liverpool & the wirral

Seminar Options & BOOKING

Welcome to the seminar timetable and selections page. Here you will see an overview of all the sessions running at the event AND CHOOSE which you would like to attend

instructions to book seminars

Please select one seminar per session from the available options. Some seminars run more than once, giving you flexibility to attend them at a different time.
All seminars have limited capacity and will close once fully booked. Sessions will be removed from the booking system as they fill up, so we recommend making your selections early to avoid disappointment.
Delegates will receive a printed copy of their seminar selections and personalised itinerary on the day at registration.

STEP 1

Choosing Your Sessions

Full details of all seminars, including session overviews and speaker information, can be found in the Seminar Timetable below.**

Step 2

Booking Your seminars

Once you’ve chosen your sessions, please complete the booking survey HERE

** The event includes an extended working lunch period with food, networking, and exhibition time. During this period, a small number of optional shorter sessions are also available.These sessions are completely optional – if you prefer a little more downtime to enjoy the exhibition and networking with colleagues, just select no thanks for the optional lunchtime sessions. If you’d like to attend more organised sessions within your day, choose one or two of the lunchtime sessions on offer

Seminar TIMETABLE

option one

The Evolving Reality for School Business Leaders

School business leadership has never been a small role, and in recent years the pressures attached to it have become harder to ignore. As responsibilities have widened and expectations have increased, many SBLs have found themselves facing growing pressure, broader responsibilities and increasing demands on their time and wellbeing.

Drawing on four years of research into the mental health and wellbeing of school business leaders across England and Wales, Education Mutual brings those findings together to reveal the bigger picture. This session explores the pressures that have remained stubbornly constant, the emerging demands reshaping the role, and what the data tells us about where signs of progress are beginning to appear, and where challenges remain unresolved.

In this session we explore

• What four years of research reveal about the changing reality of the SBL role

• Which pressures have remained consistent, and which demands have intensified over time

• How workload, responsibility and rising expectations are affecting wellbeing

• The impact of expectations from senior leaders, governors, trustees and colleagues

• Where support, networks and practical interventions are making a positive difference

• What schools, trusts and sector leaders need to do next to better support SBLs

Take home points

• A clearer picture of the wellbeing pressures facing SBLs post-pandemic

• Insight into the newer demands shaping the role in 2026

• Greater understanding of the factors driving stress, pressure and overload

• Examples of where support and intervention have made a measurable difference

• Clarity on where action is still most urgently needed

This session is for

School business leaders, headteachers, senior leaders, trust CEOs, CFOs and central team leaders, as well as anyone responsible for supporting, managing or working alongside school and trust operations staff.

Sustainability in Practice

Whether you already have a Climate Action Plan in place, or are just at the start of your journey, this session looks to support you in actively delivering your plan in a meaningful and manageable way.

Grounded in real school experience, this session will help you move from ambition to action, without adding unnecessary workload or cost.

We will explore

Why schools should take action on climate change and what a good climate action plan looks like
Prioritising actions when time, funding and capacity are limited
Managing energy, carbon and waste reduction in a way that delivers real savings
Funding, grants and external support available to schools and trusts

Take home points

• A clearer understanding of what sustainability looks like for schools

• Practical examples of actions that deliver both environmental and financial benefits

• Confidence to move beyond compliance to meaningful change

This session is for

School business leaders, estates, finance and operations professionals who are responsible for implementing sustainability or climate action plans and want to ensure they deliver real, lasting impact.

Make Governance More Strategic

Governance should drive strategy, clarity and confidence. Yet too often, meetings slide into operational questions, overly detailed scrutiny or long lists of compliance checks that add workload without improving outcomes. Both governors in maintained schools and trustees in MATs are expected to focus on strategic priorities, risk and long-term impact, but many boards struggle to hold that line in practice. This session offers fresh insight into how you can reset that balance. We will explore the core pillars of effective governance, how to keep conversations anchored in strategic intent rather than operational detail, and how to shape reporting that genuinely supports better decisions. You'll also look at the nuances between governing bodies and trustee boards, and how to work with volunteer members confidently and constructively.

