Tickets available now with free entry for state schools
Sevenoaks School has released tickets for its biennial teaching and learning conference that will be held on 17 October 2025 at the school’s campus in Sevenoaks, Kent. Hosted by Sevenoaks School’s Institute for Teaching and Learning (ITL), the conference has a programme of keynote presentations, talks and informal, practical workshops.
The conference is aimed at teachers and educators in the independent and state sectors locally, nationally and internationally, it offers opportunity for sharing of best practice and networking. As part of Sevenoaks School’s commitment to sharing insight and best teaching practice with the education community, delegates from state schools will be able to attend for free. Tickets for educators in the independent sector are £70.
This year’s event focuses on meaning and purpose, themes that are covered in Innovate VI, the sixth edition of the Institute for Teaching and Learning’s academic journal. The topic is also a continuation from the ITL’s 2023 conference, which explored what it means to flourish in a school context. The theme of purpose and meaning is one of the flourishing domains identified by the Harvard Human Flourishing Program, which Sevenoaks School has been working with in association with Research Schools International since 2020.
Speakers will elaborate on the subject and address topics including:
- How can we integrate purpose-driven learning into standardised curricula?
- How can school cultures nurture intellectual curiosity and learning engagement?
- How can AI be used in a meaningful way?
- How can creativity in the classroom be developed?
- How can teaching and learning practices attend to the needs of neurodiverse students?
- How can older students learn through play?
The conference lineup includes the following speakers, with more to be announced.
Martin Robinson FRSA – Martin’s work derives from the Liberal Arts tradition, where culture and curriculum meet to provide an education for the common good and individual growth. He is author of Curriculum Revolutions: A practical guide to enhancing what you teach Curriculum: Athena vs the Machine, Trivium 21c: Preparing young people for the future with lessons from the past and Trivium in Practice.
Bradley Busch – Bradley is a Chartered Psychologist and Director at InnerDrive. He is one of the world’s leading experts at how schools can translate cognitive psychology research to improve learning. Outside of education, he has worked with Premier League footballers as well as with Olympians and Paralympians.
Claire Badger – Head of Teacher Professional Development at InnerDrive, Claire is the co-author of ‘Creativity for teachers: a cognitive science approach’ and also a Founding Fellow of the Chartered College of Teaching, which she represents on the ISC Digital Strategy Group.
Dr Victoria Cook – Victoria is Lead Researcher at the Chartered College of Teaching. In collaboration with colleagues at IOE, UCL’s Faculty of Education and Society, Victoria is currently managing the scoping phase of an EEF-funded project on the impact of offsite Planning, Preparation and Assessment (PPA) on teacher retention. She is a trained geography teacher and her research interests include cultural literacy and technology-mediated dialogue.
Mark Beverley, Director of Teaching and Learning at Sevenoaks School, says: “Meaning and purpose are common in a number of frameworks that describe human flourishing and wellbeing. Our own research shows that as our students mature and progress through their school years, there is a decline in the notions of meaning, purpose and a sense of wonder. The main reasons pertain to increasing pressure associated with examinations and applying to university. We are inviting educators to examine how schools can counter this trend and use self-reflection, goal-setting and extra-curricular activities to bring meaning back for these students.
“We are thrilled to welcome this line up of speakers. We hope that attendees will be able to gain great insight and leave the conference feeling inspired to adopt new practices into their own teaching.”
Visit https://www.sevenoaksschool.org/ for more information and to reserve tickets today.
