Northern Lights Teaching School Hub

Leadership Conference 2026 - School Leadership in a Time of Change
2026-06-25 00:00 - 23:59 (Europe/London)
We look forward to welcoming you to our 5th annual Leadership Conference! Please see our full speaker bios below:

Steph McGovern

Amjad Ali

Emma Campbell

Floyd Woodrow

Natalie Packer

Andy Wolfe

Select the speakers below to read their full bio:

Steph McGovern
Award-winning journalist and broadcaster Steph McGovern co-hosts the The Rest Is Money with Robert Peston, exploring the economic issues that affect our everyday lives. Steph is also a regular face on the BBC fronting shows such as Have I Got News for You, and Crimewatch as well as two new programmes due to air in 2026.

For over three years Steph hosted her own BAFTA nominated daily magazine show Steph’s Packed Lunch on Channel 4. The show broadcast over 500 episodes, after starting in her house in lockdown.

Working in financial journalism for over twenty years, with eight years on BBC Breakfast, Steph travelled all over the UK covering economic news and broadcasting live from over five hundred businesses. Whether speaking to factory workers or FTSE 100 CEOs, Steph’s mission was to uncover and explain the real economy. She continued that work on her Channel 4 show, with regular features such as her Small Business Market and Job Clinic.

Steph is also the founder of the fitness business ClimbAhub in Newcastle and is the co-owner of the kids slime retailer Gootopia, which now has over ten stores nationally aswell as two in the EU. Steph also has a number of other business investments as an angel investor.

Away from news and business, Steph launched her own CBBC show looking for the next generation of entrepreneurs, Pocket Money Pitch. On BBC Two’s Made in Great Britain she joined 21st century makers exploring the skills and industries that built the nation. She co-hosted five series of the BBC One show Shop Well For Less, and four series of the consumer rights institution Watchdog. She also joined Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall to present the BBC One health show Easy Ways to Live Well.

Before becoming an on-air correspondent, Steph was the lead producer of financial news for the BBC, working with then Business Editor Robert Peston at the forefront of the award-winning coverage of the credit crunch and banking crisis. She soon began broadcasting herself, and delivered the business news on 5Live, Radio 4 and on the Chris Evans show on Radio 2 before gaining a fulltime role on BBC Breakfast.

Originally from Middlesbrough, Steph started as an apprentice engineer at Black & Decker where, aged nineteen, she won the title of Young Engineer for Britain before studying at University College London.

Steph is involved in lots of community and education projects in her native North East. She launched the ‘Steph McGovern Women in Engineering Scholarships’ at Teesside University in 2026, with the science charity Enginuity, and regularly works with schools in the area. Steph is a patron of the charity Rubies, supporting disadvantaged children, and is a former champion Irish dancer.

Amjad Ali
Amjad Ali is regarded as one of the most engaging and empowering voices in the fields of inclusive leadership and professional development. With his trademark humour, warmth and clarity, Amjad brings a rare ability to translate the complexities of teaching and educational leadership into practical strategies that challenge, inspire and stick.

Having spent over 19 years teaching and leading in diverse and high-need schools; including seven years as a founding leadership team member of a new secondary start up school. Amjad now serves as CPD and Inclusion Lead for the Chiltern Learning Trust, supporting leaders, teachers and school communities to grow cultures of equity, ambition and sustained professional learning.

Amjad’s delivery is grounded in lived experience. He began his career as a Play Worker and then a Teaching Assistant in Young Offender institutions before training as a teacher and later becoming an Advanced Skills Teacher in Teaching and Learning, before training as a SENDCO and senior leader. This journey has shaped a leadership philosophy rooted in equity, high expectations and transformational CPD.

He has delivered keynotes, workshops and INSET to audiences across all phases of education, from early career teachers to CEOs working with over 650 schools and thousands of educators across the UK and internationally. Whether in front of newly qualified teachers or leading a trust-wide leadership event, Amjad’s sessions are consistently praised for being funny, thought-provoking, energising and immediately actionable.

A sought-after leadership speaker and CPD specialist, Amjad supports schools to refine their approaches to training and inclusion so that professional development becomes embedded, evidence-informed and impactful. His mantra is simple: What will you now try, refine and ditch.

