CPD Accreditation Among New Developments For The Inspiring Leadership Conference

Historically attended by no less than 1000 senior leaders from the world of education, the twelfth Inspiring Leadership Conference will be held at the ICC in Birmingham on 4 and 5 June.  

Supported by the teachers union, NAHT, as well as headline sponsor ‘Show-Me’, this year’s conference looks set to be as popular as ever with five new developments announced for the event alongside a conference programme which includes keynotes, workshops, an exhibition, the Schools Week ‘Meet the Leader’ theatre and the Inspiring Leadership Gala Dinner.

With a focus on leadership development as well as education and school development, arguably the most significant development this year is that the entire conference will be CPD accredited giving delegates the opportunity to earn CPD credits for keynotes, workshops and networking sessions. “We’re delighted to confirm that we have partnered with The CPD Group to deliver CPD accreditation,” explains Georgie Butler of Inspiring Leadership “This will deliver added value for our delegates who will now get official and professional recognition for embracing the learning opportunities that the conference presents.”

The Inspiring Leadership team has also announced four other initiatives for the 2026 conference which aim to further develop the conference’s networking and ESG credentials:

A New Inspiring Leadership Gala Dinner Venue

The team is pleased to announced it has secured Birmingham Library as the new venue for the 2026 Inspiring Leadership Gala Dinner (4 June), enabling attendees to be able to enjoy unique evening access to the library’s roof top terrace with its stunning views over the city. As one of the highlights of the conference, the dinner will see education professionals come together to enjoy a night of fine dining, live entertainment and relaxed networking with tickets for this year’s dinner already 50% sold out!

Celebrate the end of year with colleagues

“Today’s educational leaders face as many challenges as ever and this conference continues to give them an essential opportunity to recharge, learn and connect with others in the educational sector.”

Paul Whiteman, NAHT General Secretary

A new ‘Visitor Passport’

2026 will see the introduction of a new ‘visitor passport’ to reward delegates for making connections and visiting exhibitor stands. Basically the more stands they visit, the greater the chance they have of winning one of the prizes on offer.

The appointment of its first charity partner

As part of its strong focus on environmental and social impact, the Inspiring Leadership Conference will, for the first time in its history, have an official charity partner – education charity The Titan Partnership.  Operating in Birmingham, the home of the twelfth Inspiring Leadership Conference, the charity works with schools to enrich education and raise the aspirations of young people in some of Birmingham’s most deprived areas. 

This year’s Inspiring Leadership Conference will support the charity by hosting a raffle at the Gala Dinner to raise funds for the charity and its Aston Olympians event which sees 480 year five students from 16 schools compete in a day of sport to develop skills, try new sports and earn medals.

Georgie Butler comments on the new developments: “Our focus on ensuring the Inspiring Leadership Conference remains a valuable, inspiring and enjoyable experience for our delegates has become even more important as the conference enters its twelfth year. We believe the new developments at this year’s conference will further enhance the conference experience at both a professional and personal level for all attendees and we look forward to welcoming everyone in June.” The Inspiring Leadership Conference 2026 will also include the core and familiar content which has made it so popular as well as more recently launched activities that delegates have seen as positive additions to the conference programme.

Inspiring Leadership 2026: Core Activities

Inspirational keynotes

The conference will again give delegates the chance to listen to nine keynote presentations delivered by inspirational leaders from various sectors including TV, business, sport and education. 

Three of the nine keynote speakers for this year’s conference are already confirmed:

• David Osgathorp: One of word’s leading performance coaches, David is best known for being the coaching partner of Oracle Red Bull Racing, The Football Association and The Premier League.

• Sarah Furness: Two-time bestselling author, motivational speaker and former combat helicopter pilot, Sarah served 20 years in the Royal Air Force and eventually became the first female Squadron Leader to fly and lead operational combat missions in Iraq and Afghanistan.

• John Volanthen: The world-record-holding British cave diver and one of TIME Magazine’s “Heroes of the Year”, David is best known for his participation in the Tham Luang cave rescue in 2018 when he was the first diver to locate and make contact with the missing Thai youth soccer team.

The Schools Week ‘Meet The Leader’ Theatre

Journalists from Schools Week, the official media partner for Inspiring Leadership Conference 2026, will once again be hosting the ‘Meet the Leader’ theatre and conducting thought provoking interviews with key education sector figures on topic issues that matter to today’s education leaders.

CPD accredited workshops

Reintroduced in 2025, 45 minute workshops will enable delegates to hear the views of respected experts and gain additional knowledge on a range of important topics including the very latest developments in leadership best practice and education.

The Conference Exhibition

The popular exhibition will again be running throughout the conference enabling delegates to talk to exhibitors, find innovative solutions for their school and network with colleagues.

The Inspiring Leadership Gala Dinner, 4 June

The conference’s popular black tie gala dinner will take place at 7:30pm on 4 June at Birmingham Library giving senior leaders and their teams an opportunity to celebrate the end of the year with their colleagues and other education professionals.  Tickets include a three course meal, wine on the table and live entertainment, and are priced at £110 + VAT per person or £1,000 + VAT for a table of 10. More information about conference activities can be found on the Inspiring Leadership Conference website.

What’s on at Inspiring Leadership

“We know that the conference is going to be good. It’s a sure-fire thing that we’ll get somebody who is going to inspire us, somebody who is going to uplift us, somebody who is going to make us think and somebody who is going to demonstrate real resilience.”

Gary Wilkie, CEO, Learning in Harmony Trust

Conference programme: overview

As in previous years, the Inspiring Leadership Conference programme will be packed with no less than seven plenaries, two education keynotes, workshops and numerous networking opportunities.

Programme overview: Day One (4 June)

• Conference registration opens at 9am
• A welcome address from NAHT and Show-Me
• Two plenary sessions
• Afternoon workshop sessions
• Meet the Leader Theatre interviews
• The conference exhibition
• Networking opportunities including lunch and a drinks reception for our Inspiring Leadership Gala Dinner
• The Inspiring Leadership Gala Dinner

Programme Overview: Day Two (5 June)

• Four additional morning plenary sessions
• The conference exhibition
• Networking and refreshments

Official conference close at 2pm

Inspiring Leadership Launches Friday-Only Ticket Option

Recognising the challenges faced by today’s teaching professionals, Inspiring Leadership is offering a ‘Friday-only’ ticket option for the first time.

Enabling education professionals to attend the conference on Friday 5 June, listen to the four keynotes scheduled, and network with colleagues and exhibitors, the one-day ticket is available for £249 + VAT.

Georgie Butler of Inspiring Leadership comments: “We recognise that taking two full days out of school may not be feasible for some for a variety of reasons. We hope the launch of our Friday-only ticket will make this conference as accessible as possible and so enable education professionals who might not otherwise have been able to attend to take advantage of the learning and networking opportunities that the conference has to offer.”

The new Friday-only ticket option compliments a range of early-bird and group booking discounts offered for the conference.

“We’re excited to be attending the Inspiring Leadership Conference once again and to show greater support for some of the most inspiring school leaders in the country.”

Alfie Temple, General Manager of Show-me

Ticket prices and discounts:

Receive 10% off individual tickets when you use code SW2026

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