21 May 2026, DoubleTree Hilton, Tower of London, London
We're sorry, but we couldn't find any results that match your search criteria. Please try again with different keywords or filters.
Loading
08:00
-
Registration Desk60 mins
09:00
-
Main Room5 mins
09:05
-
Main Room40 mins
- Finance & Sustainability
- Digital, Data & AI
Education leaders today are navigating an unprecedented landscape of financial restraints and rapid technology change, with more than more than half of MATs forecasting an in-year deficit in 2025. This confluence of fiscal pressure and policy momentum presents both a challenge and an opportunity, how can we deliver effective digital strategies that preserve teaching and learning standards while driving innovation? This session will explore practical approaches to implementing effective digital strategies while facing limited resources.
- In what ways can trusts collaborate across schools, through shared procurement, AI policy frameworks, or joint initiatives, to stretch resources further?
- How do we measure the value of digital investment beyond cost, capturing long-term, cultural, and relational benefits?
- What strategies help align stakeholders across the trust to see digital as an enabler of success rather than a cost centre?
)
)
)
)
)
09:50
-
)
Main Room15 minsTechnology offers significant opportunities for schools and Trusts, but what does a meaningful partnership really look like in practice?
In this session, we will hear from Jonathan Bishop (CEO, Cornerstone Academy Trust) on the challenges the Trust faced, what they looked for in a partner, and how collaboration with Magma is supporting better teaching, stronger insight, and more engaged classrooms.
)
10:10
-
Main Room25 minsOur signature ‘Dragons’ Den’ session provides each solution provider with an opportunity to deliver a 60 second pitch, explaining why they are here and how their services can help tackle some of the sector’s ongoing challenges.
10:40
-
Networking Area50 mins10 minute meetings with suppliers who are offering solutions most relevant to your challenges. Please check the schedule on the back of your delegate pass for your meeting timings.
11:35
-
Main Room45 mins
- Digital, Data & AI
- Outcomes & Impact
Technology is transforming teaching and learning at unprecedented speed, but are Multi-Academy Trusts leading the charge or playing catch-up? This session brings the classroom to the conference, featuring live student voices from The Cornerstone Academy Trust. Students will share first-hand how total immersion in digital tools is shaping their learning, creativity, and preparation for the future. How can we reimagine the potential of digital transformation across trust and put students at the heart of innovation?- Learn how The Cornerstone Academy Trust has built a trust-wide framework for digital adoption, balancing innovation with safeguarding, data protection, procurement, and teaching and learning oversight.
- Real classroom examples demonstrating how digital tools enhance engagement, assessment, and personalised learning.
- Hear directly from learners on what works, what challenges they face, and how technology empowers them.
)
12:20
-
)
Main Room15 minsSet against a landscape of challenge, change, and reform, successful digital strategies are built on strong partnerships, clear intent, and pedagogy grounded in evidence. While technology opens up new ways to engage every learner, build future-ready skills, and improve efficiency for both staff and students, success ultimately depends on clear communication and a sustained focus on developing capability and capacity.
This short presentation explores how we support Trusts across the UK through tailored learning programmes, with a clear emphasis on people, purpose, and long-term impact.
)
12:35
-
)
Main Room15 minsOver the past year, Top Marks AI have been supporting MATs with their marking workload. And we've seen what truly matters to schools and educators: accuracy, scale, and pedagogical quality.
We will discuss how we've:
• led the way in not only delivering precise marking, but in demonstrating our accuracy against exam board benchmarks (consistently achieving 90%+ correlation with chief examiners).
• enabled schools to assess entire handwritten scripts, at scale, across a wide range of subjects – saving teachers thousands of hours.
• set a standard for pedagogical quality, with ex-teachers and subject experts embedding quality throughout.
)
12:50
-
Networking lunchDownstairs40 minsAn opportunity to connect with your peers and suppliers to talk over the learnings from the event. Lunch is served buffet style and a range of options are available to cater for different dietary requirements.
