FlourishED National
This conference will form part of the FlourishED conference series taking place across the country throughout 2025, 2026 and beyond. This series has been developed in partnership with school trusts, dioceses and a range of other stakeholders to bring conferences to various parts of the country. Our centrepiece event in London will draw leaders together from across the country and, as ever, across the world.
Tickets are £145 plus VAT (£175 total -including VAT on Eventbrite).
With an all day programme full of inspiration and networking, you won’t want to miss it!
Our 8th annual National Conference, with the new title of FlourishED National, is taking place on 22 January 2026 at SAINT Church, Hackney, London - the birthplace of the National Society for Education, a thriving church and iconic music venue.
Overview
Our theme for this year is ‘Class of 2040: Putting young people at the centre’ – and we will celebrating young people, sharing new opportunities for them to grow and develop, and reminding ourselves of the reason that we as leaders are working so hard (often in adversity) to enable children to flourish.
There will be a range of inspirational speakers, worship, prayer and chance to bring together our network across the country. The day will close with a networking dinner, hosted by the NSE, with the programme ending at 7:00pm.
FlourishED National Programme
Festival of Flourishing
The festival will be an incredible inspiration to adult leaders and an unmissable opportunity for young people to perform on a national stage. It will also be hosted by a range of colleagues from the professional creative industries including the Royal Shakespeare Company, BBC, and a range of well-known music artists. As part of this experience, young people will take part in a performance workshop with these professionals in the morning part of the day.
Introducing our keynote speakers
We also are delighted to welcome three amazing panellists, to share their vision for what it means to place children and young people at the heart of our organisations' vision, leadership and governance - Sonia Thompson, Rt Revd Andy Emerton, Bishop of Sherwood, and Dawn Haywood.
Tom Rees - 'Unless everyone flourishes, no-one flourishes - prioritising SEND at the heart of our vision for education'
Tom is chief executive of Ormiston Academies Trust, one of England’s most established school trusts which serves over 35,000 children in 44 schools across the country, including special, alternative provision, primary and secondary. He has 25 years of experience working in education as a teacher, headteacher and in executive roles, most recently at Ambition Institute where he was responsible for the delivery of professional development to over 50,000 teachers and school leaders.
In 2006, Tom was one of the co-founders of Ups ‘n’ Downs – a charity supporting families affected by Down’s syndrome. He is currently the chair of the DfE’s expert advisory group for inclusion.
Rachel Gardner - 'Placing children and young people at the centre of the Church of England's mission'
Rachel Gardner brings over two decades of experience in youth ministry, with a deep commitment to the spiritual and personal development of young people. She is the author of The Girl De-Construction Project and The Sex Thing, and co-hosts the Talking Youth Ministry podcast. In her current roles as Ambassador for Home for Good and Director of Partnerships at Youthscape, Rachel plays a pivotal role in shaping national conversations around youth and faith. She also serves as Youth Innovation Lead at St Luke’s, a church with a strong youth focus located in an under-resourced area of Blackburn, where she works to support and empower a diverse community of young people.
Amjad Ali - 'If I came to work for you, what kind of life could I expect - what kind of impact can flourishing teachers and leaders have on the flourishing of children'
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 educational leadership into practical strategies that challenge, inspire, and stick.
Having spent over 19 years working in diverse and high-need schools — including seven years as a founding leadership team member of a new secondary school — Amjad now serves as a Trust Training and Inclusion Lead, supporting leaders, teachers, and school communities to grow cultures of equity, ambition, and sustained professional learning.
A sought-after leadership speaker and CPD specialist, Amjad supports schools to try and refine their leadership approach to training and inclusion, ensuring professional development becomes embedded, evidence-informed and impactful. His mantra is simple: “What will you now try, refine and ditch.”
Andy Wolfe - 'Introducing the Flourishing Young Leaders Award - a new approach to leadership development for pupils in primary and secondary schools'
Andy Wolfe is Executive Director of Education for the Church of England and oversees the programmes, networks and research of the Foundation for Educational Leadership – working with thousands of school leaders across the UK, particularly through the Church of England’s role as a large lead provider of NPQ programmes.
