Conference Programme - HMC (The Heads' Conference)

HMC Spring Conference 2025

8 May 2025

BMA House, London

Partnerships for the wider good

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Spring Conference Programme - Thursday 8 May 2025

Time	Event
09.00 - 10.00	Arrival and registration Coffee and refreshments available amongst the exhibitors The Lutyens Suite
10.00 - 10.10	Welcome and opening remarks Speaker: Jaideep Barot, HMC Chair and Head of Bristol Grammar School The Great Hall
10.10 - 10.25	Partnerships: the current landscape and launch of the Joint Commitment initiative Speaker: Melvyn Roffe, Chief Executive Officer, Clifton College Education Group and Chair of HMC Public Benefit and Partnerships Committee with Tom Campbell, E-ACT CEO and Ian Davenport, Programme Director Hg Foundation STEM Horizons The Great Hall
10.25 - 10.35	Update from SpringBoard Speaker: Ali Henderson, Chief Executive, Royal National Children’s Springboard Foundation (RNCSF) The Great Hall
10.35 - 11.20	Keynote 1: Creating authentic state partnerships that matter the most Speaker: Marcus Shepherd, Education Director, E-ACT The Great Hall
11.20 -12.00	Networking and refreshments Coffee and refreshments available amongst the exhibitors The Lutyens Suite
12.00 - 12.35	Panel Session: The Value and Impact of partnerships Speakers: Gordon Montgomery, Deputy Head Partnerships, Oundle School; Richard Shaw, Head, Kettering Buccleuch Academy; and Emily Gaunt, Principal, Thomas Deacon Academy The Great Hall
12.35 - 12.40	Autumn Conference 2025 Launch Speaker: Philip Britton, HMC Chair-Elect and Head of Foundation, Bolton School The Great Hall
12.40 - 13.10	Strategic Briefings HMC 2030 Strategy: Simon Hyde, General Secretary, HMC and Aatif Hassan, Founder and Chairman Dukes Education Launch of the new HMC Associate membership category for heads of state-funded schools: Melanie Horsburgh, Director of Member Services, HMC The Great Hall
13.10 - 14.10	Lunch and networking Lunch available amongst the exhibitors The Lutyens Suite
14.10 - 14.35	Workshop Session A i. Civitas report on the future of independent education: findings and recommendations Speakers: Jim McConalogue, CEO, Civitas and Jodh Dhesi, Chief Executive Officer, King Edward VI Foundation, Birmingham ii. Creating, sustaining and developing partnerships Speakers: Jeremy Walker, Head Master, St Peter’s York and Sharon Keelan-Beardsley, Head, All Saints Catholic School, York iii. Transformative partnerships – doing more with less Speakers: Andrew Grounds, Housemaster, St Edward’s Oxford and Bex Holmes, Head of School Northern House Academy iv. Feltham Sixth Form College – The story behind the foundation of a pioneering sixth form college in an historically underserved borough of London (This workshop will run for 1 hour across both workshop sessions) Speakers: Mark Nicholson, Deputy Head, Hampton School; Sarah Bainbridge, Head of Partnerships, Reach Academy; and Rebecca Taylor, Director of Outreach and Co-Curricular, Lady Eleanor Holles School
14.35 - 14.45	Move between sessions
14.45 - 15.10	Workshop Session B i. Leveraging successful partnerships to enable young people to fulfil their potential Speakers: Dr. Gitanjali Bhattachary, Head of Access and Partnerships, Director of Lumina and Tim Dalton, Director of Shaftesbury Enterprise ii. Understanding and communicating the impact of your partnerships: practical, low resource and meaningful ways to evaluate impact Speaker: Ben Jones, Director of Partnerships, Alleyn’s School and Karl Edwards, Managing Director, ImpactEd Evaluation iii. Towards a National Strategy for Partnerships Speaker: Dr Joe Spence, Chief Executive, School Partnerships Alliance
15.10 - 15.55	Keynote 3: Independent Education at the Heart of Local Communities Speaker: Munira Wilson, MP Liberal Democrat Spokesperson (Education, Children and Families) The Great Hall
15.55 - 16.00	Closing Remarks Speaker: Jaideep Barot, HMC Chair and Head of Bristol Grammar School The Great Hall
16.00 - 17.00	Networking and private drinks reception Drinks reception amongst the exhibitors The Lutyens Suite

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