12 November 2026, DoubleTree Hilton, Tower of London, London
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08:00
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Registration Desk55 mins
09:05
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Main Room5 mins
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09:10
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Main Room20 mins
- Strategy & Leadership
- Finance & Sustainability
What will the next three years mean for MAT finance leadership? In this keynote, Chris Kirk, Director of CJK, will cut through the noise to share the biggest pressures and opportunities facing trusts, ...
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09:30
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Case study – Making money work harder: Using investment income to drive innovation across your trustMain Room20 mins
- Strategy & Leadership
- Finance & Sustainability
With rising costs, uncertain funding settlements, and increasing pressure on already stretched budgets, many MAT leaders are rethinking how trusts can generate sustainable income beyond traditional fu ...
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09:55
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Main Room20 minsIn September 2026, 34 multi-academy trusts switched to IMP Finance on the same day. This session shares what three waves of go-live taught us, including the one issue we got wrong and how we fixed it. We then turn to the question every trust faces: switch on 1 September or in-year? We set out the six factors that decide how an implementation goes, none of them about the software, from opening balances and audit timing to legacy access and team capacity. Expect a candid view of the risks, practical advice for your own trust, and a look at budget-led finance.
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10:20
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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.
10:50
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Networking and business meetingsNetworking 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.
11:45
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Main Room30 mins
- Strategy & Leadership
- Finance & Sustainability
As more MATs explore GAG pooling to address funding inequity and financial pressure, many are discovering that structural change alone does not guarantee success. Drawing on the lessons from REAch2’s ...
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12:20
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Main Room15 minsEnergy costs are an ongoing pressure for organisations, but could that spend be put to better use? This presentation explores how energy-efficiency improvements can turn rising bills into long-term financial savings. Discover how LED lighting and controls, solar PV, battery storage and EV charging can reduce operating costs and unlock value across building estates. We’ll also explore how funded upgrades and Energy-as-a-Service models can overcome upfront investment barriers, helping organisations improve their buildings while protecting budgets. Through practical examples and real-world results, discover how smarter energy management can strengthen cashflow, improve resilience and support better long-term financial outcomes.
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Breakout Room 115 minsEveryone is talking about AI. Far fewer are talking about what trust finance teams need in place first.
Month-end still means chasing schools, wrestling spreadsheets and debating whose numbers are right, leaving little time for the insight trustees need. With millions in public money at stake, numbers you can’t fully trust are a risk.
The order matters. One trusted version of the data. Rules running the routine: intercompany, prepayments, accruals, approvals. AI surfacing what needs your attention, while you own the decision.
We’ll show it working, and where your trust should start.
The job hasn’t changed. The way you do it has. -
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Breakout Room 215 minsThe question is no longer whether organisations should invest in AI, but how to do so effectively. This presentation provides a roadmap for finance leaders to harness AI as a driver of efficiency, productivity, and strategic growth. By combining robust governance with a clear focus on outcomes, it shows how AI can streamline operations, release valuable capacity, and deliver meaningful returns. The result is a compelling case for turning AI ambition into tangible organisational impact.
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12:40
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Networking lunchNetworking Area45 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.
13:30
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Main Room30 mins
- Strategy & Leadership
- Finance & Sustainability
With reserve levels under pressure and fewer trusts confident about future expansion, many MATs are shifting their focus from growth to short-term resilience. This panel brings together CFOs, COOs and ...
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14:05
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Main Room15 minsEvery trust is being asked to do more with less. Yet consolidating budgets, reacting to changing assumptions and producing reports can still take hours of manual work.
In this fireside conversation, Ewan Deeley from Anago will be joined by Keith Cocks, Finance Director at WLT, to explore how a simpler, more flexible approach to budgeting and forecasting can overcome these challenges. Hear firsthand why Wandle Learning Trust decided to modernise its financial planning, what mattered when choosing a platform and how trusts can reduce manual work, improve visibility and make faster, more confident decisions. -
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Breakout Room 115 minsSchool trusts are being asked to deliver more with increasingly stretched resources. How can finance become a stronger foundation for better educational outcomes? Join ION to explore how a connected approach to technology, people and processes can help trusts strengthen financial oversight, reduce administrative pressure and make more informed decisions. Drawing on our experience working with education organisations, we’ll share our perspective on what effective support looks like as trusts grow and their needs evolve. Discover how the right partnership can help your trust move forward with greater confidence, freeing up time and resources for the things that matter most.
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14:30
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Networking and business meetingsNetworking 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.
15:25
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Main Room20 mins
- Finance & Sustainability
- Outcomes & Impact
As pupil numbers decline and financial pressures intensify, many trusts are questioning whether traditional pupil-led funding models are still fit for purpose. In this session, one of the UK’s highest ...
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15:50
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Breakout Room 115 mins
- Strategy & Leadership
- Finance & Sustainability
Plenty of schools and trusts are making hard decisions right now. The difference is whether those decisions build confidence or fuel distrust. Lorna shares a practical approach to financial viabilit ... -
Breakout Room 215 mins
- Finance & Sustainability
- Operations & Service Delivery
As capital funding pressures continue to grow, MAT leaders are increasingly challenged to make difficult decisions about where limited estates funding should be allocated. This session will share how ...
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16:10
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Main Room30 mins
- Strategy & Leadership
- Finance & Sustainability
- Operations & Service Delivery
Funding pressure is real — but “there’s not enough money” can become a default narrative that masks where trusts can still unlock capacity, resilience, and better outcomes through smarter operating mo ...
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16:45
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Main Room5 mins
16:50
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Networking Area60 mins
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