health, Josie qualified as a teacher in 2012 through the Graduate Teacher Programme and has taught in a range of schools in London and Kent; she has a child with SEN. 

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Suitable for anyone teaching post-16.

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This session will help you learn more about routes into Initial Teacher Training to become a primary or secondary school teacher. We will discuss what the training year looks like and how to apply for a place on the PGCE course. 

 

Sarah is the Director of our Teaching School Hub, London South. She has worked in leadership positions, including Headship and Associate Headship. Her current responsibilities span from initial teacher training to the continuous professional development of teachers, school and trust leaders across Lambeth, Lewisham, and Southwark.  

 

Neilleads the ITT provision for London South Teaching School Hub. He trained toteach at Roehampton University and has worked as a teacher, Assistant, Deputyand Acting Headteacher and as an EYFS Specialist Leader of Education across theSouth of England.

 

Suitablefor teaching assistants and support staff.

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Come and hear from LMP about the range ofapprenticeships available to Charter staff. Apprenticeships are funded programmesfor people of all ages to develop their careers. Whether you are starting a newjob or looking to learn new skills in your current role, you can progress yourcareer using the power of apprenticeships.

 

The Charter Trust works in partnership with LMP to offer a wide range of apprenticeships, which give learners the opportunity to learn on the job and benefit from the very latest industry-standard training.

 

LMP is an award-winning training provider delivering a range of apprenticeships across a variety of industry sectors, including teaching & early years, business & professional and finance. Our experienced tutors and support team deliver vibrant and engaging learning across the UK.

 

Suitable for support staff, both office based and pupil facing. 

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This session will offer explicit strategies and examples to support strong outcomes at KS4. It will also offer an opportunity for sharing best practice in English KS4 teaching across schools in our trust. The session will focus on: 

  • Approaches to knowledge and revision for English Literature 
  • Metacognitive approaches for teaching English Language 
  • Next steps: Developing the independence and think ratio of all students 

 

Lucy Kynaston is Head of English and Key Curriculum Leader for Communications at Charter North Dulwich.

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Sentences are the key to excellent writing. If children can craft sentences that make sense, then they can build paragraphs and write stories or essays. This session will explore a structured approach to supporting children to write high-quality sentences. By the end of the session you will have a clear sequence of strategies which can be used across the curriculum to support children to write independently at a sentence level and beyond. 

 

David Windle is the deputy headteacher at Charles Dickens Primary School. For the EEF / London South Research School heco-designed Fluency Focus, a reading programme for Year 5, and contributed to the revised Improving Literacy at KS2 Guidance Report.  

 

Suitable for KS1/2/3 teachers. 

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This workshop will explore the advantages and drawbacks of mentoring teachers during the initial stages of their career. Through discussions and case studies, we will explore how mentorship can positively impact both mentors and mentees' professional and personal growth, alongside common challenges like time constraints and communication issues.

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Yoan is Head of Languages & the Professional Co-Ordinating Mentor at The Charter School North Dulwich, overseeing the provision for Students Teachers (PGCE/SCITT) across the school.

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Suitable for teachers considering mentoring, however remotely, as well as those already doing so and seeking to hone their skill set. 

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An interactive, practical session with multiple opportunities for deep thought about pedagogy and practice. The session will look at what Mathematical Thinking is and how it has been misunderstood and applied in some curricula. We will share some strategies for encouraging deeper mathematical thought as well as the explicit teaching of mathematical skills.

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Tom is Deputy Headteacher at Dulwich Hamlet Junior School and a Local Leader of Maths Education for the Maths Hub. He is a teacher with 19years of experience, including working with the maths hub since 2017 and is currently leading a workgroup looking at Mathematical Thinking.

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How can Forest School practices support us? What are the benefits of understanding our natural environment? In this session, Daniela will share her experience of what has worked, not just to improve pupils’ connections with nature, but also their language skills and mental health.  

 

Daniela Jamois is Assistant Head for Early Years and Sustainability Lead at Charles Dickens Nursery and Primary School.

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Getting it right for all our teams is a vital but tricky business. What are the core principles and practices that can guide us to support, develop and sometimes challenge our colleagues in our complex and busy school environments?

