NLCS Middle Leaders Conference 2024

February 2024

Floors Not Ceilings - Leading Others with Purpose

Conference Information and Overview

A very warm welcome to NLCS Jeju. We are delighted that you have chosen to take part in the NLCS Middle Leaders Conference 2024 and we are excited to be building upon the strong foundations established by our colleagues at NLCS Dubai, following the very successful first NLCS Middle Leaders Conference in the UAE in October 2022.

We are pleased to have such a sizeable delegation in attendance at the NLCS Middle Leaders Conference 2024 and, as our NLCS family of schools continues to grow across the globe, it is of paramount importance that we remain committed to growing and developing leaders from within. We want our leaders - be these in academic, pastoral or other leadership roles - to feel supported in their journeys of growth and development as leaders of people, practice and innovation, but to also feel upskilled in their confidence to grapple with challenges and uncertainties that face us all as we future-proof our students and our schools for those hurdles we are yet to see coming.

We have embraced the NLCS mantra as ‘Floors Not Ceilings’ as our conference theme this year as we know that it resonates across the group. Just as we strive to provide our students with strong and firm foundations upon which they can shine, flourish and nurture their passions, we aim, too, for our next generation of NLCS middle leaders to solidify their own sense of purpose and values systems as leaders, who can strategise, innovate, find solutions, develop others and lead ethically.

As new or aspiring middle leaders, you may find yourself embracing new opportunities and challenges every day; sometimes we see these on the horizon and can lead strategically, within and across teams, to ensure our students, colleagues and other stakeholders go from strength-to-strength. At other times, these challenges might present themselves when we least expect them to and, more-often-than-not, at times when we have many other important plates of leadership spinning. We might often have the desire to quickly solve these problems, or find quick solutions, but through learning to ‘hold’ problems in such moments of turbulence, we can develop practices and processes to re-clarify the bigger picture in our minds, as we seek to lead with purpose, vision and in pursuit of the best outcomes for our students and our schools.

Natalie Wilson Vice Principal (Academic)

Our School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people. The School expects all teaching staff, non-teaching staff, volunteers, students and visitors to our school to share and uphold this commitment. If a child cannot feel safe they cannot learn to their full potential.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Upon application to attend the NLCS Middle Leaders Conference 2024, you each shared your hopes and expectations for your career progression in the coming years and your intended takeaways from the conference itself. This honesty and openness has supported the manner in which we have tailored a number of our sessions to meet these varied and diverse aspirations. Do keep this sense of purpose and drive front-and-centre of your mind throughout the weekend, but also remain open to having these ideas challenged, recalibrated or solidified as you engage with the keynote speakers and their sessions. We are delighted to have such experienced educational leaders and consultants in attendance with us, and we know Gwen Byrom, Sian Carr OBE and Tom Sherrington will share their wealth of expertise to grow the leadership capacity within us all. We extend a heartfelt thank you for the time and energy with which they facilitate their sessions, and their wider sharing of excellence in the many encounters they will have. We hope that your professional learning is not just pigeon-holed as the NLCS Middle Leaders Conference 2024, but that you are able to cascade your learning into your departments and wider school life, in the weeks and months ahead, too. To support this, we have introduced the concept of ‘School Scrums’ into the conference programme to provide three opportunities, after keynote sessions, for each school to consolidate and consider how the themes, learning and theory encountered might influence practice or processes within each NLCS school.

Carl Lewis

Assistant Vice Principal (Academic)

If you are interacting with this conference booklet through digital means, you will find access to __ articles that would be worthy of reading, prior to the NLCS Middle Leaders Conference 2024. These articles merely scratch the surface of the many powerful articles that you might engage with at the outset of your leadership journey or, indeed, as a refresher to the contexts in which we are working. Of course, there will be opportunities to engage with both theory and practice throughout the conference, and to seek balance in how we might seek balance between the theoretical landscape of leadership and the ‘hands on’ reality of leading in our high-achieving, values-based, demanding schools within the NLCS family of schools.

We hope you have a great weekend of professional learning, networking and embrace the opportunity to seek growth and development in your own practice as new or aspiring middle leaders.

Schedule

Friday 23rd February

International delegates collected from Jeju International Airport.

NLCS Singapore delegates: TR812 (12:25) - International NLCS London delegates: TW713 (12:55) - Domestic NLCS Dubai delegates: KE1125 (15:05) - Domestic Conference delegates arrive at Jeju Shinhwa World Landing Resort.