In this session we explore

The difference between strategic and operational governance and how to reinforce it
Where governance, compliance and operations overlap and how to keep boundaries clear
How to recognise when you're being asked for detail instead of insight
Practical ways to redirect questions towards strategy, risk and impact
What purposeful financial and risk reporting looks
How to make the most of volunteers' expertise while managing challenging dynamics

Take home points

Clear, workable boundaries for what belongs on a board agenda
Language and framing that lift conversations out of the operational weeds
A simple structure for reporting that supports strategic decisions
Practical approaches for strengthening relationships with governors and trustees

This session is for

School and trust leaders who want more focused, strategic board conversations, reporting that drives better decisions, and the confidence to guide governors and trustees towards the issues that matter most.

option three

option one

The Engagement Gap

Schools have more ways than ever to communicate with parents and carers, from emails and texts to apps, portals and MIS notifications. Yet important engagement warning signs can still be missed when information sits disconnected in different places, communication is inconsistent, or staff are working around systems rather than through them.

This session explores the gap between sending information and creating genuine engagement. It will look at how schools and trusts can use their MIS, communication tools and wider IT systems more effectively to spot patterns, support earlier intervention and reduce unnecessary admin pressure. It will also consider what schools can learn from the way major social platforms capture attention and target messages, from timing and relevance to behavioural nudges, helping leaders think more carefully about what they send, when they send it and who really needs to receive it.

The session will focus on practical actions that school business professionals can take back into their setting, whether they are reviewing systems, managing a migration, improving parent engagement, or trying to make existing tools work harder.

In this session we explore

Why more communication does not always lead to better engagement
The common reasons warning signs are missed across attendance, wellbeing, payments and parent contact
How joined-up systems can give schools and trusts a clearer view of pupil and family engagement
What schools can learn from targeted digital engagement, behavioural nudges and smarter message timing
What school business leaders should consider when reviewing parent communication processes
Practical steps to reduce duplication, improve consistency and support staff confidence

Take home points

A clearer understanding of the engagement gap
Practical ways to improve parent communication
Ideas for spotting risk earlier through better use of data
Questions to ask when reviewing your MIS and communication tools
Next-day actions to reduce admin and improve consistency

This session is for

School business managers, and leaders, CFOs, COOs, operations leads, those involved in attendance, parent communication, MIS use, school operations or trust-wide reporting.

Smarter Ops: Strategic Moves to Free Up Time, Budget and Brain-space

When systems do not talk to each other, tasks get duplicated and planning happens in silos, it lands on school business teams first. This 30 minute quick fix session is about practical moves you can make straight away to reduce operational drag, tighten workflows, and create space for the strategic work only you can do. We will use Edward de Bono’s Six Thinking Hats as a simple framework to pressure-test decisions, improve delegation, and make better use of the skills already in your team.

In this session we explore

• A fast way to spot duplicated effort, hand-off gaps, and bottlenecks across HR, finance, admin and operations
• Why the school business role is the glue, and how to use that position to simplify how work flows across the school
• Delegation that works in real life, using clear ownership, standards, and check-ins without micromanaging
• Planning techniques to shift from reactive firefighting to proactive leadership, even when capacity is tight
• A quick decision tool to reduce debate, speed up choices, and stop low-value tasks stealing your week

Take home points

• Practical ways to reduce duplication and chase-ups
• Simple delegation rules that prevent work bouncing back
• A structure for sharper decision-making
• Immediate actions to free up time, budget and brain-space

This session is for

School business leaders who want to improve efficiency, reduce pressure and embed sustainable operational change, whether you are in a maintained school, SAT or MAT

Managing the Risks That Matters Most

Risk stretches far beyond safeguarding and health and safety. It includes finance, estates, compliance, data, governance and reputation, and the school business leader sits at the centre of all of it. A strong, live risk register is essential for keeping schools protected and helping SLT, governors and trustees make informed decisions. This session gives you the confidence and tools to manage risk proactively and to embed a culture where everyone understands their role.

In this session we explore

• What risk looks like in today’s schools and MATs

• Setting a clear risk appetite and framework

• How to build and maintain a live risk register

• Mapping operational and strategic risks across finance, estates, data and compliance

• Turning scenarios into practical mitigation and contingency planning

• Communicating risk effectively with SLT, governors and trustees

Take home points

• A simple, usable structure for school and trust risk management

• A clearer understanding of your role as a risk guardian

• Confidence to identify, assess and escalate risks appropriately

• Tools to embed risk ownership across teams and leadership

This session is for

School business leaders, COOs, CFOs, operations leads who want practical, accessible ways to strengthen risk management and keep their school or trust protected.

option three

option one

Strategic presence: building influence at the SLT table

Whether you already have an established seat at the senior leadership table, or feel there is still work to do to ensure the business leadership voice is properly heard, influence depends on more than attendance alone. As a school business leader, trust leader or member of a central team, you hold insight, experience and expertise that deserve strategic recognition. This session is about building confidence, honing communication and making sure your voice is heard as a driver of decisions.We’ll look at how to frame complex school business issues, from finance to operations, as clear, persuasive propositions. We’ll explore how to navigate meetings, manage dynamics with heads, governors or trustees, and assert yourself as a strategic partner rather than a support function. The goal is to help you move from behind-the-scenes support to visible, respected leadership.

