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Curriculum Conference 2025
When
Thursday, 13 March 10:00am - 5:00pmWhere
No 11 Cavendish Square, LondonPrice
From £173.96 for BESA MembersUnderstand the implications of the government’s Curriculum & Assessment Review and equip your company to meet the needs of educators and learners in 2025.
BESA’s must-attend Curriculum Conference will keep you informed of the latest changes to education and the implications for both schools and your business. The focus will be on the highly anticipated findings of the Curriculum and Assessment Review, set to be published this year. Gain exclusive insights into the timeline and understand potential changes that could redefine the educational landscape.
The agenda for this event will cover a range of critical and forward-thinking topics, including:
Workplace Readiness: Equipping pupils with the skills they need to thrive in the modern workforce.
AI in Curriculum Development: Exploring the use and application of AI in creating curriculum resources, with a focus on identifying and addressing biases.
Oracy: Highlighting the importance of developing students’ spoken language skills and its role in education.
Key Themes from the Curriculum Review: A deep dive into emerging trends and priorities from the anticipated review findings.
Future of Assessment Panel: Discussing formative assessments, continuous improvement, and the evolving landscape of student evaluation.
Agenda
10:00am
Registration and refreshments
10:25am
Welcome from the Chair
Dawn Hallybone, Chief Strategy Officer, 2Simple
10:30am
Key Themes from the Curriculum Review – A deep dive into emerging trends and priorities from the anticipated review findings.
Professor Dominic Wyse, Professor of Early Childhood and Primary Education, Institute of Education (IOE), University College London (UCL)
11:15am
Embedding Oracy in the Curriculum
Louisa Reeves, Director of Policy and Evidence, Speech and Language UK
The Labour Government have made the introduction of Oracy into the curriculum one of their landmark education policies prior to the election. In this session, BESA will hear from the Director of Policy and Evidence at Speech & Language UK on how Oracy should be included as part of a broader curriculum rather than as a standalone subject.
12:00pm
Workplace Readiness
Tom Ravenscroft, Founder & CEO, Skills Builder Partnership
Join Tom Ravenscroft, founder of Skills Builder Partnership, as he explores the transformative power of integrating enterprise skills into the core of education. Drawing on his experience as a teacher and entrepreneur, Tom addresses the disconnect between traditional education and the modern workforce. Discover how his innovative Skills Builder framework equips students with essential skills like creativity, teamwork, and resilience, and how these can be taught, measured, and embedded into any curriculum. Learn how his work with schools, teachers, and businesses is redefining “soft skills” as essential for all learners, ensuring every young person is prepared to thrive in the 21st-century world of work.
12:35pm
Lunch
1:20pm
Reducing the impact of high-stakes assessment
Chair: Eylan Ezekiel, Head of Hamilton Brookes, Principal – Ezekiel Consultants
Panel:
– Kate Bailey, Managing Director, Cambridge CEM
– Sir Mark Grundy, Chief Executive Officer, Shireland Collegiate Academies Trust
– Mark House, Senior Product Manager, RM Assessment
– Adam Steedman Thake, Policy and Evidence Manager, AQA
England has one of the most demanding assessment regimes in the world, at KS4, students can expect to do over 33 exams in the final months of their school period. Does it need to be this way? There is an increasing school of thought that our current assessment regime is outdated, and ineffective at providing targeted support for young people. This panel will look at how more continuous, formative assessments could be used to reduce the burden of high-stakes assessments on students whilst providing teachers with actionable insights on student performance so that assessment can be used to make timely, purposeful interventions.
2:20pm
AI in Curriculum Development
Patrick Stribley, Director Data Science & Analytics, Enterprise Learning & Skills, Pearson
This session explores the future role of AI in curriculum development, presented by an experienced professional in AI and computer science. The discussion will cover key opportunities and challenges of integrating AI into curriculum products, drawing on technical insights and practical knowledge of ‘what works.’ Topics will include understanding and addressing issues such as ‘bias’ in AI, examining what ‘bias’ means in this context and whether it can be mitigated.
2:55pm
Refreshments
3:10pm
Design and Delivery: Successful Curriculum Implementation
Chair: Emma Bourne, Managing Director, Macmillan Education
Panel:
– Sarah Baber, Chief Executive Officer, Great Learners Trust
– Paul Cherry, Director, Policy, Partnerships and UK Sales, Hachette Learning
– Tony Staneff, Founder, White Rose Education
With a major update to the national curriculum on the horizon, what does it take to navigate these changes effectively, from development to classroom practice? This panel brings together publishers and educators to reflect on lessons learned from past curriculum updates and explore how publishers can support teachers in managing the workload challenges associated with such transitions.
3:55pm
Curriculum change and the global landscape – reflections on the past, observing the present and preparing for the future.
