Monday 23 February 2026 8.45-3.30pm
EDFEST 26: EXPLORING THE POWER OF INSPIRATIONAL TEACHERS TO ENCOURAGE ASPIRATION IN PUPILS. We are delighted to invite you to join us at EdFest26, the fourth edition of our festival of education at Exeter School. This year’s event is designed to address how aspiration can be nurtured both inside and outside of the classroom, across a range of disciplines. At EdFest26, we’ll look at how aspiration can be nurtured from the early years, focusing on the importance of literacy, to the more advanced stages of academic development, such as aiming for highly competitive universities, courses or degree apprenticeships.
There will be a specific focus on the development of skills like oracy; helping pupils articulate their ideas, communicate effectively and think critically. These skills play a pivotal role in helping pupils develop their full potential. Accessibility is at the heart of this conference. To ensure that budget constraints are not a barrier, educators from maintained schools and colleges are invited to send their first delegate free of charge, with additional delegates at £50 each. For our colleagues from independent schools, the fee is £100 per delegate. Teachers in training are also offered a free delegate place. We have an exciting programme planned, featuring inspirational speakers such as: • Dr Cat Scutt MBE on getting stretch and challenge right in our schools • Jenny Parkinson-Mills, talking about artificial intelligence in education • Tricia Taylor on developing oracy for thinking deeply • Angela Harris provides insight into metacognitive processes In addition to these engaging sessions, there will be plenty of networking opportunities over coffee and lunch. We hope to see you at EdFest26 Graham Bone Head, Exeter School
RUNNING ORDER 08.45-09.15 Registration and refreshments 09.20-10.30
Welcome and keynote
Dr Cat Scutt MBE – Getting stretch and challenge right in our schools: five things we know from research and what it means in practice
10.30-11.00 Coffee break 11.00-12.00
Workshops – choose from: 1. Jenny Parkinson-Mills – Artificial intelligence in education (primary phase) 2. Tricia Taylor – Partner talk to whole-class discussion: Developing oracy for thinking deeply 3. Dr Cat Scutt MBE – Building a strong professional culture to support effective teaching and learning 4. Dr Katherine Lloyd Clarke – Bridging the gap between A Level and higher education 5. Angie Harris – Deep thinking: cognition and metacognition 6. Will Griffiths, Hands Up Education – Teaching Latin across the ability range
12.00-1.00
Lunch
1.00-2.00
Workshops – choose from: 1. Jenny Parkinson-Mills – Artificial intelligence in education (primary phase) 2. Tricia Taylor – Partner talk to whole-class discussion: Developing oracy for thinking deeply 3. Dr Cat Scutt MBE – Building a strong professional culture to support effective teaching and learning 4. Dr Katherine Lloyd Clarke – Bridging the gap between A Level and higher education 5. Graham Bone – Developing critical thinking skills in the classroom 6. Will Griffiths, Hands Up Education – How to introduce a Latin club without a specialist teacher 7. Jen Brewer and Claire Handley – Challenging creativity
2.00-3.00
Keynote
3.00-3.30
Tea, cake and departure
3.30
Conference close
Reflections from an alumna Major Rebecca Glover (OE)
SPEAKERS Dr Cat Scutt MBE Cat is a former English teacher who has held a number of leadership roles in the education sector. She starts a new role this year as Chief Executive of The PTI, having previously been Deputy Chief Executive of the Chartered College of Teaching. She is a nationally recognised expert in teacher development, collaboration, and research engagement, and has contributed to several government advisory groups. Awarded an MBE for services to education in 2021, Cat completed her PhD at UCL IOE in 2024, focusing on school leaders’ use of research evidence. She also serves as Chair of Cornwall Education Partnership, is a trustee of NASBTT, and is a governor of Astra Teaching School Hub. Jenny Parkinson-Mills Jenny is the Director of Digitally Enabled Learning at Warwick Schools Foundation, developing the use of digital technologies across the five schools within the Foundation in order to improve the learning outcomes for pupils of all ages from 3-18. Jenny leads both technology and pedagogy teams that have supported the successful integration and adoption of Microsoft 365 tools across the Foundation and the development of Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) programmes at three of the schools. For the past 3 years, one of the key strategic aims has been how best to safely and effectively harness the opportunities that AI can bring to education. With over 20 years of experience as a teacher, Jenny understands the rewards of using technology in teaching and learning alongside more traditional pedagogical approaches, but she also understands the challenges it can bring.
