Welcome to Shaping Our Future 2024
We hope you enjoy being part of shaping education in Cumbria.
Below you will find quick links to all the information you may need throughout the conference.
We would really appreciate your feedback on the conference, so please complete the feedback form.
Quick Links
Event Programme
Speaker
Bios
Lorrayne Hughes OBE
Chief Executive
Cumbria Education Trust
Lorrayne has led Cumbria Education Trust since its inception in 2015.
It has grown to be the largest school-based, Multi-Academy Trust in Cumbria, responsible for the education of more than 5,000 children across three secondary schools, ten primary schools and West Coast Sixth Form.
Lorrayne serves as a Board Member of the Confederation of School Trusts.
Sir Ian Bauckham CBE
Chief Regulator
Ofqual
Sir Ian became Chief Regulator in January 2024. Previously, he was Chair of the Ofqual Board from January 2021 and a Board member since March 2018. Before this, he led a Multi-Academy Trust.
Sir Ian is Chair of Oak National Academy, an arm’s length body of the DfE.
Sir Ian has an MA in Modern and Medieval Languages from the University of Cambridge, and Masters degrees in Education and Philosophy.
Leora Cruddas CBE
Chief Executive
Conferedation of School Trusts
Leora is the founding Chief Executive of the Confederation of School Trusts (CST) – the national organisation and sector body for school trusts in England.
She has advised successive governments and sits on several Department for Education advisory bodies.
She was recently the vice chair of the Head Teacher Standards Review Group, a member of the external advisory group for the Schools White Paper, SEND National Implementation Board and the Regulatory and Commissioning Review.
Prior to founding CST, she was Director of Policy and Public Relations for the Association of School and College Leaders. Leora has six years of experience as a director of education in two London local authorities.
She is a visiting professor at UCL Institute of Education.
Luke Sparkes
Chief Executive
Dixons Academies Trust
Throughout his career, Luke has been consistently committed to challenging educational disadvantage in complex urban settings in the North.
His reputation was forged as founding principal of Dixons Trinity Academy in Bradford – the first secondary free school to be judged Outstanding by Ofsted. Dixons Trinity’s student progress is amongst the very best. More recently, he was the founding executive principal of the outstanding Dixons Trinity Chapeltown in Leeds.
Luke’s influential expertise in school culture is shared through Dixons OpenSource (a free platform supporting organisational change). Luke is a board member with Confederation of School Trusts and has advised the Department for Education – writing and speaking widely on education.
Now leading one of the highest performing trusts nationally, Luke is shaping the future strategic development of Dixons across Leeds, Bradford, Manchester and Liverpool.
Jonathan Smart
North West Regional Director
Ofsted
Jonathan is responsible for the quality and impact of all Ofsted’s inspection and regulation activity in the North West region.
Jonathan is also a member of Ofsted’s Executive Committee.
Before working for Ofsted, Jonathan gained extensive senior leadership experience across a number of educational organisations He has particular expertise in leadership, curriculum, and teaching and learning.
Steve Farndon
Instructional coach and Associate Director
Ambition Institute
Steve is a former history teacher who is now involved in the delivery of a range of programmes at Ambition Institute – he leads their Instructional Coaching programme, teaches on their Master’s in Expert Teaching and across their NPQ programmes.
He is particularly interested in how educational research can help teachers and school leaders better support the communities that they serve.
As part of this, he designs and delivers the professional development for Ambition Institute’s internal faculty – where he shares research with the team and they work together to apply it to the work of teacher education.
Mark Gregory
Regional Director
One World
Mark is an experienced education leader with over 25 years of service in disadvantaged communities. As Regional Director for One World Network of Schools, he has led key initiatives, such as a USAID-sponsored training program for 40,000 primary school teachers in Tajikistan and the development of instructional coaching for large multi-academy trusts in the UK.
Mark’s work spans internationally, including efforts in South Africa, Chile, Georgia and Tajikistan, focusing on teacher and leader development.
Previously, Mark was the Director of Professional Development at Ark Schools, where he oversaw significant growth in teacher training and developed strategies for curriculum and reading improvements.
His headship experience includes leading Ark St Alban’s Academy to top national progress rates and, as executive principal, supporting Ark Boulton Academy to a ‘Good’ Ofsted rating for the first time.
Panel Bios
Prof. Philippa
Cordingley
Chief
Executive
Executive
Centre for the Use of Research and Evidence in Education (CUREE)
Professor Philippa Cordingley MA FCCT is CUREE’s Chief Executive and a renowned expert in evaluation, research use and effective Continuing Professional Development and Learning (CPDL).