13:35
-
Main Room45 mins
- Digital, Data & AI
- Outcomes & Impact
With recent Government investment to close the digital divide in the classrooms, digital standards are now a requirement for all schools to ensure no learner is left behind. Digital technology has the power to transform learning, but unequal access to devices, connectivity, and digital skills can widen educational gaps. For MATs, ensuring digital equity is no longer optional; it is central to safeguarding student outcomes, meeting inspection expectations, and fulfilling the trust’s mission. This session combines insights from expert speakers with small group conversations to explore how leaders can embed equity into digital strategy, policy, and practice across their schools.- How can MATs assess and map digital disparities across their schools to target interventions effectively?
- How do trusts develop staff capacity and technical abilities to deliver inclusive digital pedagogy that accounts for varying student needs?
- How can MATs measure the impact of digital inclusion initiatives beyond access, towards engagement, achievement, and student wellbeing?
)
)
)
14:25
-
)
Breakout Room 115 minsMore than half of all Multi-Academy Trusts (55%) are currently battling budget in year deficits. In this climate, unmanaged software waste isn't just inefficient; it’s a direct threat to trust viability.
This session exposes the £100k blind spot hiding in your digital infrastructure and demonstrates how to weaponise data to fight back. MAT leaders will walk away with an actionable strategy to automate routine IT management, eliminate systemic edtech waste, and use real-time analytics to protect core funding when every penny counts.
-
)
Breakout Room 215 minsThis session will explore how Multi Academy Trusts can strengthen teaching, learning, and student engagement through standardised, robust technology ecosystems. We will demonstrate how consistent platforms reduce complexity, improve staff confidence, and create simplified digital experiences for all learners.
The session will also highlight how to achieve essential cyber security roadmaps that will help to protect data, reduce risk, and ensure continuity across all Trust sites. By adopting unified, secure, and future ready technology, Trusts can drive sustainable improvement, maximise value, reduce costs, and empower educators to focus on what matters most - excellent learning.
-
)
Breakout Room 315 minsFrom data to decisions: how connected insight and AI will shape the future of MAT leadership
MAT leaders are making high-stakes decisions in an increasingly complex system, often without a complete picture. This session explores how trusts can move from fragmented data to a single, real-time dashboard across workforce, finance and pupil systems. We look at how connected intelligence is driving faster, more confident decisions, and where AI is taking that further: surfacing risks earlier and reducing manual burden on staff. You will leave with practical steps you can act on today, and a clear view of what becomes possible when your data works harder. The focus is impact: timely intervention, leaner operations and stronger outcomes for pupils, staff and your trust.
)
)
)
14:45
-
)
Breakout Room 115 minsThis session explores how AI, when introduced thoughtfully, can help create more inclusive and responsive classrooms. Focusing on practical classroom impact, it will look at how AI can support learners with additional needs through clearer explanations, scaffolding, and increased independence—without replacing the role of the teacher. The session will also share how The Mercian Trust has approached AI adoption, choosing Skolup to ensure safe, secure, and purposeful use across its schools. Attendees will leave with a clearer understanding of how AI can be implemented with confidence, supporting both staff and pupils while strengthening inclusion -
)
Breakout Room 215 minsAs Multi-Academy Trusts continue to scale, the demands on School Wi-Fi have never been greater. Yet many networks are still being treated as simple infrastructure rather than a strategic foundation for teaching, learning, and safeguarding.
Drawing on real-world experience designing and deploying Wi-Fi across UK schools, Certified Wireless Network Expert (CWNE) Lee Wright explores the common challenges trusts face, from inconsistent standards and legacy designs to security trade-offs and capacity constraints.
In this session, you’ll discover how a more strategic, trust-wide approach to Wi-Fi design can improve performance, strengthen safeguarding, and support long-term digital transformation while still addressing the practical realities faced by IT teams on the ground. -
)
Breakout Room 315 minsAI is moving fast. But driving real change and getting teachers on board - is hard. This session cuts through the noise with real stories from trusts who have successfully implemented AI, what they got right, what they learned, and how to deliver effective digital strategies with limited resources.