He is committed to combining rich theological reflection with evidence-informed approaches to improving teaching, learning and leadership in schools, and oversees the national Flourishing Leaders and Flourishing Teachers Programmes. 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) and ‘Flourishing Together: A Collective Vision for the Education System’ with CST and CES (2024). Andy also oversees the Church of England’s ‘Growing Faith’ national work in relation to faith development in schools, churches and households, the Archbishops’ Young Leaders Award, working closely with dioceses, MATs, universities and FE colleges across the country.
Sonia Thompson
Sonia Thompson is the Headteacher at St Matthew’s C.E. Primary School and the Director of St Matthew’s EEF (Education Endowment Foundation) Research School, in Nechells Birmingham. St Matthew’s is a Talk for Writing Training Centre and previously held DfE Teaching School status and is still a Support School. Her school regularly hosts’ visits for Teachers, Headteachers and MATs, from across the country and internationally, who want to see evidence-informed practice across the curriculum.
Sonia recently published a book called, An Ethic of Excellence in Action; has had articles published and regularly reviewed blogs for Schools Week. She has a chapter in, the researchED Guide to the Curriculum and is a contributor to the new WALKTHRUs 3 book. Sonia is a board member of the UKLA (United Kingdom Literacy Association), National Council and Birmingham Diocese Board of Education. She is also a trustee for the Church of England National Society, Classics for All and the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF). Sonia is also a member of the DFE External Reference Group, advising on Teacher Training and Early Career Framework reforms. She is also a Secondary School Academy Chair. Sonia is regularly asked to deliver keynotes and training at various conferences and events, across the country and internationally.
Rt Revd Andy Emerton, Bishop of Sherwood
Bishop Andy is the Bishop of Sherwood in the Diocese of Southwell & Nottingham. He is passionate about the church passing on its faith to the next generation, and the possibility that effective church school partnership offers for seeing children and young people encounter Jesus and grow as disciples of Christ. +Andy was appointed as Chair of the national FLOURISH Project Board in 2024.
Bishop Andy was educated at York University and Queen’s College, Oxford and has a background in scientific consultancy and youth ministry. Prior to his appointment as Bishop of Sherwood in 2020, Bishop Andy was part of the leadership of St. Mellitus College in London, serving as Dean from 2015.
Dawn Haywood
Dawn is chief executive of Windsor Academy Trust, with 15 schools across five local authorities in priority and education investment areas across the West Midlands. Dawn became CEO in January 2022 having previously served as Deputy CEO and education director. Dawn is a member of the Confederation of School Trusts Improvement Inquiry and sits on two DfE Priority Education Investment Area Local Partnership Boards. Dawn’s career has included her being the founder and chief executive of the Student Engagement Trust. She also spent 10 years at the Youth Sport Trust where she led two strands of the government’s Physical Education and School Sport Strategy for Young People. Dawn established the Youth Board for the London Organising Committee for the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games
Then at our early evening Flourishing Feast, we will have between-courses input from both:
Bridget Phillipson, Secretary of State for Education
Bridget was born and raised in Washington, attending local schools and joining the Labour Party aged 15. After reading Modern History at Hertford College, Oxford – where she was also Co-Chair of the University Labour Club – Bridget returned to the North East. Before becoming an MP, Bridget managed a refuge for women and children fleeing domestic violence
Since her election in 2010, Bridget has served as an Opposition Whip, and on a number of Parliamentary select committees, including the high-profile Public Accounts Committee. In April 2020 she joined the Shadow Cabinet as Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury, before being appointed Shadow Education Secretary in November 2021. In July 2024, she was appointed Secretary of State for Education and Minister for Women and Equalities by Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
Rt Revd Jonathan Frost, Chair of the National Society for Education
The Church of England’s tenth Bishop of Portsmouth is the Rt Rev Dr Jonathan Frost. He was installed in our cathedral in March 2022, and you can read about that here.
The Bishop of Portsmouth is responsible for the 129 parishes which make up the Portsmouth diocese, which includes south-east Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. The Diocese of Portsmouth is one of only two dioceses in the Church of England that only has one bishop. There are no suffragan bishops.
The bishop’s work includes leading the mission and ministry of the diocese as a whole, caring for and inspiring clergy and lay worshippers across the diocese, visiting parishes, ordaining new clergy and confirming those who want to commit themselves to the faith.
Want to know more?
Further information to be circulated in due course, including:
Participation and performing schedules for schools and staff
Delegate networking roster
If you have any questions, please email Kalyn Mallard, Events & Partnerships Manager via kalyn.mallard@churchofengland.org