In this session we explore

• How to communicate with confidence, clarity and authority in meetings, strategy sessions and governor discussions
• How to turn complex data, budgets or proposals into compelling, decision-ready messages
• Techniques for reading room dynamics, managing difficult personalities and influencing without conflict
• How to build relationships of parity and trust with heads, governors or trustees so your perspective is valued and sought
• How body language, tone and presence can reinforce credibility and leadership presence

Take home points

• Practical tools for clear, confident and impactful communication in any setting
• A simple framework for structuring proposals and reports that persuade rather than overwhelm
• Strategies for handling tricky discussions and challenging dynamics while staying influential and professional
• A stronger sense of your strategic value and how to make others see it too
• Confidence to claim and hold your place at the leadership table

This session is for

School business leaders who want to improve efficiency, reduce pressure and embed sustainable operational change, whether you are in a maintained school, SAT or MAT

Black Box Thinking

Black box thinking is built on a simple but powerful idea: organisations get stronger when mistakes, missteps and near misses are examined properly. For schools and trusts, that has real relevance to leadership culture. In environments where blame culture has taken hold, people are often less willing to admit mistakes or raise concerns early, which can shut down the very openness that drives growth and improvement. In this session, Sam Finch explores how the principles of black box thinking can help schools and trusts move away from blame culture and towards a culture of accountability, openness and psychological safety, where mistakes are handled more constructively and used to strengthen leadership practice, team culture and organisational decision-making.

In this session we explore

What black box thinking is and why it matters in organisational leadership
How blame culture can take hold in schools and trusts
Why fear of getting it wrong can stop staff from speaking up early
The link between openness, accountability and psychological safety
How leaders can respond to mistakes in a way that strengthens trust, culture and decision-making

Take home points

Black box thinking in practice
The impact of blame culture
Psychological safety and openness
Constructive responses to mistakes
Stronger leadership and team culture

This session is for

School business leaders, trust leaders, COOs, CFOs, HR leads, operations leaders, senior leadership teams, and anyone with responsibility for organisational culture, people leadership and improvement.

Lockdown Planning and Martyn's Law

With the national threat level now raised and incidents affecting schools continuing to make headlines, lockdown planning is no longer a precautionary measure—it is a critical responsibility. Led by security specialist Shane, this session provides practical, proportionate guidance on modern lockdown planning, helping schools and organisations remain compliant, prepared and ready to respond to emerging threats.

In this session we explore

What a clear, workable lockdown and invacuation plan looks like under Martyn's Law
How to run drills that build confidence without frightening staff or learners
Simple risk assessment tools to help you spot weak points around your school or trust estate
How to brief and train staff so everyone knows their role, from teachers to office teams to site staff
How to align procedures across a trust and report assurance back to SLT, governors and trustees
When and how to loop in local police and partners for guidance and good practice

Take home points

A step by step checklist to update or build your lockdown plan in line with 2026 expectations
A low impact drill model you can adapt for any size school or trust
Clear staff messaging you can reuse in INSET and briefings
Practical pointers for evidencing readiness to SLT, governors and trust boards

This session is for school and trust leaders who

Want to stay prepared, compliant and confident under Martyn's Law, without adding unnecessary fear. Ideal for SBPs, COOs and anyone responsible for writing, overseeing or signing off a school or trust wide lockdown plan.

option three

OPTIONAL SESSIONs

To make the day as flexible as possible for all delegates, we offer an extended working lunch period which offers hot lunch, networking time, exhibition time and some optional sessions that delegates can choose to sign up to or not – it’s totally down to personal preference .

OPTIONAL SESSIONS are shorter sessions available to delegates who like to cram their day with more learning and less exhibition and networking time.

Reminder, these sessions are completely optional – if you prefer a little more downtime to enjoy the exhibition and networking with colleagues, just select no thanks for the quick fix sessions, if you like to attend more organised sessions, choose one or two of the quick fix session on offer.

