We had a truly amazing day on Monday 3rd July at our Annual Conference. Over 130 people gathered at the Headland Hotel in Newquay to focus on a day of workshops, keynotes and networking. Our theme was ‘Removing barriers: building success together’ and we started off with an inspiring performance of ‘Fields of Gold’ by the Mounts Bay Academy HPI Choir. This led amazing session with Dominic Peckham. He had everyone laughing, moving about, singing and generally challenging preconceptions and comfort zones. Then we heard from Dr Janet Rose who took us through some keep ideas and research on stress and learning, emotion coaching and the relationship between pupil and teacher. We also had some great workshops through the day from Dominic Peckham, Dr Rose, Remembering Our Roots, RJ Working, Foster Focus and Growing Links. Our keynote in the afternoon was Luke Rodgers and Scott King from Foster Focus. We heard about growing up in care and the horrible experiences they both went through. We were all challenged, shocked and moved by what they said.
Here are some feedback quotes from the day:
‘Luke and Scot who I found very inspirational, I was very moved by their life stories’.
‘Engaging and ‘different’ – very enjoyable’.
‘Loved the flow of each speaker – ‘joined up thinking’
‘A really excellent, thought-provoking day that will have an impact on me for a long time’
‘Amazing!’
‘Great linked themes, which are very relevant to us at the moment’
‘Real stories, thought provoking’
‘You have left me emotionally drained with a fresh perspective on teaching’
‘After many conferences, this was – perhaps – the best’
‘Opportunities for networking with staff from other schools’
Click on the video below to see what we were up to.