 

Belinda is responsible for strategic leadership of the Trust HR function and the operational management of HR support to schools.  She joined the Trust in 2023, following eight years in Education HR consultancy with Babcock International and Strictly Education.

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Suitable for HR, business and admin teams.

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An opportunity for governors and trustees to network, ask questions and share reflections over coffee and pastries.

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Session Four
1:30-2:20pm

The phrase “executive function” refers to a set of skills including, but not limited to, the capacity to plan ahead, meet goals, exercise self-control and stay focused despite distractions. 

 

As pupils become more proficient with EF skills they are empowered to participate more fully in classroom discussions, activities and enrichment activities. Both the learner and the wider school community benefit. 

This highly interactive workshop will explore:  

  • what executive functions are 
  •  how and why they are crucial to develop to achieve a more equitable education system 
  • how we are developing executive function literacy across Rathfern Primary School through a tiered approach 

 

Naheeda Maharasingam is the Headteacher of Rathfern Primary School in Lewisham. Her work is driven by her unrelenting moral purpose to transform education into a more equitable experience.

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Recent attacks on EDI in America have highlighted the importance of ensuring EDI is understood and actively promoted, with schools playing a crucial role in this. This session will re-emphasise the vital need to champion EDI and ensure we support the whole child as part of school culture. It will support educators in practically implementing EDI strategies in a sustainable and non-tokenistic way, providing the opportunity to reflect on our own practice and enhance our commitment to equity, diversity,and inclusion. 

 

Annabelle is a history educator and EDI specialist at Charter East who is passionate about promoting equitable education for all both nationally and internationally. Elaine is a Citizenship and Social Sciences educator at Charter East, formerly a lawyer who is passionate about justice and promoting education for all, that cultivates generations of responsible global citizens. 

 

Suitable for all staff and phases.

In this session, we’ll explore emotionally based school avoidance, understanding common causes and manifestations. Through a blend of research insights and practical strategies, colleagues will gain a deeper understanding of how emotional factors such as anxiety, depression, and trauma contribute to school avoidance behaviours. We'll also discuss effective interventions and support systems that staff and families can implement to empower students to overcome these challenges and thrive academically and emotionally.

 

Will is the Trust SEND Lead at The Charter Trust,a former SENCo, Assistant Headteacher and Evidence Lead in Education (ELE).

 

Suitable for pastoral teams.

Come and hear about the Lead Practitioner accreditation – a professional development programme that supports you to plan, deliver, evaluate and disseminate an evidence-informed project to improve outcomes for a group of disadvantaged pupils. Hear from this year’s cohort as they share the outcomes of their projects, their reflections on the process, and how they plan to use the accreditation to extend their impact beyond their teams and settings.

 

Suitable for aspiring Lead Practitioners and Pupil Premium leads across all phases.

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The session will aim to share an overview of flexible working and tips to support you to better understand: 

  • What flexible working is  
  • What flexible working can look like 
  • How to make it work for you 
  • How to make it work for your school 
  • How it’s worked for others  

 

Emily Crow is the Deputy Director of London South Teaching School Hub DfE appointed programme delivery lead for the Flexible Working Ambassador School Programme. She has successfully coached school leaders to review and embed systems to support flexible working approaches as well as working with the DfE to share expertise and champion flex.  

 

Suitable for HR leads and anyone interested in flexible working.

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What is dyslexia and how do we best support dyslexic students?  The Code of Practice states ‘High quality teaching, differentiated for individual pupils, is the first step in responding to pupils who have or may have SEN. Additional intervention and support cannot compensate for a lack of good quality teaching.’ But what does this actually mean? 

 

Learn why it’s essential to support students’ working memory by promoting oracy and making teaching interactive to support students with dyslexia… 

 

Suitable for teachers and support staff supporting pupils with SEND.

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Since 2019, The Charter School North Dulwich has adopted a Just Reading approach to the Summer Term, where students read two texts back-to-back. Research shows this approach has a transformative effect on students and especially those with the lowest reading ages, but raises a number of implementation challenges in practice. In this session, we will explore and experiment with different strategies for managing whole class reading and maximising the student experience. 

 

Nathan has taught English at The Charter School North Dulwich since 2012, as KS5 lead and acting subject leader.

 

Suitable for teachers of English in KS2 andabove.

