Conference Speakers
David Cameron
“The line between the real, the possible and the impossible is so fine it’s not worth worrying about”
David- or the ‘Real David Cameron’ as we all know him- has a unique view of the educational landscape. His experience stretches from leadership of children’s services at authority level to the classroom, from the development of national educational policy to its implementation in schools and takes in work at national and regional level in both Scotland and England.
The lead on Scotland’s Outdoors Education Strategy, he was also involved in the devolved Management of Schools initiative and was a central player in Scotland’s ‘Challenging Curriculum for Excellence’ project. A highly entertaining and engaging speaker, he has worked across the UK with teachers, school leaders and governors and is currently chair of the York Education Partnership.
David is behind Creative Conversations in Edinburgh, bringing together artists and educators, is a leading player in Scotland’s regular Festival of Dangerous Ideas and helped draft Creative Scotland’s recent manifesto on learning and creativity.
Reviews
"David was great. His delivery style and content suited the needs of our conference brilliantly and he was able to adapt his presentation at the very last minute when the hotel announced that they were really sorry but that we had no Wifi on Thursday morning!!!! His sense of humour, deep and broad understanding of the Cumbrian and national context was very heartening and the Cumbrian Heads were really appreciative of David's input to the conference. "
"I wonder if you could pass on a huge thank you to David for his talk to our PG Learning and Teaching staff and students. It was such a high point in an excellent weekend. David’s passion, knowledge, humour and sense of purpose is truly remarkable. I would greatly appreciate it if you could pass on our sincere thanks to him for his thought-provoking, inspiring and hugely entertaining contribution to our weekend"
"I just wanted to let you know how inspired we were by David Cameron's presentation last Thursday. It was very informative and the staff really enjoyed his anecdotes together with the serious side of his message."
"Feedback received from headteachers who attended the conference welcomed your lively and humorous start to the day on Friday being “the morning after the night before”. The enthusiastic and positive responses from delegates referred to your speech as ‘superb’, ‘inspirational’, ‘entertaining’, ‘engaging’, ‘excellent’, ‘outstanding’, ‘brilliant’ ‘fantastic’ and ‘thought provoking’
James Hilton
A Leicester lad, James studied Drama and Education at University, where he had numerous performing roles, including the lead role in ‘Oedipus’. When the play was reviewed in ‘The Guardian’ he had the dubious distinction of being the only member of the cast not mentioned at all.
Undeterred by this set back, James qualified and migrated 30 miles north to sunny Derby where he has lived ever since.
Pragmatic and down to earth, James has extensive experience of leading through change. He was also seconded by his local authority on a number of occasions to support a variety of schools and projects.
James has been very active within the National College of School Leadership. He was an adviser to The Director of Primary Leadership, as well as helping to shape the College’s Future Provision Strategy and Leadership Development programmes.
James is passionate about personal development. He has an unshakable belief in the principles of ‘The Art of Brilliance’ and their ability to make a positive impact on young people in our schools, as well as in the wider world of work.
James works across the UK as a speaker, trainer and author specialising in resilience, stress management, leadership and positive psychology.
James also works with a number of charities including Macmillan Cancer Support, Teenage Cancer Trust and Action for Children.
James’ first book ‘Leading From the Edge’, a thought provoking look at the pressures of leadership, is packed full of strategies for managing stress in one self and in others. The book was published by Bloomsbury Publications in 2016 and is available to order on Amazon.
What the Critics say….
Leading from the Edge is the brave and honest account of how James managed to pull himself back from the brink and return to headship equipped with strategies to deal with the day-to-day stresses felt by so many school leaders in UK schools today.