Chair: Christine Major, Founder of MajorEd & former Chair BESA
Panel:
– Dr Fiona Rogers, Deputy CEO, COBIS
– Stéphan Vincent-Lancrin, Acting Head, OECD Centre for Educational Research and Innovation (CERI)
– Thea Wiltshire, EdTech, Schools, Early Years, and SEND Specialist, Department for Business and Trade
It might be ‘all change’ for curriculum in the UK, but what does this mean for our international schools and will the new UK requirements correlate with global curriculum themes? We’ll explore these questions and consider the opportunities/challenges presented by curriculum change when working internationally. We’ll hear from international school organisations and countrywide reform leaders as we uncover key shifts and trends that have shaped the international curriculum market in recent years and consider what to anticipate in the near future.
4:40pm
Closing remarks
“A really informative day and so valuable in terms of keeping your eye on the education ball!”
Jo Gibbins, Crick Software Ltd
“The speakers were well selected and spoke on pertinent topics in insightful, engaging and memorable ways.”
Aaron Gaff, Discovery Education
If you aren’t a BESA member we please ask that you ensure you book the tickets that are indicated for Non-Members – otherwise your ticket will be refunded.
BESA will not be offering refunds for this event. It is possible to transfer your ticket to a colleague at any point from the time of booking to 7 working days before the event.
To ask any questions, please email eventsteam@besa.org.uk.
We would like to thank Cambridge University Press & Assessment for their support as a Future of Assessment Thought Leader Sponsor
Speakers
Professor Dominic Wyse, Professor of Early Childhood and Primary Education. Institute of Education (IOE), University College London (UCL)
Dominic has made a leading contribution to primary and early childhood education, curriculum and pedagogy for more than 25 years. His curriculum research includes a focus on children’s agency in national curricula. The book ‘Children’s Agency in the National Curriculum’ (Yana Manyukhina & Dominic Wyse), that is an outcome of their research study funded by The Leverhulme Trust, will be published by Routledge in June 2025. Dominic’s research includes a sustained contribution to effective teaching of reading and writing particularly with primary age children. ‘The Balancing Act Initiative’ has attracted unprecedented attention nationally and internationally including by teachers, researchers and policy makers in Australia, England, Canada, China, New Zealand, the USA, Wales and by the European Commission.
Louisa Reeves, Director of Policy and Evidence, Speech and Language UK
Louisa Reeves is Director of Policy and Evidence at Speech and Language UK (formerly I CAN). Louisa is a speech and language therapist with 30 years of experience of working to support children and young people with speech and language challenges. She has been involved in a number of large scale projects developing and evaluating tools and programmes for early years settings and schools and is responsible for the evaluation of the outcomes and impact of all the charity’s project and development work. She also leads on Speech and Language UKs policy work including developing and implementing the charity’s strategies to influence key decision makers and our Public Affairs work. She has done a variety of media work including live interviews and broadcasts.
Tom Ravenscroft, Founder & CEO, Skills Builder Partnership
Tom started his career as a Teach First teacher in East London in 2007 after graduating from the University of Oxford. He founded the Skills Builder Partnership in 2009 with the mission to ensure that one day, everyone builds the essential skills to thrive. Since then, the Partnership has grown to more than 950 education institutions, employers and impact organisations reaching 1.8 million individuals in 2024. The model is now being replicated in more than twenty countries and Tom has been recognised as a leading social entrepreneur by being elected an Ashoka Fellow.
Eylan Ezekiel, Head of Hamilton Brookes, Principal – Ezekiel Consultants
Eylan Ezekiel is an edtech leader, with extensive experience in product development, publishing strategy, and partnerships. He has worked with organisations such as Oxford University Press, Arts Council England and Pearson: driving projects that enhance teaching and learning across the UK. Known for his expertise in product development, digital publishing, and team management, Eylan is committed to supporting educators with high-quality, impactful resources. With a strong focus on collaboration and strategic vision, he has successfully led initiatives that connects organisations to empowered teachers, to improve outcomes for learners at scale.
Kate Bailey, Managing Director, Cambridge CEM
Kate has worked at Cambridge CEM for nearly 30 years. Her various roles in the business have brought her into almost constant contact with teachers and educational professionals. Kate is passionate about insight assessments helping schools understand students’ needs, unlocking their potential and increasing the value a school can add to their students’ lives.
Sir Mark Grundy, Chief Executive Officer, Shireland Collegiate Academy Trust
Sir Mark Grundy has been the CEO of Shireland Collegiate Academy Trust since 2007, after previously serving as the Principal of Shireland Collegiate Academy, the Trust’s founding school. He has also held the position of Executive Principal at both Shireland Collegiate Academy and George Salter Collegiate Academy. Sir Mark has had a distinguished career in education and has been recognised with several prestigious awards and achievements. His career has included serving as an advisor to the West Midlands Regional Schools Commissioner from 2012 to 2022, and being knighted in 2006 for his contributions to education and technology. He was also awarded an honorary Doctorate from Birmingham City University in 2022. Sir Mark gained his Masters qualification from Loughborough University.
