Nobody goes into education because they want to focus all their time on managing disruptive behaviour, increasing exam results and satisfying Ofsted. We go into education because we want to prepare young people to thrive in our increasingly diverse and uncertain world.

Unfortunately, day-to-day pressures make it difficult to look beyond the here and now and think about how to make school a place where students passionate about learning create excellent work, staff design rich learning experiences together, and everyone achieves more than they thought possible – in other words, how to become an Engaging School.

But time spent working out how to make school more engaging is time well-spent. When school really engages students, disruptive behaviour decreases, achievement and attainment increase and Ofsted is impressed.

We’ve spent three years working with forty schools to develop tools and resources to support your school to become a more engaging place to learn, as well as growing a network of educators committed to making their schools more engaging*.

We invite you to be part of this network at our ‘flipped conferences’. Hear from the schools we’ve worked with, connect with inspirational peers, trial our tools, and learn more about designing your own Engaging School.

What is a ‘flipped conference’?

We love the ‘flipped classroom’ concept. For those of you unfamiliar with the ‘flipped classroom’, it’s taking the education world by storm, turning on its head the traditional classroom/homework structure.

In a ‘flipped classroom’ lectures are posted online for students to watch at home, with class time devoted to collaborative activities that build a deeper understanding of the subject matter. We’re modelling our conference on this concept.

This conference will allow delegates to view keynotes and lectures before the conference at their leisure, so that, on the day, attendees can benefit from every conference’s richest resource – the people in the room, in rich collaborative sessions that allow you to work with experts, learn from your peers, and ask burning questions.

Why attend?

Wherever you are on the path to becoming an Engaging School, you’ll learn about the next steps that are best for you – with workshops on issues from staffing structures and timetable, to changing school culture, engaging parents and local businesses, and transforming classroom practice through project-based learning.

We have supported a wide range of schools – ranging from ‘unsatisfactory’ to ‘outstanding’ – on engaging their students. We’ll give you the opportunity to meet the schools who have been on this journey, so you can learn from their expertise.

These sessions will equip you to take forward what you’ve learned, including identifying which Engaging School model is right for your school – with models ranging from a single intensive week, to whole-school transformation.

You will also be able to pose questions to experts from around the world, who will respond in a video that you can share with your colleagues after the event.

And, you will have the opportunity to continue the work you do at the conference, by joining a network of educators committed to creating Engaging Schools.

Who should attend?

This conference is for any educator passionate about engaging students. Whether you’re a school leader of an established school, or are setting up or sponsoring new schools, this conference will support you on your journey.

Invoicing

To purchase tickets using a debit or credit card select the quantity you require and follow the instructins above. Alternatively you can invoice us. If you choose to invoice us please read these instructions carefully. Please note that we cannot issue a ticket until the invoice has been paid.

Ensure you send us your full details in an an email entitled 'Manchester ticket request' to our finance team finance@innovationunit.org - we require:

1. Full name and address of organisation purchasing the ticket
2. Name and email address of person/s attending the conference
3. The email address of whoever will pay the invoice ie your Finance Officer
4. Which type of ticket you are purchasing, school/LA/private and if relevant a discount code.
5. A Purchase Order Number if necessary.

All tickets are non-refundable.

Click here for more information.