He also co-founded The BAMEed Network, a national grassroots organisation committed to diversifying educational leadership and ensuring equity across the system — a mission that continues to shape his work in inclusive leadership today.

Emma Campbell
Emma Campbell is an author, speaker and podcast host, known to her 66,000 followers on Instagram as Limitless Em. She shares her experience of rebuilding life after adversity and is passionate about helping others recognise what’s possible for them, even in the most challenging seasons.

Emma is known for her honesty, vulnerability and open-hearted approach to life. She speaks and writes about resilience, reinvention and learning to live fully in the face of uncertainty. She believes deeply in our capacity to adapt, grow and create meaning from even the hardest experiences. Having completed the London Marathon three times, Emma celebrates a body that has been through so much, while continuing to navigate life on long-term cancer treatment.

Emma’s first book, All That Followed: A Story of Cancer, Kids and the Fear of Leaving Too Soon, was published in 2018. Her second book, Running, Still, will be published by Bloomsbury in January 2027.

Floyd Woodrow
Floyd Woodrow is Managing Director and founder of Chrysalis Worldwide a world leading values-based organisation and owner of Quantum group recently winning an innovation award for 2018 in the Fintech sector.

Floyd has an excellent track record of success as a Military Leader, Director, Non- Executive Director, Consultant and Negotiator. Floyd is challenging, supportive and totally committed to developing elite teams and individuals as well as offering practical and commercial value in strategic planning and execution.

Floyd has established an international reputation for designing and running leadership and elite performance training in sports, business, government, police, not for profit organisations and education.

Floyd’s early career was as a soldier in the Parachute Regiment. He spent four years with the 1st Battalion before joining the Special Air Service at the age of 22. During this time he was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal for his work in Iraq and an MBE for his work in Afghanistan. During his time in the military Floyd studied law and psychology and wrote his first book “Learning to Learn”.

Since leaving the military Floyd established his consultancy business alongside his commercial business ventures and became a director of a number of companies in the oil and gas industry, technology and finance.

Floyd regularly lectures on leadership all over the world, recently winning a prestigious award as a high performing speaker. Floyd wrote his second book Elite “the secret to Elite Leadership and Performance in 2012 which reached the final of the people’s book prize. His third book has just been published and is called The Warrior, The Strategist and You and outlines the “Compass for Life model for leadership and life”.

Social media handles:

Twitter @floydwoodrow

Instagram @floydwoodrow

LinkedIn@Floyd Woodrow

Natalie Packer
Natalie is an Independent Education Consultant, specialising in SEND and school improvement. She develops and delivers a wide range of training and support, including SEND reviews, to schools and multi-academy trusts. She works closely with several trusts to support their strategic development of SEND and, until recently, was a trustee of Learn-AT in Leicestershire. She is an associate for national organisations nasen, Whole Education, Forum Strategy and Leadership Matters. Natalie is the author of The Perfect SENCO and The Teacher’s Guide to SEN and co-author of Beyond Boundaries: Leading Great SEND Provision across a Trust.

E mail: n.packer174@btinternet.com Website: www.nataliepacker.co.uk Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/natalie-packer-23779847

Andy Wolfe
Andy Wolfe is the Interim Chief Executive of the National Society for Education (Church of England & Church in Wales) and Chief Education Officer for the Church of England, overseeing its national work in education through its three core priorities: Developing Leaders, Shaping Policy and Growing Faith. In addition, he oversees the Church of England’s SIAMS inspections, and in all of this, works closely in partnership with Dioceses, MATs, school leaders.

Andy also has strategic oversight for the Church of England’s work in Further and Higher Education, and a wider range of international partnerships. He works closely with senior stakeholders both across the education system and with senior leaders and clergy throughout the wider Church of England.

He has authored many of the Church of England’s educational leadership resources, including pioneering the ‘Called, Connected, Committed’ leadership framework (2020) and ‘Flourishing Together: A Christian Vision for Students, Educators and Schools’ (2022) with Dr Lynn Swaner. In 2024, he wrote ‘Flourishing Together: A Collective Vision for the Education System’ in partnership with Catholic Education Service and Confederation of School Trusts.