Transport provided for an evening ‘Welcome Event’ at NLCS Jeju in Parent Hub/Smiley Cafewith food and refreshments provided.

Coach leaves at 18:30 and the event begins at 18:45.

Return transport provided to Landing Shinhwa World Hotel and to other GEC locations for NLCS Jeju delegates.

Saturday 24th February

14:30

Breakfast provided at Jeju Shinhwa World Landing Resort for London, Dubai and Singapore delegates.

Transport departs from Jeju Shinhwa World Landing Resort to NLCS Jeju for London, Dubai and Singapore delegates.

Conference Day 1: Coffee and light refreshments on arrival.

NLCS Jeju Principal’s Address and Safeguarding Briefing.

Overview of the NLCS Jeju Middle Leaders Conference and formal introductions of speakers and delegates.

Floors Not Ceilings: Shifting Your Mindset from Classroom Teacher/Tutor to a Leader of People Keynote Speaker - Presentation and Session - Part 1 Sian Carr OBE - Leadership Styles and Shifting Your Mindset Coffee and Refreshments Break.

Floors Not Ceilings: Shifting Your Mindset from Classroom Teacher/Tutor to a Leader of People Keynote Speaker - Presentation and Session - Part 2 Sian Carr OBE - Leadership Styles and Shifting Your Mindset

Lunch Break

School Scrum 1 - 30 minutes with your NLCS School delegates (London, Jeju, Dubai, Singapore groups) to contextualise the morning’s learning.

Floors Not Ceilings: Getting the Most out of a Team Keynote Speaker - Presentation and Session - Part 1 Tom Sherrington - Maximising the Impact of your Team

15:15 Coffee and Refreshments Break.

15:45

Floors Not Ceilings: Getting the Most out of a Team Keynote Speaker - Presentation and Session - Part 2 Tom Sherrington - Maximising the Impact of your Team

Domestic and International Arrival Lounges (look for NLCS Jeju sign)

Jeju Shinhwa World Landing Resort

Jeju Shinhwa World Landing Resort - coach waiting near hotel lobby

Coach departing from NLCS Jeju Main Reception

Jeju Shinhwa World Landing Resort Restaurant

Jeju Shinhwa World Landing Resort - coach waiting near hotel lobby

Senior School Auditorium

Senior School Auditorium

Senior School Auditorium

Senior School Auditorium

Smiley Cafe/Parent Hub

Senior School Auditorium

Senior School Dining Hall - Annex

Various - within and near Senior School Auditorium

Senior School Auditorium

Smiley Cafe/Parent Hub

Senior School Auditorium

17:00

17:30

18:30

18:45

21:30

School Scrum 2 - 30 minutes with your NLCS School delegates (London, Jeju, Dubai, Singapore groups) to contextualise the afternoon’s learning.

Transport provided to Jeju Shinhwa World Landing Resort for London, Dubai and Singapore delegates to change/freshen up.

Transport provided for NLCS Jeju delegates from NLCS Main Reception and GEC locations to an off-site evening meal and social event.

Transport provided from Jeju Shinhwa World Landing Resort to an off-site evening meal and social event (Korean BBQ). Coach departs at 18:45.

Return transport provided to Jeju Shinhwa World Landing Resort and to other GEC locations for NLCS Jeju delegates.

Sunday 25th February

From 7:00

Breakfast provided at Jeju Shinhwa World Landing Resort for London, Dubai and Singapore delegates.

Transport from Jeju Shinhwa World Landing Resort to NLCS Jeju for London, Dubai and Singapore delegates. London and Dubai delegates to also check-out and bring luggage to NLCS Jeju. Coach departs at 8:45.

Various - within and near Senior School Auditorium

Coach departing from NLCS Jeju Main Reception

Coach departing from NLCS Jeju Main Reception

Jeju Shinhwa World Landing Resort - coach waiting near hotel lobby

Coach departing from outside restaurant/venue.

Panel Discussion: Question Time and Leadership Reflections

MC: Henry Wiggins

Panel: Gwen Byrom, Sian Carr, Lynne Oldfield, Natalie Wilson

Lunch Break and Extended School Scrum 3 - with your NLCS School delegates (London, Jeju, Dubai, Singapore groups) to contextualise the day’s learning.