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Aimed at SENDCos, HLTAs and Teaching Assistants who are currently, have been involved in running a group or considering implementing a Nurture Group. This is a discussion facilitated by Emma Chan to explore experiences(positives, challenges and thoughts for the future!). The aim of the session is to share good practice, answer questions within the group and explore the possibility of setting up a Forum for discussions in the future.

 

Emma is a SENDCo at The Belham Primary School. She is a teacher with 17 years’ experience, including six years in a SEND School and as a SENDCo.

 

Suitable for SENDCos, HLTAs and TeachingAssistants.

In this interactive session, Nicola will share a range of drama games and strategies to support children’s learning in English lessons and beyond. These techniques come from ‘All The School’s a Stage’ (a project with Shakespeare’s Globe) and are now embedded across the curriculum at Charles Dickens Primary. They have had a demonstrable impact on the children’s talking, reading and writing, and are huge fun to teach!

 

This will be a practical session where you will get to try out some of these strategies in a low-stakes, relaxed environment. Although Nicola’s experience is in a primary setting, the techniques can be used in KS3 and beyond. 

 

Nicola is Assistant Headteacher at Charles Dickens Primary School where she leads on English and wider learning.  She was a lead teacher on the ‘All The School’s a Stage’ project with Shakespeare’s Globe, and is an EEF Evidence Lead in Education for Literacy. 

 

Suitable for class teachers in primary and English teachers in secondary.

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In this session, we will investigate effectivestrategies that stretch students' mathematical thinking, including making best use of problem-solving,discussion and choice.

 

Dr Elizabeth Todd is Head of Mathematics at The Charter School North Dulwich.  

 

Suitable for practitioners in KS2 and upwards.

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How are we becoming a more sustainable trust?  

Hear about the work that has been happening this year and how you can support this, going forward and get involved. In relation to the Trust strand on reducing air pollution, we will also have a short session from Claire Macdonald from ‘Mums for Lungs’, a charity dedicated to reducing air pollution around schools. 

 

The panel will include staff from across the Trust sharing their work. It will be chaired by Lucy Ellis, Trust sustainability lead, with valued contributions from Claire MacDonald from Mums for Lungs.

 

Suitable for staff in all roles and phases, particularly those working on embedding sustainability into the curriculum.

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In this session, we will be:

  • Exploring the England Rugby strategic objective of growing the game and making it more accessible to a wider audience.
  • Understanding Age Grade Rugby and how it can fit in to the school PE curriculum.
  • How Rugby’s Core Values can support the development of character in young people.
  • Old Alleynians RFC in the local community, what we offer and how we can support the growth of the game schools.

 

Passionate about sport and supporting young people, Spike played rugby for 40 years and has coached in the Age Grade environment as a volunteer for 20 years (10 years professionally), coaching children from 18 months to 18 (boys and girls).

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Come and hear from Liam and the Turniton team as they explain how to get the most out of our systems. Half of the session will be turned over to your questions, so bring your IT challenges with you!

 

Suitable for office and admin staff, and anyone working with Trust IT systems.

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Session Five
2:30-3:20pm

Session content details to follow.

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Power the Fight is an award-winning charity which tackles violence affecting young people. We create long-term solutions for sustainable change and act as a link between the community and policy makers.

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This session focuses on some of the key barriers which prevent students with autism from accessing learning in their primary and secondary lessons. It provides a range of easy-to-implement strategies which teachers can use to support these students to access the curriculum more effectively. 

 

James is the Autism Provision Manager at Charter East Dulwich. He has worked as a specialist teacher for students with autism in both primary and secondary autism provisions in mainstream schools in London.  

 

Suitable for all staff working with pupils with autism.

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In this session, we will explore the principles of linguistic phonics and how they can be applied in the classroom. This will include: 

  • Practical strategies that can be implemented immediately in the classroom 
  • An interactive look at sounds and syllables and how these can be applied to spelling  
  • Current challenges we are facing and how we can support students to overcome them by giving them practical, independent skills 

 

Kirsty is English lead at Dulwich Hamlet Junior School and is a Specialist Leader for Education. 

 

Suitable for English teachers from KS2 to KS4.

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Dive into Oak National Academy's AI-powered lesson planning tool.