Leadership Conference 2025 - Putting Compassion at the Heart of School Leadership
2025-06-27 00:00 - 23:59 | Ramside Hall Hotel, Ramside Hall Hotel, Durham, DH1 1TD, United Kingdom

Leadership Conference 2024 - Resilience at the heart of school leadership
2024-07-03 00:00 - 23:59 | Ramside Hall Hotel, Ramside Hall Hotel, Durham, DH1 1TD, United Kingdom
We are excited to announce our fantastic speaker line-up for the Northern Lights Leadership Conference 2024!

Eddie ‘The Eagle’ Edwards
Great Britain’s first Olympic Ski Jumper Ranked 55th in the world, this qualified Eddie as GB’s only candidate for the Calgary 1988 Winter Olympic Games. With the UK public backing the plasterer from Gloucester, Eddie hit the slopes pursued by the international press & media. Eddie competed in the 70m and 90m events during the Games but unfortunately came last in both. Although he didn’t win an Olympic Ski Jumping medal, he did win a place in the hearts of spectators around the globe. Ultimately, the public loved Eddie due to his lack of success, but more importantly, due to his determination and ‘have a go’ attitude. He has had appearances on Let’s Dance, Winter Wipeout, Splash, The Jump and most recently Dancing on Ice.

Leora Cruddas CBE
Leora Cruddas is the founding Chief Executive of the Confederation of School Trusts – 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.

Paul Rusby
Paul is an educator with over three decades of experience. His extensive career spans twenty years as headteacher across three Church of England schools, earning him accolades such as the Teaching Award’s Headteacher of the Year for the North East. He has played key roles as a National Leader of Education, Primary Consultant Leader, and School Improvement Partner, with a deep commitment to fostering the growth and well-being of both students and educators in Church of England schools.

He is a member of the National SIAMS Quality Assurance inspection team, Diocesan consultant, school governor, and NPW facilitator and coach. Paul has a deep interest in spirituality. Blending together his theological training, SIAMS experience and leadership roles in schools, Paul provides school improvement coaching and consultancy support. In his role as a retreat leader, he integrates poetry, music, meditation, and landscape into quiet days, nurturing spiritual growth.

Alex Staniforth
Alex is a record-breaking adventurer, ultra-endurance athlete, author and charity founder from Chester who is no stranger to overcoming challenges. At 28 he has already survived the two biggest disasters in Mount Everest history as a teenager. However, his biggest challenges have been closer to home: overcoming mental ill health, epilepsy, stammering and bullying since school.

Now he is committed to help leaders and students achieve their own Everest in life. He has raised over £100,000 for charity, become the fastest person to climb all 100 UK county tops, written two books ‘Icefall’ and ‘Another Peak’, and founded Mind Over Mountains, a charity to restore mental health through nature – receiving a Points of Light award from the Prime Minister in 2023.

Amelie Thompson
Amelie Thompson has worked in education for over 20 years, including 12 years as a senior leader and headteacher. She now works at Greenshaw Learning Trust as Assistant Director of Education – SEND. She is also the regional lead with Whole School SEND for Southeast South London and lead author of the Teacher Handbook: SEND. Amelie has a keen interest in how we, as leaders, build systems and create environments that enable ‘every teacher to be a teacher of SEND’ – driven by leadership that builds inclusivity into all aspects of school practice. As a school leader, she challenges herself to consistently reflect on the operational implications and implementation of this strategic vision and is strongly committed to cross-phase and cross-sector collaboration to achieve this.

Jon Tait
Having spent over 20 years in the teaching profession and having led schools in various senior leadership positions such as Deputy Headteacher and Director of Teaching School, Jon has most recently worked for two North East Multi Academy Trusts in positions as Deputy CEO & Director of School Improvement, followed by his current role as Director of Education for Northern Lights Learning Trust. Jon is also an education author and speaker, having five books published on areas ranging from classroom pedagogy, educational research and school leadership; together with regularly speaking at national and international conferences about all aspects of education. Jon delivered a talk on the world famous TED stage in 2015, talking about ‘The Future of Learning’.

