Third Festival of Learning celebrates professional learning, collaboration and innovation

The event created a real buzz throughout the day, bringing staff together to share practice, explore new ideas and celebrate the power of professional learning.

At the heart of the festival was a clear message: staff professional learning is the backbone of learner achievement. When practitioners are given the time and space to reflect, collaborate and learn from one another, the impact is felt directly by learners through stronger teaching, more inclusive support and richer learning experiences.

This year’s programme offered a wide variety of workshops, reflecting both the breadth of expertise across the service and the changing needs of learners. Sessions included Knife Crime, Empowering Independence: Rethinking ‘Support’ in post-compulsory education, Co-Pilot, Neurographic Art, ADHD, Inclusion, and Motivating Learners: Asking the Right Questions.

A key strength of the day was that the majority of workshops were delivered by our own practitioners. This epitomised the purpose of the Festival of Learning: to recognise the expertise already within our teams and to create meaningful opportunities to learn with and from one another.

The day concluded with an inspiring keynote from Al Kingsley MBE, who focused on AI as a catalyst for education reform in ways we might not expect. His keynote encouraged colleagues to think deeply about the role of artificial intelligence in education, while keeping people, relationships and learning at the centre of future development.

Gav Knox, InspireU Senior Lead for Quality and Curriculum and organiser of the Festival, said: “The third Festival of Learning was a huge success. There was a real energy and buzz throughout the day, and it was fantastic to see colleagues engaging so positively with professional learning. A huge thank you must go to all of our facilitators, who gave their time, expertise and passion to inspire others. The festival is a reminder that when we invest in our staff, we invest in our learners and that shared professional learning is central to improving outcomes for every learner.”