Mark House, Senior Product Manager, RM Assessment
SiAfter over 20 years at the Chalkface, I have spent the past 10 working with Education Software including stints overseeing RM Integris and RM Unify (GLOW).
For the past 4 years I have become fully engrossed in the world of Assessment, taking a particular interest in holistic approaches using Adaptive Comparative Judgement.
Things that currently interest me:
– How do we measure what we treasure?
– How is what we ‘treasure’ changing in an AI world?
– How might we use AI to slow down?
Adam Steedman, Policy and Evidence Manager, AQA
Adam Steedman Thake is the Policy and Evidence Manager at AQA, where he leads the development of evidence-based policy. He has a decade of experience working in education and began his career as a primary school teacher in Tottenham. He then moved into the Civil Service and worked in policy and strategy roles across the Department for Education and the Ministry of Justice. Adam has an MSc in Social Research from Birkbeck College, University of London and an MA in History from the University of Manchester.
Patrick Stribley, Director Data Science & Analytics, Enterprise Learning & Skills, Pearson
I am an experienced Data Science and Data Analytics leader who has worked in a range of industries. In particular I am personally interested in applying modelling techniques and modern technologies to explore practical business problems and improve processes. Pearson is a company committed to helping everyone to achieve their goals through learning. Through my work in the Enterprise Learning and Skills division I have developed teams and delivered complex projects while navigating the changing landscape of AI.
Emma Bourne, Managing Director, Macmillan Education
Emma Bourne is the Managing Director of Macmillan Education, a division of Springer Nature, one of the world’s leading publishers in research, education, and professional development. Macmillan Education supports learning from pre-primary to adult education and business professionals, offering high-quality resources for teachers and students alike.
With over three decades of experience in international educational publishing, Emma brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to the field. Before joining Macmillan, she held various leadership roles in both English Language Teaching (ELT) and Curriculum Publishing. Emma is passionate about teaching and learning, and as a certified coach, she is dedicated to enhancing and sharing her knowledge through her role.
Paul Cherry, Director, Policy and UK Sales, Hachette Learning
Paul is Director for Policy and UK Sales at Hachette Learning working across the UK’s policy landscape to develop partnerships that inform our Product plans. He leads the UK Sales teams across Primary, Secondary/FE and Assessment. Paul was previously the Publishing Director for UK Curriculum, leading the team responsible for developing resources for teachers and learners across UK schools and colleges. Hachette Learning is one of the largest educational publishers in the UK and publishes across a wider range of subjects, courses and services than any other leading UK education publisher, including assessment and professional development.
Paul has spent over 30 years working in journals and educational publishing, firstly at The Royal Society, then Collins Education, with a brief freelance spell. He joined Hodder Education in 2008. Paul sits on the Board of the Educational Publishers Council. He is also a school governor at a secondary school in east London.
Christine Major, Founder of MajorEd & former Chair BESA
From teacher to senior EdTech exec with over 25 years’ experience working with start-ups through to global Corps. I have cultivated partnerships with education stakeholders at all levels from Presidential Council members and MoEs through to B2B partners and classroom teachers alike, working closely to create and deliver groundbreaking EdTech+ and professional development solutions that support their strategic goals. I started out as a primary teacher in London with a belief for this emerging thing called EdTech and the opportunities to reach students in a way that had never been done before. From humble UK start-up to global Corps scale-up, I’ve supported 100,000s of educators in their successful introduction of media and technology into the classroom with recommendations of 98% from over 350,000 teachers in a 3-year period alone. I’ve served as the peer elected Chair of BESA, I am a Trustee of TfL’s London Transport Museum and I’ve been called upon as a ‘voice for the industry’ with the pleasure of representing UK EdTech on stages from Camden to Calgary and Birmingham to Beijing.
Dr Fiona Rogers, Deputy CEO, COBIS
As Deputy CEO and Director of Professional Development and Research with COBIS, Fiona is responsible for the planning and management of all COBIS conferences and professional development events, and for COBIS’ research projects. After completing her doctoral studies in Historical Musicology in Oxford, Fiona worked with COBIS for three years from 2007. She returned to COBIS in September 2013, was appointed as Director of Professional Development & Research in 2016, and took on the role of Deputy CEO in 2018.
Thea Wiltshire, EdTech, Schools, Early Years, and SEND Specialist, Department for Business and Trade
Thea Wiltshire is the EdTech, Schools, Early Years and SEND Specialist at the Department for Business and Trade. Having studied at the University of Oxford and University College London, Thea has worked in the education sector for nearly a decade. Before moving into the public sector, she worked as an independent schools consultant, helping families and students from overseas navigate the UK school system before moving into the EdTech space. Working in high-growth companies servicing schools, higher education institutions, and workplace upskilling, Thea worked on partnership development, curriculum development, and educational program planning in the UK, USA, North Africa, and the Middle East. Personally, she brings a desire to champion educational innovation and a commitment to amplifying the excellence of the UK’s educational offering.