This is what last year’s delegates had to say about our conference last year:

New to EYFS
2024-06-25 09:30 - 14:45 | Benedict Biscop C.E. Academy, Marcross Drive, Sunderland, North of England, SR3 2RE
This course is designed to support teachers who are new to EYFS or within their first year. You will work alongside others to learn the theory and see it in practice at the Stronger Practice Hub’s lead EY Provision.

You will leave this course having built networks with other practitioners, practical strategies to implement and an understanding of the statutory requirements.

Fostering ECT Professionalism - ECT session
2024-06-06 13:00 - 15:00
As an experienced teacher, head of department, and PGCE mentor Caroline knows well the impact excellent teaching can have on student outcomes. Her associated pastoral work as a mindfulness teacher, tutor, and counselling and peer support lead informs her appreciation of the importance of educators at all stages in their career being happy and healthy in their vital work.

ECTs will cover the following in their session:

Building relationships

Looking after yourself

Seeking mastery

Becoming a part of your school community

We advise that your Mentor also attends the Mentor version of this training as this is a 2-part training. They can book the session here.

Fostering ECT Professionalism - Mentor Session
2024-05-23 13:00 - 15:00
As an experienced teacher, head of department, and PGCE mentor Caroline knows well the impact excellent teaching can have on student outcomes. Her associated pastoral work as a mindfulness teacher, tutor, and counselling and peer support lead informs her appreciation of the importance of educators at all stages in their career being happy and healthy in their vital work.

Mentors will cover the following in their session:

Communication and effective working relationships

Management of workload and wellbeing

Appreciation of moving from Novice to Expert

Contribution to the school community

We advise that your ECT also attends the ECT version of this training as this is a 2-part training. They can book the session here.

The Science of Learning - 6-part series of Professional Development
2024-04-23 15:45 - 16:45
In this virtual 6-part series, you will explore the Science of Learning through the topics outlined above. Each session will be virtual for 1 hour. If you are unable to attend any of the sessions, you will receive a recording so that you do not miss out. The first 3 sessions focus on the science of learning with the final 3 sessions focusing on assessment and questioning.

As well as looking at the research, you will be looking at practical examples and strategies that you can take away and use in your own classroom or school.

The Science of Learning

Assessment and Questioning

Discover the sometimes ‘hidden truths’ about how children really learn, what this means for you as a classroom teacher. We will look at how you plan, sequence and deliver your lessons in order to have the maximum chance of your students remembering and understanding what you teach.

· Part 1 – Memory and retrieval – what do we already know about memory and how can we transfer this into classroom practice

· Part 2 – Spacing, sequencing & interleaving – what this means for curriculum design

· Part 3 – Cognitive load – understanding the limitations of our children’s working memory and how we can prevent cognitive overload

This course will take a detailed and practical look at how we can use assessment as a learning tool, and not just as a measurement indicator. We will focus on how classroom teachers can understand how to select the right assessment tools, implement them with precision and understand what they say, in order to use that information to adapt their teaching.

· Part 1 – Deep thinking and effective questioning – understanding the importance of regular deep thinking as part of the learning process and practical strategies to question students effectively

· Part 2 – Dynamic in class assessment and responsive teaching – practical strategies to find out what everyone in the classroom knows and be able to use that data immediately to shape the next phase of your lesson, plus how we can learn more from students’ wrong answers than we can from their correct answers

· Part 3 – Selecting the right assessment for the right purpose and what it tells you – key differences in selecting summative and formative assessments, the difference between long term learning and short term performance gains

Grammar and Punctuation CPD
2024-03-21 09:30 - 15:00 | Lighthouse View, Spectrum Business Park, Building 2,, SR7 7PR
This full-day course, suitable for both primary and secondary teachers, is a fantastic combination of Grammar and Punctuation subject knowledge support for teachers and pedagogical approaches to secure learning. Not only will it secure teacher subject knowledge and increase confidence but ensure children enjoy grammar via fun, practical and effective activities to aid retrieval and embed in the pupils’ long-term memory. The course will also examine common grammatical teacher errors and support when reporting to parents and other professionals.

View full-sized flyer with full details about the course here