)
)
)
)
15:10
-
Networking Area50 mins10 minute meetings with suppliers who are offering solutions most relevant to your challenges. Please check the schedule on the back of your delegate pass for your meeting timings.
16:05
-
Main Room40 mins
- Strategy & Leadership
- Digital, Data & AI
AI in education is no longer a distant possibility; it’s already reshaping teaching practices and learning experiences. It is critical that MAT leaders move beyond the question of if AI will impact education to how they will strategically guide that transformation. This panel discussion will explore successful digital transformation case studies, focusing on AI adoption amongst staff and students, building collaborative networks with other institutions, and establishing digital governance. What are the practical challenges associated with moving on from AI pilot projects to institution-wide digital maturity?- What does current guidance say about ethical AI use and digital governance within the classroom and in assessments?
- How can trusts account for the accelerating pace of AI innovation while embedding policy into existing governance structures and operational procedures?
- How do we stay up to date with how students are using AI tools?
)
)
)
)
16:45
-
)
Main Room15 minsReading and writing underpin every student outcome, but most trust leaders still lack precise, actionable insight into what pupils can and cannot yet do. In this session, Dominic Bristow—former teacher, Director of Education and founder of 𝐬𝐭𝐲𝐥𝐮𝐬—will share how their DfE-backed programme is helping trusts grow beyond the reliable insight of 𝐬𝐭𝐲𝐥𝐮𝐬' AI marking towards rapid writing improvement at unprecedented scale.
As the sector prepares for a renewed focus on the English curriculum, Dominic will draw on new evidence of impact in 𝐬𝐭𝐲𝐥𝐮𝐬’s longest-standing trust partners to show how trustworthy, transparent assessment automation can support stronger moderation, sharper CPD, better-targeted intervention and clearer strategic insight across a trust. The session will give MAT leaders a clear view of where writing assessment is heading—and how they can help shape a model of improvement that is granular, rigorous, teacher-led and ready for the curriculum moment ahead.
)
17:05
-
Breakout Room 130 mins
- Digital, Data & AI
- Workforce, Skills & Culture
As MATs invest in devices and infrastructure, true transformation depends on whether teachers, and all school staff, can use those tools confidently and meaningfully. This session will cover how to build sustainable, scalable digital literacy across a trust: from embedding pedagogically-sound practice and blended learning, to equipping staff to use free and existing tools, adapting to budget constraints, and tracking impact beyond devices.
- What does effective, sustainable digital CPD look like across a MAT?
- How do we embed training into everyday workflows instead of relying on one-off sessions?
- What does a realistic digital competency framework look like?
-
Breakout Room 230 mins
- Digital, Data & AI
- Operations & Service Delivery
MATs are prime targets for cyberattacks, and 2025 has already seen an increase in sophisticated, well-funded threats. The latest Academy Trust Handbook emphasises the need for strong cyber hygiene and robust recovery plans to protect school and trust data without disrupting learning. Critical questions continue to surround what guidance exists to strengthen defences, protect sensitive data and ensure resilience in a sometimes-hostile digital environment. This session will explore:
- Practical strategies to secure IT systems across multiple schools.
- How to implement recovery plans that minimise disruption and risk.
- Approaches to achieving high-level security even on constrained budgets.
-
Breakout Room 330 mins
- Digital, Data & AI
- Outcomes & Impact
Recent data shows that nearly one in five pupils in England now has identified Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), with a 31.2% increase in numbers since 2016. That sharp rise underscores the urgent need for inclusive, equitable approaches across all trusts. Digital tools offer a powerful, yet under-exploited, opportunity to embed inclusion into everyday learning. This session will explore how MATs can harness technology not just as an add-on, but as a core driver of whole-trust strategy for SEND support.
- How everyday digital tools, from assistive software to adaptive learning platforms, can make learning accessible for SEND students.
- The role of upskilling and supporting staff to feel confident in delivering high-quality SEND support using digital tools.
- The potential impact when digital upskilling is delivered at scale.
)
)
)
)
)
17:35
-
Main Room5 mins
17:40
-
Networking drinks receptionDownstairs40 mins
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)