People Power Conference: From Attraction to Retention in School Trusts

Recruitment challenges, retention pressures and rising staff expectations are forcing trusts to rethink their people strategy.

Edurio’s People Power Conference returns for its fourth year, bringing together HR and trust leaders to explore what’s really driving staff attraction, engagement, development and retention, and what to do about it.

Tuesday 30th June, 9:30 am - 2 pm

This virtual conference combines national data with practical solutions to help school trusts strengthen their workforce strategy. 

Across four focused sessions, you’ll hear the latest insights alongside real examples from trusts leading the way, showing how staff voice can be turned into meaningful action at every stage of the employee lifecycle.

Why you should attend:

  • Understand what’s really driving staff attraction, engagement and retention in schools today
  • Learn how leading trusts are turning staff feedback into meaningful action
  • Gain practical strategies you can apply immediately across the employee lifecycle
  • Hear real examples from trusts tackling workforce challenges successfully
  • Leave with clear, actionable ideas to strengthen your trust’s people strategy

The sessions

Session 1

9.30 am – 10.25 am – Attracting Staff: What’s Really Driving Candidate Decisions?

Speakers: Clair Jenkins from Greenheart Learning Partnership and Iona Kelliher and Ben Haslewood from Edurio

 In a competitive recruitment market, assumptions about what attracts staff often miss the mark. This session explores what teachers and support staff actually prioritise when choosing a role, from workload and flexibility to culture and leadership. Learn how leading trusts are using staff insight to shape a compelling employer offer and stand out in a crowded market.

 

Session 2

10.30 am – 11.25 am – Engaging Staff: How Feedback Turns into Real Change

Speakers: Jennifer Brimming and Lisa Thomas from Ted Wragg Trust and Iona Kelliher and Imanta Nigals from Edurio

Too often, staff surveys collect dust rather than drive change. This session focuses on how high-performing trusts are closing the feedback loop, turning staff voice into visible, meaningful action. Hear how leaders build trust by not just listening, but acting, and how this directly impacts engagement and morale.

 

 

Session 3

12.00 pm – 12.55 pm – Developing Staff: What’s Really Driving Career Progression?

Speakers: Mandy Coalter from Talent Architects, Catherine Hydon from Advance Learning Partnership and Ben Haslewood and Imanta Nigals from Edurio

Lack of progression is one of the biggest drivers of staff leaving schools. This session explores how trusts are rethinking career development, from clearer pathways to meaningful CPD and internal mobility. Discover how to create progression opportunities that staff recognise, value, and stay for.

 

Session 4

1 pm – 2 pm – Staff Belonging and Retention: What’s Really Driving Your Workforce?

Speakers: Hannah Wilson from Belonging Effect, Sufian Sadiq from Chiltern Learning Trust and Ben Haslewood and Iona Kelliher from Edurio

Retention isn’t just about workload; it’s about whether staff feel they belong. This session explores the deeper drivers of retention, from belonging and wellbeing to trust in leadership. Learn how leading trusts are identifying hidden risks and building environments where staff choose to stay.

 

Access the previous webinar recordings

 

 

Speakers:

Catherine-Hydon

Catherine Hydon

Director of the ALP Institute of Teaching, Leadership and Research

Catherine is Director of the ALP Institute of Teaching, Leadership and Research, leading professional learning opportunities that support staff development, collaboration and evidence-informed practice both within and beyond the Trust. She also facilitates the NPQ in Leading Teaching, working with colleagues across the North East to strengthen teaching, leadership and school improvement.

Clair Jenkins

Clair Jenkins

Director of People at Greenheart Learning Partnership

Clair leads a team of HR qualified professionals and is an experienced leader with 25 years of experience working in the education sector.

With extensive experience of working with challenging schools, her knowledge of leadership and pedagogy enables her to understand the challenges faced by colleagues and support sustainable solutions.

Lisa Thomas

Lisa Thomas

Director of People at Ted Wragg Trust

Lisa has led the development of the trust’s People Strategy, bringing together everything they do to attract, develop and retain great people. From launching the Great People Management programme to embedding a coaching-style approach to appraisal, her focus has been on building a culture that is ambitious and supportive.

Mandy Coalter

Mandy Coalter

Author and Founder at Talent Architects

Mandy Coalter is the founder of Talent Architects – an organisation helping schools to become great places to work.

She is also an author, coach, mentor, change agent, and Trustee, as well as the former Director of People at United Learning.

Sufian Sadiq

Chief Talent & Transformation Officer at Chiltern Learning Trust

Sufian Sadiq is the Director of Talent and Teaching School at Chiltern Learning Trust, with responsibility for overseeing two regional hub areas in the south east of England and four regional SCITT provisions.

He is a passionate activist within the educational landscape around race, equity and inclusion.

Hannah Wilson

Hannah Wilson

Founder and Director of the Belonging Effect

Hannah Wilson is the founder and director of the Belonging Effect, and she works full-time as an independent leadership development consultant, coach and trainer with a specialism in DEI.

Hannah has been coaching and mentoring existing and aspiring leaders in education for more than a decade.

Jennifer Brimming

Jennifer Brimming

Secondary Headteacher at Ted Wragg Trust

Jennifer Brimming is the Principal at Marine Academy Plymouth, which is part of the Ted Wragg Trust.

Iona Kelliher

Iona Kelliher

Managing Director at Edurio

Iona leads on turning Edurio’s national datasets into useful and impactful insights for trust and school leaders. Since joining Edurio in 2021, Iona has worked on national reports focused on topics such as equality, diversity and inclusion and staff retention.

Ben Haslewood

Ben Haslewood

Insights Lead at Edurio

Ben’s research provides national-level insights on key topics such as staff retention, pupil behaviour, and trust culture. Collaborating with industry experts, his work helps guide policy and practice across the sector. Ben’s past experience in Local Councils and Private Education Settings deepens his understanding of current and future challenges.

Imanta Nigals

Customer Experience Lead at Edurio

Imanta works with the Customer Experience team to build meaningful resources for the Edurio Community around effective stakeholder feedback.

She has developed and implemented guidebooks, seminars and other resources tailored to the needs of customers looking to get the most out of their survey data.

Subscribe to the Edurio YouTube channel for easy access to on-demand webinars, research insights and conversations with education leaders — practical resources to support your work, whenever you need them.

 

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