A significant element to her role is therefore supporting and encouraging schools and staff to make the most of the digital opportunities – to have the confidence to be innovative in their work and to share their experiences, whatever their starting point may be. Jenny has presented at many educational events, conferences and schools across the country to help leaders to navigate both a measured and innovative approach to embedding AI into their settings and show teachers how they can integrate AI into their teaching practice with courage and curiosity. Tricia Taylor With over 25 years’ experience teaching and leading in schools across the UK and the USA, Tricia founded TailoredPractice and now partners with schools across the globe to translate research into practical teaching strategies that challenge and support all learners. She is a regular conference presenter, including at Learning & the Brain, and the author of Connect the Dots: The Collective Power of Relationships, Memory and Mindset in the Classroom. Tricia has been an Associate Lecturer at Goldsmiths University, an Ambassador for Leadership Matters, and currently serves as Head of Teaching and Learning at Mallorca International School and as Lead Advisor for PowerTools, Inc. in NYC. Dr Katherine Lloyd Clarke Katherine leads the Student Access, Recruitment and Admissions Service at the University of Exeter. Her career in higher education developed from her doctoral research into popular education in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. Prior to her time at Exeter University, Katherine worked at the University of Warwick, and the University of Bath. She is also a governor at Exeter School.
Will Griffiths Will has taught Latin in UK state schools for 30 years, and is part of Hands Up Education, a not-for-profit organisation that develops textbooks and digital resources for the teaching of Latin and Greek. The profits are used to train teachers and supply resources to schools in the maintained sector who might not otherwise offer Latin as a subject. Will is passionate about bringing the benefits of a classical education to as wide an audience as possible. Angela Harris Angie is an experienced educator currently serving as Learning and Teaching Coordinator, Humanities Team Leader, and Head of History at Exeter School. This year marks her ninth year as Head of Department, a role she has held across two schools. She has taught in a variety of educational contexts, including a large comprehensive, a mixed selective state school, and private education. With a longstanding passion for learning and teaching, she is committed to inspiring pupils and supporting colleagues to achieve excellence in the classroom. Rebecca Glover Rebecca was a pupil at Exeter School from 2004, leaving as Head Girl in 2013. Having been awarded an Army Sixth Form Scholarship, Rebecca moved away from Devon to study medicine at the University of Sheffield. After 5 years in Sheffield, during which time she commissioned as a Reservist with 212 Field Hospital, Rebecca moved down to the Royal Centre of Defence Medicine, Birmingham to complete her foundation years at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital. Rebecca earned her Regular
Commission in 2020 and posted to 1 Medical Regiment in Tidworth to serve as a General Duties Medical Officer from 2021-2025 deploying to Germany, Poland and Estonia. In 2024, Rebecca rowed 3,000 miles, unsupported across the Atlantic Ocean in the British military’s first all-female team, rowing into Antigua 46 days later and 12kg lighter! Now, Rebecca is an Army Anaesthetics trainee at Frimley Park Hospital, Surrey. Time outside work is spent baking, babysitting nieces, wedding planning or exploring the local Hampshire countryside! Graham Bone Graham studied at the University of Exeter where he graduated with a BSc(Ed) in Physics with Education and QTS in 2000. Prior to becoming the Acting Head at Exeter School he held the roles of Deputy Head, Head of Physics, Director of Science, and new staff induction and PGCE coordinator. Graham is an ISI inspector and sat on the National Council, and the Education Committee for the Institute of Physics. This led to him presenting at, and leading several educational conferences. In addition, Graham is a published author having written several science textbooks at both GCSE and A Level. With an active interest in sport and outdoor education, Graham is a qualified Duke of Edinburgh assessor and previously served as an RAF Officer in the CCF for over a decade having been an Air Cadet himself when younger.
SPEAKERS
CONFERENCE COSTS
Jen Brewer Jen has over 15 years of experience teaching art and design across state and independent schools. Before moving to Devon, Jen spent eight years at Bolton School for Boys in Manchester, where she developed inclusive, concept-driven schemes of work that challenged stereotypes and encouraged boys to engage confidently with art. Her approach focuses on fostering critical thinking through visual analysis, creative risk-taking, and encouraging pupils to interrogate ideas and processes, creating personal and meaningful responses. Alongside teaching, Jen has been re-establishing her own practice and has recently begun selling work. Jen studied fine art at the University of the West of England and completed a year at the Willem de Kooning Academy in Rotterdam.
Maintained schools and colleges • Free of charge for the first delegate from each school or college • £50 plus VAT for each subsequent delegate
Claire Handley Claire is an experienced primary educator with over 25 years in the field, combining classroom teaching with her role as Head of Junior School Art for more than a decade. She previously served as an Associate Lecturer in Art at the University of Exeter and contributed as a subject curriculum lead within the university’s Primary PGCE art curriculum planning group. Claire has also delivered sessions for PGCE students, supporting the development of future teachers through collaborative curriculum design and practice. She loves spending time in the art room and takes great joy in seeing pupils explore ideas, experiment, and nurture their creativity.
Independent schools • £100 plus VAT per delegate Teacher training students • Free of charge Exeter School alumni • £60 plus VAT per delegate
Please register for your place by visiting https://tinyurl.com/EdFest26 For more information email conference@exeterschool.org.uk
Victoria Park Road Exeter, Devon EX2 4NS 01392 307080 www.exeterschool.org.uk @ExeterSchoolUK