Current projects include supporting leadership action research by school leaders across West Cumbria as part of a wider evaluation of a school improvement programme funded by Sellafield; support for CUREE’s signature Skein Momentum approach to formative support for school/MAT improvement, in partnership with Whole Education; and a sustained coaching programme across the IMPACT MAT.
She is a visiting professor at Plymouth Marjons University, team, a member of OECD’s Expert Group for country reviews of teacher preparation and development and, until recently, a Member of the STEM Learning National Advisory Group, and Chair of Whole Education.
Isobel
Booler
Booler
Assistant Director for Education & Inclusion
Westmorland and
Furness Council
Furness Council
Throughout Isobel’s career in education, she has been passionate about making a difference to all children, but particularly disadvantaged children and those children with identified SEND, by working through partnership to ensure children and young people have access to good quality education.
Prior to taking up her role at Westmorland and Furness Council, Isobel worked as Director of Education and Skills at Bury Council, where she focused on improving outcomes by working effectively in partnership with early years settings, schools, academies, and colleges.
Isobel was educated in Bury and had started her teaching career there. Before returning to Bury, Isobel was the Assistant Director of Education at Manchester City Council with responsibility for SEND and school outcomes. She was integral to the development of a comprehensive approach to inclusion that is considered exemplary.
Isobel is also an experienced education professional, having been a headteacher in the primary sector, held senior roles in secondary schools and taught for six years in Namibia and Tanzania.
Emma
Hamer
Hamer
Assistant Director – Education, SEND and Inclusion
Cumberland
Council
Council
Emma is the new Assistant Director for Education, SEND and Inclusion for Cumberland Council and has been in post now for almost to 6 months.
Emma is an experienced Strategic Leader, having worked within the education sector for the local government and, previously, in schools across all phases of education.
Emma has held numerous senior roles across Children’s Services and has extensive experience of working within highly complex and politically-sensitive environments. Emma has invested her career in leading and developing services that ensure children and young people have the best start in life, addressing the causes and reducing inequalities in educational outcomes and achievements for all.
Over her career Emma has built strong credible relationships with schools, headteachers, many multi-academy trusts, multi-agency partners and colleagues, both at a local and national level.
Dr Ruth
Harrison-Palmer
Harrison-Palmer
Director of the Institute of Education, Arts and Society
University
of Cumbria
of Cumbria
Ruth started her career in education as a primary school teacher over 30 years ago.
She has experience as a Deputy Headteacher and an Acting Head.
Ruth worked with Cumbria Local Authority as a literacy advisor, as well as a consultant for the National Strategies, before moving into higher education.
With over 20 years of experience in the higher education sector, she has experience of a wide range of leadership roles.
Ruth’s research interests include teaching children how to read using systematic synthetic phonics and how teachers learn teaching.
Her PhD thesis is entitled ‘A flexible framework for articulating how student teachers learn teaching, as described by participants in a national review of initial teacher education in England’.
Dale
Hill
Hill
Director
WELL
Project
Project
Dale has 38 years of experience in education, having taught at five primary schools ranging from large inner-city to small village settings.
Feedback
Form
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Professional Development Lead Sessions
CET, in partnership with Ambition Institute, want to enable Cumbrian teacher educators to collaborate, learn and develop – increasing the quality of professional development in their schools.
Steve Farndon, Instructional coach and Associate Director at Ambition Institute, will run two teacher educator events this academic year.
Special Guest
Dr Sam Sims, the author of the EEF Professional Development guide, will be giving input into the first session on 24th October.
NPQ
Offering
Cumbria Education Trust is delighted to be working in partnership with Ambition Institute to deliver the newly reformed National Professional Qualification (NPQ) courses. The NPQs are open to both CET staff and external teaching and support staff, who are looking to accelerate their careers.
We are proud of our 100% pass rate and we currently have over 100 teachers and leaders from across Cumbria and the North of England moving their own professional development journey forward across our 9 nationally accredited specialist and leadership programmes.
Initial Teacher Training (ITT)
Train to teach with Cumbria Education Trust (CET), in partnership with Ambition Institute, who deliver an exceptional Initial Teacher Training provision across Cumbria. Transform your future and the lives of young people with expert-led, in-school teacher training, where you will:
- Qualify as a primary or secondary teacher in 12 months
- Benefit from evidence-based, flexible learning online and in-person
- Achieve qualified teacher status (QTS) with a postgraduate certificate in education (PGCE)
- Gain hands-on classroom experience and start your career with confidence.
Through our school-centred approach, we aspire to bring even more ambitious and committed teachers into CET and provide the best possible start to a fulfilling career in education.