The 59th annual Society of Heads’ conference took place last week (4th - 6th March) at Whittlebury, near Silverstone, with Chair Lynne Horner addressing colleagues on the importance of New Horizons in education.
Lynne, Principal of Westholme School in Blackburn, spoke with passion about the duties placed on Heads in challenging times to remember the central importance of inspiring children to be the best versions of themselves possible. She echoed the thoughts of Barrack Obama by saying that we should not allow schools to settle for the status quo and thus be second best when the futures of children are at stake.
She went on to remind assembled Heads of their great responsibility, saying ‘that all school leaders regardless of educational sector and circumstance have the privilege of shaping the lives of young people by providing them with strong foundations and experiences that will help them grow’. She concluded with the exhortation ‘We are the captains of the ship, we set the course, we keep moving forward to new horizons even when the weather is stormy and the sea is choppy.’
The conference began with Dame Alison Peacock talking about evidence-informed leardership of curriculum design, followed by an inspiring LGBT inclusion session by Sidonie Bertrand-Shelton of Stonewall Education. Other amazing keynote speakers were Laura Kearney of Osiris Educational and Jez Rose, a truly inspiring broadcaster and award-winning author who spoke about New Horizons in Leadership. Delegates also took part in a variety of seminar sessions and the conference closed with a musical performance by students from Westholme School, and The Society of Heads Annual Dinner, when Kate Richardson-Walsh OBE gave the after-dinner speech.