Hosted once again by BBC Midlands Today presenter, Mary Rhodes, the packed conference programme will include information on how networks of support can be unlocked through the £140million Strategic School Improvement Fund. A plethora of high-profile figures are speaking including The Baroness Estelle Morris (former Secretary of State for Education and Skills), Ann Mroz (Editor and Digital Publishing Director of TES), Christine Quinn (Regional Schools Commissioner for West Midlands) and Lorna Fitzjohn (Regional Director, West Midlands for Ofsted).

The Conference is officially supported by TES and will bring together primary and secondary school leaders, educationalists, governors and local authority leaders from across the region. The Conference provides a mixture of presentations, interactive sessions and facilitated dialogue which will focus on the progress of the school-led system and its sustainable developments. There will also be an opportunity to strengthen networks in the six West Midlands sub-regional groups, which will be invaluable in the development of more local and relevant approaches.

Andrew Warren, Chair of the Teaching Schools Council, and Richard Gill, the West Midlands Representative on the Council, agreed that: “With the continuing changes to the educational landscape, this conference will provide a vital forum for delegates to discover how to be at the centre of the leadership system. It is also a unique opportunity to meet and network with the key individuals involved in shaping these changes”.

The conference, which will incorporate a small specialist exhibition, is being held at The Chateau Impney Hotel & Exhibition Centre in Worcestershire and is sponsored by Unistage, Screenflex UK and Design3i.