Jeju Shinhwa World Landing Resort Restaurant

Jeju Shinhwa World Landing Resort - coach waiting near hotel lobby

Transport provided from

Transport provided from NLCS Jeju to Jeju Shinhwa World Landing Resort for Singapore delegates - further information will be shared separately regarding your Sunday evening plans and outbound travel information on Monday morning. Coach

Introduction to keynote speakers

Sian Carr

Sian has many years’ experience in the field of education. She has been an MFL teacher, Senior Leader, Principal, Executive Principal and System Leader both home and abroad, whilst also sharing her decades of leadership experience through her consultancy work with school leaders.

Sian has also served as a Director of Eastern Leadership Centre (UK) and as an Operational Director of National College for School Leadership (NCSL). Additionally, Sian has served as Board member for the International Baccalaureate and also UCAS.

Until very recently, Sian was the Director of Education for Asia International Schools Ltd, which oversees the Harrow International Schools in China, Thailand, Hong Kong and Japan.

Sian was awarded an OBE for her services to education in the Birthday Honours List for 2020.

In her session during the NLCS Middle Leaders Conference 2024, Sian will be supporting delegates to outline their own leadership values and approaches to leadership, whilst also exploring the mindset shift that new middle leaders as they go from leadership of their own classrooms to grow into strategic, compassionate, solutions-focused leaders of a team.

Tom Sherrington

Tom Sherrington is an education consultant and author. He writes a popular and widely-read blog and his books include ‘The Learning Rainforest’ and best-seller ‘Rosenshine’s Principles in Action’. More recently, he co-authored the ‘Teaching WalkThrus’ series with Oliver Caviglioli, and his edu-podcast ‘Mind the Gap’ - with Emma Turner - regularly draws esteemed guests and worldleading academics from across the world of education.

With 30 years’ experience as a physics and maths teacher and school leader, Tom is in demand from schools around the world to deliver CPD for teachers and leadership teams. He works with hundreds of schools and colleges providing training and consultancy support on improving the quality of teaching through the Walkthrus materials. He is a regular keynote speaker and contributor to conferences and education festivals and we are very lucky to have Tom with us for the NLCS Middle Leaders Conference 2024, following his PD Week here at NLCS Jeju.

In his session during the NLCS Middle Leaders Conference 2024, Tom will be supporting delegates with advice and approaches to ensure that you are getting the most out of your team, and the practical steps you might take in your early stages of middle leadership to ensure you are having impact.

Gwen Byrom

Gwen Byrom graduated from the University of Manchester, UK with a first class Honours degree in Biochemistry in 1992 and began a career in genetic research at Guy’s Hospital, London. Following a chance encounter with a biology class in a London school, Gwen made the decision to change careers and train as a teacher, gaining her postgraduate teaching qualification from Goldsmith’s College, University of London. She gained her MA in Education in 2007, focussing on science education, childhood development and educational leadership and since then has also carried out research into independent schools as drivers of social mobility.

Gwen has a wealth of educational experience after teaching and leading for over 20 years in boarding and day, single-sex and coeducational, maintained and independent schools in the UK. She has led teams in some of the UK’s most prestigious schools, including Roedean School and The Cheltenham Ladies’ College.

From 2011-2018 she led Loughborough High School, a girls’ school in the UK East Midlands. In addition, whilst a Head she was heavily involved in the Girls’ Schools Association, which represents some of the very best independent girls’ schools in the UK.

She became President of this Association in 2018, representing the interests of girls’ schools nationally and internationally. Gwen has served as a governor for independent schools in the UK and since September 2019 has been Director of Education Strategy for NLCS International.

In her session during the NLCS Middle Leaders Conference 2024, Gwen will look to consolidate the learning and areas of focus from Sian and Tom’s sessions the day before into the context of leadership within an NLCS School.

