HMC and IDPE Conference: Uniting schools; unlocking potential - Wednesday 28 January 2026 (BMA House, London)

Working together to widen access and ambition for all through partnerships and bursaries. This conference is for heads, bursars, governors, directors of development and directors of partnerships or community engagement, from both schools with established bursary and partnership programmes, and those just starting out.

Description

The biannual HMC and IDPE Conference: Uniting schools; unlocking potential supports heads, bursars, governors, and development and partnership leaders in building effective bursary and partnership programmes.

With rising costs, VAT on fees, and funding gaps, schools face tough financial decisions. This one-day conference will explore how schools can navigate these challenges by strengthening partnerships and expanding bursary support. Delegates will gain insights into sector trends, hear practical case studies, and take away strategies to enhance their own programmes—ensuring more young people have access to life-changing educational opportunities.

This important event will explore how all those in education can collaborate and work together to create meaningful opportunities for children from all backgrounds. The conference will focus on the role of school partnerships and bursaries in ensuring that every child has access to the best opportunities.

Prices

For State/Prep school delegates who wish to attend independently, the rate is £145. Please select the box stating that you are attending on behalf of a State or Prep School upon check out to access this rate.

For all other bookings, Book your place now to take advantage of our multiple bookings discount and bring along your colleagues.

NB: Discounts will not appear on your booking confirmation email but the discount will be applied at point of invoice.

Rates are:

£299 excl. VAT for 1 delegate/school
£285 excl. VAT for 2 delegates/school
£265 excl. VAT for 3 delegates/school
£245 excl. VAT for 4 delegates/school

Partnership package
We are delighted to announce that twenty partnership packages are available for delegates who are either in an existing partnership (between a state and independent school) OR are looking to establish a partnership. The partnership package offers a discounted delegate fee of £395, for 2 delegates (one from a state school or Multi Academy Trust and one independent school) who register and attend together.

Conference strands:

