GSA Conference for Heads 2021

Optional Sessions at GSA Annual Conference - Sunday 21 November - Monday 22 November 2021

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Sunday 21 November 2021

Please tick all those events you are likely to attend:

4-5pm - Meeting of GSA Boarding Heads
Open to all GSA Boarding Heads
5-6pm - TPS discussion
Open to all GSA Members
6.30-7.30pm - Wine tasting
Open to all delegates

Monday 22 November - Yoga Session, 7.00 - 7.30am

Join our early morning 30 minute yoga session for a relaxing start to the day

7am Yoga session

Monday 22 November - Interactive Seminars, 2.30pm and 3.45pm

Seminar 1 - 2.30 - 3.15pm

Please select one session

Staying connected to what matters most
Vivienne Grant, Director & Executive Coach, Integrity Coaching
The session will offer Headteachers the space and time to reflect on ‘What Matters Most in School Leadership’. The session will consider what it means to ‘Take care of the person in the role’ and actively meet the emotional, mental, and vocational needs of school leaders. This interactive workshop will demonstrate how coaching has the power to help school leaders: increase their levels of emotional resilience, maintain a deep connection with their core values and ability to make decisions that are more aligned to who they are and who they want to be, heighten their levels of self-awareness, self-management and their ability to cope more effectively with the stresses of the role, maximise feelings of professional satisfaction and fulfilment, find ways for re-discovering their joy and passion for the profession.
From incident to inquest - lessons learnt from a school tragedy
Jessica Miles, Head Monmouth School for Girls
Following the tragic loss of a year 13 student in February 2019, Jess will give an honest and open account of how her school community dealt with a heart-breaking situation, focussing on the events that preceded the tragedy, the impact on the community, the journey towards an inquest, and the lessons that were learnt along the way.
Supporting trans & non-binary students
Dr Clara Barker, Manager for CfAS, Dean for E&D, Oxford University and Linacre College
Finn Grice, Company Director, Rose Diversity Training
Chaired by Heidi Jane-Boyes, Head, Wakefield Girls’ High School
University of Oxford’s LGBTQ+ Advisory Group Chair, Dr Clara Barker, shares a wealth of knowledge gained from discussions with young trans and non-binary students in schools and youth groups, and Rose Diversity Training’s workplace consultant and trans & non-binary advocate, Finn Grice, discusses some of the steps schools can take to support students and staff.
Sustaining leadership, looking to the future, and opportunities beyond headship
Mary Breen, Schools Adviser, Farrer & Co
'One can be a head in the same school for 20 years, as long as you are a different kind of head every 5.' Whether a new leader, on a second or third headship, contemplating a move, long standing in the same school, or considering life after headship - how you sustain your leadership will always be key. This session explores the various stages of headship, focussing on how you make decisions for yourself (rather than everyone else, including your school), what it feels like when you are leaving and have left a school, and how you might look to the future. There is a life after headship - a really good one - and this session will explore the various opportunities there will be beyond headship, with some reflections and anecdotes from Mary which she hopes that heads in any phase of their career will enjoy.
The ‘M’ word - managing the impact of the menopause in your school
Nicky Bright, Founder, Bright Lead Ltd
Everyone knows someone who is going through the menopause transition or who is perimenopausal. Women over the age of 50 are the fastest growing demographic in the workforce (ONS 2018) and the average age for the menopause transition is 51. As more women go through the menopause during their working lives therefore, it’s vital that employers encourage open discussions to ensure the right support is in place to fulfil their moral and legal duties to their staff. The recruitment and retention issues facing education make this an even more important issue to consider properly.
Everyone shines given the right lighting: creating an inclusive culture within your school
Helen Semple and Claire Harvey, Founders, Schools’ Inclusion Alliance
In this interactive session we combine world leading behavioural and organisational psychology with change management expertise and deep school knowledge to explore the importance of embedding inclusion into the core of your school culture. We look at why it is hard to achieve and ways to mitigate those pitfalls as well as provide tangible ways to improve your practices, behaviours, and cultural norms; creating an environment where all can thrive and therefore performance and outcomes are maximised.

Seminar 2 - 3.45 - 4.30pm

Please select one session (see above for session descriptions)

Staying connected to what matters most
Vivienne Grant, Director & Executive Coach, Integrity Coaching
From incident to inquest - lessons learnt from a school tragedy
Jessica Miles, Head Monmouth School for Girls
Supporting trans & non-binary Students
Dr Clara Barker, Manager for CfAS, Dean for E&D, Oxford University and Linacre College
Finn Grice, Company Director, Rose Diversity Training
Chaired by Heidi Jane-Boyes, Head, Wakefield Girls’ High School
Sustaining leadership, looking to the future, and opportunities beyond headship
Mary Breen, Schools Adviser, Farrer & Co
The ‘M’ word - managing the impact of the menopause in your school
Nicky Bright, Founder, Bright Lead Ltd
Everyone shines given the right lighting: creating an inclusive culture within your school
Helen Semple and Claire Harvey, Founders, Schools’ Inclusion Alliance

Monday 22 November - Conference Service

Conference Service – St Ann’s, Manchester

Our conference service will provide an opportunity for reflection and to enjoy beautiful music from the Benenden Chapel Choir. St Ann's Church is a 10 minute walk from the hotel - an opportunity to stretch your legs after a full day of conference sessions, and to pass through the Manchester Christmas Markets.

5.15pm Conference Service – St Ann’s, Manchester

To assist us with planning please could you complete the form below to indicate which sessions you are likely to attend:

Optional Sessions at GSA Annual Conference - Sunday 21 November - Monday 22 November 2021

Sunday 21 November 2021

Monday 22 November - Yoga Session, 7.00 - 7.30am

Monday 22 November - Interactive Seminars, 2.30pm and 3.45pm

Monday 22 November - Conference Service

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