Date: Tuesday 2nd September 2025
Time: 9am - 4pm
Venue: Online
Attendees: All Education staff
Questions: info@libertytrust.org.uk

Click here to book your space now!

Emeritus Professor Des Hewitt

Emeritus Professor Des Hewitt is a Member for Liberty Academy Trust and was previously Head of Primary and Early Years Teacher Education at the University of Warwick. Des has vast experience and knowledge in Education including the following:

• Over 25 years’ teaching experience in Schools and Universities
• Recognised for his National and international profile in teacher Education
• Awarded a National Teaching Fellowship by the Higher Education Academy
• Advised UK government organisations in developing English and reading for University ITT providers
• Sat on a steering group in the Department for Children, Schools and Families, evaluating the impact of training for inclusion in teacher education

Margaret Mulholland

Margaret is a Member for Liberty Academy Trust and advisor on SEND policy for the Association of School and College Leaders and Whole School SEND Project Director leading an evaluation for the Education Endowment Foundation. Margaret has substantial experience and expertise including the following:

• Over 20 years’ experience in ITT innovation and practice
• Previous Director of Development and Research at a leading Special School
• 13 years working at the Institute of Education
• Sits on the Universities Council for the Education of Teachers
• An Advisor to the UK Government on ITT curriculum development
• Writes a column on research and inclusivity for the Times Educational Supplement (TES)

 

Dr Nicola Crossley

Dr Nicola Crossley is the current CEO for Liberty Academy Trust. Her specialist interest areas are Autism and Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH). Nic has varied experience and knowledge including the following:

• Over 25 years’ experience in Education which spans Primary, Secondary, Mainstream and Specialist Provision
• Council member for ASCL (Association of School and College Leaders) as the national SEND representative
• Member of the ASCL Ethics, Inclusion and Equalities Committee
• Founding Chair of the Women Leaders’ Network. 
• An Honorary Teaching Fellow at the Centre for Teacher Education, University of Warwick
• Co-author of Inclusion: A Principled Guide for School Leaders
• Nic is also co-author of new book – Inclusion: A Principled Guide for Early Career Teachers
• A member of the Policy Advisory Committee for CST

 

Dan Bunker 
Trauma informed practice in the classroom

Overview: An exploration of how adverse childhood experiences can affect a child's ability to engage in learning and how we as practitioners can help overcome those barriers.

 

Liz Wood
“If I can Do It…” 

Overview: The world is becoming an increasingly digital place, in education we are being encouraged to embrace tech and the opportunities that it brings.  

But…  

What if I was born before the internet? 
What if I have never been taught how to use a computer? 
What if I’m a tech dinosaur? 
What if I just don’t have the time or the headspace to learn more new stuff?  

Join me for a personal reflection and hopefully some practical support suggestions for getting your head (and fingers) around emerging technology in the classroom.  

 

Lisa Saunders 
Managing your well-being, working smarter not harder

Overview: The session is designed to help you manage your wellbeing within the workplace whilst remaining effective in your role. Understanding the importance of your effective, smart working will help you reduce your workload and support a positive well-being. 

With targeted tips & techniques to work smarter and using tools at your disposal to guide you, you can efficiently manage your workload and stress levels whilst delivering the optimum in terms of productivity. 

Guidance offered throughout the session will validate the importance of communication and teamwork, whilst gaining the essential personal knowledge of understanding fully your work personality and attributes. This session will support you to be the very best version of yourself in work; achieving goals set and building positive relationships’.

 

Anastasios Kofonikolas, Mukta Lale and Celeste Faragher
The Effectiveness of Teacher-Therapist Collaboration: A Case Study

Overview: This presentation emphasises the significance and efficacy of the collaboration between teachers and therapists in a special school setting. Key elements for effective practice will be introduced through a case study. Reflective perspectives from both disciplines, teachers and therapists, will be presented, along with top tips for a successful collaboration.

Jo Galloway and Dr Megan Dixon
Start with the end in mind: developing a curriculum where autistic learners thrive

Background: Liberty Academy Trust (LAT) is a multi-academy trust in England, consisting of three specialist schools for Autistic students. These students often have experienced challenges in mainstream schools and typically have poor outcomes in assessments, limiting their future opportunities. The study aims to design a curriculum that helps these students thrive and achieve equity with their mainstream peers.

Research Aims:

• Primary: Design a curriculum that re-engages students with education and helps them achieve.
• Increased staff capacity and confidence in curriculum design and implementation.
• Greater engagement and ownership of the curriculum by staff, parents, and carers.
• Improved student outcomes in examinations and a broader range of assessments.
• Positive feedback from students on the curriculum's support for their goals.

Methods:

• An iterative action research study including qualitative and quantitative data collected over two years, involving three schools, the trust leadership team, and an education consultant.

Conclusions: The study outlines a co-constructed process for curriculum development. The findings of which are useful to support further curriculum development within our own Trust and in other schools and Trusts. 

Preliminary results suggest that a well-designed curriculum, empowers staff and when focused on the needs of the child, can help students re-engage with education and achieve success.

Lucy Davies - Duke of Edinburgh and its positive influences on students' next steps post 16

Overview: We will explore how the Duke of Edinburgh Award (DofE) has positively influenced many of our students' career choices, boosted their confidence, and enhanced their life skills. Additionally, we will share a specific example of a student whose college plans changed and how the DofE program supported her during that transition. 

 

 

Rick Renton - Visual Stress 

Visual Stress/ Irlen Syndrome is a brain processing disorder that affects around 1 in 7 of the general population. The figure is significantly higher for autistic people.

The objectives of the workshop are:

• To understand the characteristics of the disorder.
• To select visual stress strategies to deploy.

Alongside generalised information about visual stress, this workshop will also include a quiz, and two interactive activities involving reading distorted text and applying colour overlays.