There is enough time planned into the day to allow you to comfortably attend at least one optional sessions if you wish – as well as lunch and exhibition time

OPTION one

Before You Buy

Choosing, changing or reviewing school systems can quickly become overwhelming. Schools and trusts are often asked to compare products, features and promises before they have clearly mapped what they actually need, what is not working, and what success should look like.

This session explores the value of creating a clear blueprint before making decisions about a school MIS, communication tools or wider digital systems. Drawing on the IDEAL framework developed by specialist education IT consultants hi-impact, the session will explore how schools and trusts can assess whether a purchase, system change or new initiative is genuinely worth investing in and aligns with DFE standards.

The framework encourages leaders to consider whether a decisions will improve what is already working, develop or deepen learning, enhance efficiency, align and advance strategic priorities, lower workload and stress. Rather than focusing on a specific product or service, the session will help delegates think more strategically about how they assess systems and suppliers. It will offer a practical structure they can use to sense-check whether a system, service or platform is the right fit before committing budget, time and capacity.

In this session we explore

Why schools should define the problem before reviewing the product
How to map current processes, gaps and pressure points
The key questions to ask before choosing or changing a system
How to involve staff, leaders and stakeholders in a structured way
How a clear blueprint can support better procurement, implementation and adoption

Take home points

A blueprint approach for system decisions
Key questions to use with suppliers and internal teams
A clearer way to compare options
Practical prompts for reviewing existing systems
A more structured approach to change, procurement and implementation

This session is for

School business managers, CFOs, COOs, operations and procurement leads, IT leads and those involved in reviewing, selecting or implementing school systems.

Sustainability in Practice

Grounded in real school experience, this session will help you move from ambition to action, without adding unnecessary workload or cost.

We will explore

Why schools should take action on climate change and what a good climate action plan looks like
Prioritising actions when time, funding and capacity are limited
Managing energy, carbon and waste reduction in a way that delivers real savings
Funding, grants and external support available to schools and trusts

Take home points

• A clearer understanding of what sustainability looks like for schools

• Practical examples of actions that deliver both environmental and financial benefits

• Confidence to move beyond compliance to meaningful change

This session is for

option One

Smarter Ops: Strategic Moves to Free Up Time, Budget and Brain-space

In this session we explore

Take home points

This session is for

School business leaders who want to improve efficiency, reduce pressure and embed sustainable operational change, whether you are in a maintained school, SAT or MAT

Why Saying NO can Sometimes be Best for Everyone

Schools and trusts often rely on the dedication, problem solving and multi-tasking super powers of their teams, and their willingness to step in and get things done. But too much yes can quietly drain capacity and shift focus away from the work that matters most. Boundaries aren’t barriers; they’re foundations for sustainability. Saying no be seen as unhelpful, but more about protecting quality, time and impact.

This session discusses you how to push back professionally without damaging relationships or standards. We explore what a constructive no sounds like, how to manage expectations at every level and how to recognise when saying yes will cause more problems than it solves. We also look at the guilt and cultural pressure that make refusal particularly hard across school leaders and their teams.

This is a session for leaders who want clearer boundaries, sharper prioritisation and a NO that lands well when it matters.

In this session we explore

• When a NO is the right strategic choice for your school or trust

• How to decline requests constructively and keep relationships positive

• Language for redirecting, reframing and negotiating expectations

• How to reset boundaries where over commitment is already the norm

• Managing the emotional load, guilt and culture around saying no

• Techniques to protect capacity across sites, teams and priorities

Take home points

• Reusable tactics for pushing back without friction

• Clear prompts to know when to say no

• Tools to manage expectations with colleagues, leaders and stakeholders

• Confidence to prioritise strategically and protect time and wellbeing

This session is for

School and trust leaders who want practical, realistic ways to manage competing demands, strengthen boundaries and stay focused on the work that makes the biggest difference.

ICFP: The Magical Marriage of Education and Financial Planning

ICFP is one of the most effective tools for managing rising costs and staffing pressures. With staff making up around 80 percent of school spend, even small shifts in deployment can make a significant difference. This session shows how integrated curriculum and financial planning can improve curriculum design, strengthen staffing decisions and support long term sustainability. It focuses on practical, proactive ways to use ICFP so you can deliver value for money without compromising the offer for pupils.