 

  • Try it out yourself and see how it can simplify your lesson prep. 
  • We'll chat about what it's great at, and where it might need a bit of human     touch. 
  • Get ready to  boost your teaching game with some AI magic! 

 

Cassie Buchanan is the Trust CEO and is on the board of directors for Oak National. Oak National is an independent public body, working in partnership with teachers to improve pupil outcomes and close the disadvantage gap.

 

Suitable for anyone who plans lessons.

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How can we support students to retain core knowledge effectively and systematically? What does the evidence say and, crucially, what does this look like in practice?  Join the science team from Charter Bermondsey to explore the implementation of a revision model of teaching and retrieval across a sustained period of time.

 

Ash Sayedi and Meg Porter are respectively Head and Deputy Head of Science at Charter Bermondsey.

 

Suitable for science teachers and anyone with an interest in practical applications of cognitive science.

This year has seen the pilot of our new Trust development programme: the Charter Professional Qualification for Teaching Assistants.

 

Come and find out more about the course content, the commitment required and how you could benefit from taking part. This year’s participants will share their reflections on the impact of the programme on their practice and what they plan to do next.

 

Suitable for Teaching assistants.

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Find out more about the impact of student leadership on belonging. Flo will share the work of Charter East Dulwich to create more inclusive communities through student leadership and the vital role these leaders play in building a sense of belonging for all.

 

Flo is Assistant Headteacher with responsibility for Personal Development at Charter East Dulwich.

 

Suitable for pastoral leads, inclusion teams and teachers and year leaders working in Personal Development.

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Our workshop will cover three main areas to help subject teachers feel equipped in supporting students with their university applications:

·        Promoting pathways within your subject

·        Helping to perfect personal statements

·        Demystifying the early entry process for Oxbridge and Medicine

 

Whether you’ve supported aspirational university applications before or not, we hope you’ll feel more empowered to get involved and gain some skills which will also translate into the classroom.

 

Having joined us in September, Eleanor works closely with students and staff across Charter North and East to support successful applications for Oxbridge, Medicine, Dentistry and Vet Science courses, as well as delivering Widening Participation activities through our Beyond Charter programme.

 

Based at North Dulwich, Art teacher Fiona is the Charter Trust's resident expert in all things UCAS, with 10 years’ experience in supporting students (and staff) through the university application process.

 

Suitable for secondary teachers and form tutors.

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Maths Through Picture Books is an EEF pilot programme that aims to help children who are falling behind develop a secure understanding of number before they move to KS1. This practical session supports Early Years practitioners to use storybooks to teach mathematics, most of it involving the specific use of talk.

 

Fliss James is the Director of East London Research School. Melissa Prendergast is the Deputy Headteacher of Sheringham Nursery School and Children’s Centre, and leads A Brighter Start, a Stronger Practice Hub.

 

Suitable for Early Years practitioners.

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Spend your final session singing with colleagues from across the trust. We will sing through some contemporary repertoire in either single or two-part harmony. No previous singing experience required!  

 

Cat Mehrabi is a music teacher at Charter North Dulwich.

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A session looking at the key principles and practices of robust and manageable data protection and cyber-security, to build knowledge and confidence that we are handling data safely and securely, in the interests of our schools, families and pupils.

 

Judicium Education offers a wealth of training and support for the education sector.

 

Suitable for business and administrative staff.

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End the day with a session featuring gentle yoga techniques to manage stress and promote wellbeing. Feel the tension ebb away with stretches, poses and relaxation exercises to leave the body feeling energised and ready to face the next challenge.

 

Janine is a class teacher at Charles Dickens Primary School and a qualified and experienced yoga teacher.

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In this session, staff will learn all about how to create cyanotypes. From which chemicals to mix and how to expose, to understanding the science behind the chemical reaction which leaves a beautiful blue print.   

 

Whilst the print is exposing, teachers will have the opportunity to take part in a mindful drawing exercise.  

 

Emma is an art teacher at Charter North Dulwich with a specialism in photography. Prior to teaching, Emma worked as a freelance photographer. Amy Mulvenna leads art at Charles Dickens Primary School and leads the London South Art Hub.

 

Suitable for art teachers and support staff across all phases.

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