Confirmed Delegates

Delegate

George Agius

Matthew Collier

Fiona Collins

Laura Mary Kanyerezi

Lisa Roberts

North London Collegiate School Jeju

Delegate

Email Address: Delegate’s Role in their NLCS School:

gagius@nlcsdubai.ae mcollier@nlcsdubai.ae Fcollins@nlcsdubai.ae lkanyerezi@nlcsdubai.ae lroberts@nlcsdubai.ae

Director of Music

Grade 5 Leader

Grade 2 Leader Head of French Grade 4 Leader

Email Address: Delegate’s Role in their NLCS School:

Alice Bate abate@nlcsjeju.kr Teacher of English and TOK

Maggie (Zhimin) Dai mdai@nlcsjeju.kr Head of Junior School Mandarin

George Fitzpatrick gfitzpatrick@nlcsjeju.kr

Year 2 Leader

Alex Gellersen agellersen@nlcsjeju.kr DEI Coordinator and Teacher of Physics

Chris Harris charris@nlcsjeju.kr

Assistant Head of House and English/AED Teacher

Tina Haystead thaystead@nlcsjeju.kr Year 3 Leader

Marina Jeffery mjeffery@nlcsjeju.kr

Nick Jones njones@nlcsjeju.kr

Leela Kent-Hume lkent-hume@nlcsjeju.kr

Second in English

Teacher of English

Teacher of Year 3

Hugh Hyung Joon hughkim@nlcsjeju.kr KS3 Science and Group 4 Coordinator

Mark Kim markkim@nlcsjeju.kr

Lindsay Lee llee@nlcsjeju.kr

Adam Lim alim@nlcsjeju.kr

Teacher of Biology

Teacher of Biology and Environmental Systems and Societies

Assistant Head of House, Teacher of English and ToK

Russell Maddison rmaddison@nlcsjeju.kr Head of Psychology

Muhammad Mahfouz Mmahfouz@nlcsjeju.kr Teacher of Chemistry

Delegate

Email Address: Delegate’s Role in their NLCS School:

Fiona McDonnell fmcdonnell@nlcsjeju.kr

Darija Minic dminic@nlcsjeju.kr

Assistant Head of House

Assistant Head of Sixth Form Pastoral and Teacher of Psychology

James Paul Munday jmunday@nlcsjeju.kr Teacher of History

Timilehin Isaac Oluwadare toluwadare@nlcsjeju.kr Teacher of Drama

Joel Rushton jrushton@nlcsjeju.kr Teacher of Biology

Susan Valerie Akinyi Sangoro Afreeman@nlcsjeju.kr EYFS Coordinator

William Tan wtan@nlcsjeju.kr Head of Senior Physical Education

James Tuffs Jtuffs@nlcsjeju.kr Boarding Master and Teacher of DT, Art and Film

Eszter Vörösvári evorosvari@nlcsjeju.kr Learning Support Teacher

Daniel Walsh dwalsh@nlcsjeju.kr Teacher of PE

David Whitehorn dwhitehorn@nlcsjeju.kr Teacher of English

Delegate

Email Address: Delegate’s Role in their NLCS School:

Scott Robert Bryers sbryers@nlcs.org.uk Teacher of Chemistry

Tom Connelly tconnelly@nlcs.org.uk

Junior School RS Leader, History Leader and EDI Leader

Gabrielle Glover gglover@nlcs.org.uk KS3 Science Coordinator and Head of Year 11

Nayen Vaghjiani nvaghjiani@nlcs.org.uk

Delegate

Second in Maths and Data Coordinator

Email Address: Delegate’s Role in their NLCS School:

James Anthony Nigel Hill jhill@nlcssingapore.sg TOK Coordinator and Teacher of History

Wilson Jon Kit Law wlaw@nlcssingapore.sg Head of Design and Engineering

Lauren Maguire-Wilkie lmaguire-wilkie@nlcssingapore.sg Deputy Assistant Principal (MS and US Curriculum) and Teacher of English

Bryony Masters bmasters@nlcssingapore.sg Teacher of Grade 3

PARENT HANDBOOK

Hannah Francesca Parnwell hparnwell@nlcssingapore. Teacher of Grade 1

Hotel Information and Contact Details

Landing Jeju Shinhwa World Hotel - Seogwipo https://landingjejushinhwaworldhotel.southkrhotel.com/en/

Address: 38, Sinhwayeoksa-ro 304beon-gil, Andeok-myeon, Andeok, 63522 Seogwipo, South Korea

Pre-Conference Reading:

Prior to the NLCS Middle Leaders Conference 2024, you may wish to engage with the following articles and publications to begin your reflections upon recent debates and reflections upon leadership within schools.

1. Ethical Leadership in Education - National Governance Association: LINK

2. How Leaders Influence What Happens in the Classroom - National College for School Leadership: LINK

3. Research Summaries and Literature Reviews - Various: LINK