Strategy (governance)
Funding (finance)
Delivery
Impact

Programme

0930 – 1000	Arrival and registration Coffee and refreshments among the exhibitors	Lutyens Suite
1000 - 1010	Welcome and opening remarks Speaker: Peter Kirkbride, Chief Education Officer, E-ACT and Conference co-chair Toucan Tech (Headline sponsor)	Great Hall
1010 – 1050	Plenary 1 – People, place and poverty - tackling inequality through the work of schools in the 21st century  An interactive style keynote which will explore: - The importance of understanding persistent poverty and the problems of inequality in the communities that we serve shifting from assumption to assessment of the issues as school leaders - Knowing how to support and develop place-based partnership, without trying to be the beating heart of communities  Speaker: Sean Harris, That Poverty Guy Chair: Peter Kirkbride, Chief Education Officer, E-ACT	Great Hall
1050 - 1120	Plenary 2 – Panel discussion: From local communities to national reach At E-ACT; the Bishop Chadwick Catholic Education Trust; HMC; and the School Partnerships Alliance, we believe partnerships in education should benefit every child. This session will explore the outcomes so far of the new “moonshot” programme, a nationwide initiative delivered locally, that focuses on ensuring all children benefit from educational opportunities, regardless of background, school type or postcode. It will also allow for some brief reflections on the progress of other national initiatives. Panel: Fran Craik, Chief Standards Officer, Bishop Chadwick Catholic Educational Trust Ceri Jones, Headmaster, Caterham School and Chair of HMC Public Benefits and Partnerships Committee Pete Kirkbride, Chief Education Officer, E-ACT Joe Spence, CEO, Schools Partnership Alliance Chair: Melvyn Roffe MBE, Head, Haberdashers' Monmouth School	Great Hall
1120 – 1150	Refreshments	Lutyens Suite
1150 – 1155	Movement time to breakout rooms
1155 - 1245	Breakout Block 1 1A: Double Down, Don’t Fold: How an Ambitious Independent-State Schools Partnership is Expanding — At No Cost to the Schools Every week nearly 400 Y10-13 students at Haberdashers’ Elstree Schools work with 1,500 state primary children, leading sessions on everything from modern languages to rock climbing to robotics. It is transformational for all involved. Rather than letting VAT and the cost-of-living crisis shrink the programme, the partnership network decided to expand dramatically, to involve entire school communities in delivering services beyond the schools that were traditionally run by local councils. They are doing so at no extra cost to the schools, relying instead on philanthropy, community support and volunteers. How did they achieve this, and what can other schools learn from their experience? Panellists: Josh Plotkin, Director of Partnerships, Haberdashers’ Elstree Schools Phillip Campbell, Associate Principal, London Academy Gus Lock, Executive Principal, Haberdashers’ Elstree Schools Bill Friar, Director of Development, Haberdashers’ Elstree Schools 1B: Toucan Tech 1C: Fundraising 101: The foundations for fundraising success From defining what you are fundraising for to identifying your target audience and their motivations for giving, this interactive session will explore, what are the essential building blocks needed to embark on your fundraising journey. Speaker: Louise Bennett, CEO, IDPE 1D: Impact Evaluation - a how-to guide Speaker: Christina Astin, Astin Consulting 1E: Nurturing success: the bursary journey How can you provide support for bursary award holders before, during and after their time in school? Speaker: Jane Mees, Bursary Support and Outreach Manager, Bolton School
1245 – 1330	Lunch amongst the exhibitors	Lutyens Suite
1330 1335	Movement time to breakout rooms
1335 1425	Breakout Block 2 2A: Re-thinking bursaries for 2026 and beyond How can schools continue to offer bursary programmes in a post-VAT era? Transformational or means-tested? Funded by fees or non-fees? How can schools sustain and grow their bursary support. Speaker: Anna Paul, Head, South Hampstead High School 2B: Fundraising 101: Cultivating individual giving From understanding the different types of individual giving and establishing a clear case for support, to identifying prospects and recruiting new donors, this session will explore practical strategies for launching and growing a regular giving campaign, including how to engage your community, building lasting relationships, and integrating regular giving into wider fundraising efforts, to ensure long-term, sustainable support for your school. 2C: Budgeting for social change At a time of increasing financial restraint in all schools, is it possible to establish and sustain programmes that support social mobility? How can collaboration between schools and other organisations maximise impact and ensure these initiatives are effective, and long-lasting? Speakers: Oliver Knight, Head, Pangbourne College and David Benson, Head Mill Hill School 2D: OX14 case study: delivering opportunity and impact for all A presentation on the evolution of a formal townwide partnership with focus on participation and impact assessment Speakers: Robin Southwell-Sander, Assistant Head - Director of Partnerships and teacher of Geography, Abingdon School; Nat Cave, Assistant head, partnership Champion and English teacher, Larkmead School
1425 1455	Refreshments	Lutyens Suite
1455 1545	Breakout Block 3 3A: Bursaries? Partnerships? Or not at all? All schools want to change lives, but schools have to adapt in response to the financial pressures facing them. Is there still a place for both bursaries and partnerships? And how can schools adapt their plans to continue to make a difference to the lives of young people across their community? 3B: How we have leveraged the power of giving across Bursaries, Partnerships and Capital to create opportunities for children both in and beyond our school walls: the RGS story How can we develop a successful partnership programme? Speakers: John Smith, Director of Partnerships, RGS Newcastle and Simon Benson, Bede Academy, Blyth 3C: The love language of partnerships How can we build trust and bring schools together to create mutually beneficial partnerships that benefit all young people? 3D: No school can do everything; every school can do something”: on setting up and scaling up partnerships Advice on how to engage in partnership work for the first time and how to build on what you are already doing, as School Partnerships Alliance (SPA) looks to establish a national framework for the assessment of partnerships. Speakers: Joe Spence, CEO, School Partnerships Alliance and Margaret Hunnaball, Director of Research and Programmes, School Partnerships Alliance
1545 1550	Movement time to Great Hall
1550 – 1620	Plenary 3: What does success look like? How do we really know we are making a difference? What criteria can we use to measure success? And how can we share the difference we are making to impact? Susanna Kempe, CEO, Laidlaw Foundation Leo Winkley, Headmaster, Shrewsbury School Simon Singh, Author Chair: Philip Britton MBE, Head of Foundation, Bolton School and Chair of HMC 2025-2026	Great Hall
1620 - 1630	Closing remarks Speaker: Melvyn Roffe MBE, Head, Monmouth School and Conference Co-Chair	Great Hall

Keynote speaker:

Sean Harris is an internationally recognised education leader committed to tackling social disadvantage. With a background across the charity and public sectors, he focuses on reducing educational inequality, advancing teacher education, and embedding research in practice.

A doctoral researcher at Teesside University, Sean explores how co-production can inform place-based approaches in schools. He co-authored Tackling Poverty and Disadvantage in Schools and has conducted a systematic review of pupil premium policy.

A regular contributor to SecEd, TES, and Headteacher Update, Sean is a published author, speaker, and Fellow of the Chartered College of Teaching. He supports system leadership, partnership development, and talent mapping across multi-academy trusts.

In 2024, Sean won the Fair Education Alliance and Bloomberg Innovation Award for his work with Tees Valley Education PLACE, driving collaborative, place-based change. He also received Let Teachers SHINE funding for poverty-informed curriculum design, with findings featured in national publications.

Sean contributes to research with Child of the North, the N8 Research Partnership, and the Centre for Young Lives, and was appointed to the Department for Education’s Edtech Evidence Board Advisory Group.

His Substack, followed by over 11,000 readers, explores child poverty, policy, and systemic reform to improve outcomes for low-income communities.

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