In this session we explore

How ICFP aligns curriculum ambition with financial reality
Using staffing data, class size and timetable structure to maximise the impact of your team
How SMRA style analysis strengthens ICFP and highlights inefficiencies
Using ICFP for scenario planning and forward budgeting
Presenting ICFP findings to SLT, governors and trustees

Take home points

A clear understanding of how ICFP improves staffing deployment and value for money
Practical steps to build an ICFP model that supports long term planning
Insight into how SMRA aligned metrics reveal risks and opportunities
Tools to turn ICFP outputs into evidence for strategic decision making

This session is for

School business leaders, CFOs, COOs, heads and senior leaders who want to use ICFP to shape curriculum, staffing and financial strategy in a more proactive and sustainable way.

option three

Final Word: Panel Discussion with Q&A

Your chance to share ideas and insight, ask questions and hear what resonates most with your SBL colleagues

As we close the day, this final session brings the whole delegate network together for a focused, expert-led Q&A with a panel of experienced school business leaders from across the schools landscape. It’s a chance to explore the themes that have surfaced across the day, raise questions that didn’t fit elsewhere and hear how peers are tackling and overcoming the pressures in their schools and trusts.

The panel will respond to questions from the floor and from the wider SBL community via social media platforms and our magazine readership. We will discuss the issues that you tell us matter most, offering practical insight, challenge and ideas.

Whether you want to join the conversation or prefer to listen and absorb, this is a valuable opportunity to consolidate learning from the day and leave with clearer thinking, reassurance and ideas you can use immediately.

What to expect

• Honest, experience-led responses from expert SBL panellists

• Questions from delegates on the day’s topics, challenges and real-world scenarios

• Insight into the common themes, sticking points and priorities emerging across the sector

• Space to reflect on how learning from the day translates back into your setting

This session is for

All delegates who want to end the day with practical insight, clearer perspective and a stronger sense of how fellow SBLs are approaching the challenges ahead.

OPTIONAL SESSIONs

OPTIONAL SESSIONS are shorter sessions available to delegates who like to cram their day with more learning and less exhibition and networking time.

There is enough time planned into the day to allow you to comfortably attend optional sessions if you wish – as well as lunch and exhibition.

OPTION one

The Evolving Reality for School Business Leaders

In this session we explore

• What four years of research reveal about the changing reality of the SBL role

• Which pressures have remained consistent, and which demands have intensified over time

• How workload, responsibility and rising expectations are affecting wellbeing

• The impact of expectations from senior leaders, governors, trustees and colleagues

• Where support, networks and practical interventions are making a positive difference

• What schools, trusts and sector leaders need to do next to better support SBLs

Take home points

• A clearer picture of the wellbeing pressures facing SBLs post-pandemic

• Insight into the newer demands shaping the role in 2026

• Greater understanding of the factors driving stress, pressure and overload

• Examples of where support and intervention have made a measurable difference

• Clarity on where action is still most urgently needed

This session is for

Practical SAR Strategies for Schools and Trusts

Subject access requests (SARs) can be time-consuming and complex to manage, especially alongside the many other priorities school business professionals juggle. Increasingly, schools and trusts are also seeing SARs used in strategic or contentious ways linked to complaints or disputes, which increases both workload and risk for school and trust leaders. In this practical session, Shane Williams draws on extensive experience supporting hundreds of schools with SARs and data protection processes. He'll share insights into what's working on the ground, what's changed in recent legislation (including new ICO guidance and cooling-off periods), and how you can develop school-friendly procedures that protect your team, your pupils and your time.

In this session we explore

How to identify and manage complex, excessive or contentious SARs
Key steps to simplify searches, redaction and document review
What cooling off periods and updated ICO guidance mean for your processes
How to handle SARs fairly while protecting pupil safety and staff wellbeing

Take home points

A clear SAR triage and response process for schools and trusts
Practical tools for efficient redaction, search and review
Actions to strengthen your SAR log, record keeping and audit trail.

This session is for

School and trust leaders who Leads, or managers of leads responsible for SARs, complaints, safeguarding or data protection, and need a realistic, defensible approach that keeps pupils safe, supports staff and protects precious time.

instructions to book seminars

​

STEP 1

​

Choosing Your Sessions

​

Step 2

​

Booking Your seminars

​

Seminar TIMETABLE

option one

The Evolving Reality for School Business Leaders

In this session we explore

Take home points

This session is for

Sustainability in Practice

We will explore

Take home points

This session is for

Make Governance More Strategic

In this session we explore

Take home points

This session is for

option two

option three