Festival Ideas Conference Programme 2026

Welcome to this year’s Conference on Curiosity, a central highlight of our much-anticipated Festival of Ideas.

The Festival of Ideas is about having and understanding ideas that ultimately could change the world. Over the course of the week there will be concerts, academic enrichment sessions, and theatrical performances alongside the headline events of the conference and activity day. The week provides an opportunity for students to develop and find new areas of interest. It aims to support the development of a life-long love of learning through a dynamic environment in which the school’s community can be creative, curious and collaborative.

One of the key aspects of the week, this evening’s conference gives members of the school community the chance to listen to some inspirational talks and discussion on the year’s theme. The theme for this year is curiosity.

We aim to invite leaders from different fields to respond to our theme of curiosity. This prompts a rich and creative panel discussion between disciplines that don’t often share a stage. This year’s speakers are Sir Robert Francis KS, Libby Gray and Tom Livesey. Sir Robert will speak on the role that curiosity has played in his distinguished fifty-year career in medical law, which has seen him work on some of the most high-profile legal issues in the history of the NHS. Libby Gray is the Chief Operating Officer at Unlocked Graduates and will be discussing how curiosity can be used to drive social change; with a focus on reducing reoffending rates and dealing with societies big questions. Tom Livesey (Class of 2007) is the Chief Technology Officer and co-founder of Thriva, a health tech company. Tom will be talking about how the curiosity of entrepreneurs and technology companies can help to solve real-world problems.

We hope that all students will throw themselves into the festival and join in with as much as they can! Every child should be inspired by something they see or do in the week, and perhaps begin to formulate an idea that turns into reality.

Mr D Halliday Head of Academic Scholarship

16:00 – Introduction from Assistant Head – Teaching and Learning, Mr Hardman 16:05 – Tom Livesey 16:25 – Libby Gray 16:45 – Sir Robert Francis KC 17:15 – Interval 17:45 – Panel discussion 18:25 – Conference closed by Headmaster, Mr Kennedy

The panel would welcome questions in advance of the event.

Please use this QR code to submit your questions.

THE SPEAKERS Sir Robert Francis KC Sir Robert Francis KC is a distinguished British barrister specialising in medical law, clinical negligence, and professional discipline.

Having read Law at the University of Exeter, he was called to the Bar in 1973 and appointed as a King’s Counsel in 1992. Early in his career, he specialised in healthcare law and was involved in major NHSrelated inquiries, including the Bristol Royal Infirmary and Alder Hey investigations. He is best known for chairing the Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust Public Inquiry, which examined catastrophic failures in patient care between 2005 and 2009. His report exposed a culture in which organisational priorities, including financial and performance targets, overshadowed patient welfare, and where concerns raised by patients and staff were not adequately heard or acted upon. It made nearly 300 recommendations aimed at establishing a patient-centred culture, improving transparency, and strengthening accountability. He is currently the Interim Chair of the Infected Blood Compensation Authority, where his work has provided the blueprint for the compensation scheme, ensuring it was comprehensive, victim focused, and grounded in principles of fairness, transparency, and timely redress.

Libby Gray Libby Gray is the Chief Operating Officer at Unlocked Graduates and oversees all aspects of the governance and delivery of the organisation.

Following completing the Teach First Leadership development programme, Libby worked at Teach First designing and delivering teacher training before moving to Hong Kong to become a Vice Principal of an international school. Upon her return to the UK, Libby has worked in numerous roles for Unlocked, becoming the COO in March 2024. Unlocked Graduates exists to develop outstanding leaders to break cycles of reoffending. Since 2017, Unlocked have sought to lead this change by inspiring, recruiting and training ambitious graduates to become outstanding prison officers and high-performing leaders. Libby brings a wealth of experience in social justice, teacher training and leadership development. She will be discussing how curiosity can be used to drive social change; with a focus on reducing reoffending rates and dealing with societies big questions.

Tom Livesey Tom Livesey is the co-founder and Chief Product & Technology Officer at Thriva, a leading UK health technology start-up founded in 2015, with a team of 150 based in London.

Thriva was built on a belief that the way we manage our health needs to fundamentally change, and that small, consistent changes, made with the right insight, compound into a life lived better and for longer. Its mission is to improve the healthspan of millions by giving people a clear picture of what’s happening inside their bodies, enabling them to make smarter choices, build better habits, and genuinely feel the difference.

Since 2015, Thriva has served more than 2 million people, delivered over 4 million tests, and raised £12 million He studied at Trinity until 2007 and went on to study Electronic Engineering at the University of Southampton. Before Thriva, Tom worked at various technology startups in product, engineering, and leadership roles after starting his first company at university. Tom will be talking about how the curiosity of entrepreneurs and technology companies can help to solve real-world problems.