Conference for Heads of PSHE - Thursday 5 March 2026 (ISH Venues, 229 Great Portland St, London W1W 5PN, London)

Time

Session

09:30

Arrival, registration, and coffee

10.00 -10.05

Welcome and introduction

Speaker: Keri Moorhouse - Education Officer, HMC

10.05 – 10.10

A word from our Sponsor: Life Lessons

Speaker: Jamie O'Connell - Co-CEO and Founder, Life Lessons

10.10 – 11.00

Session 1: PSHE education: policy landscape and implementing the new statutory RSE guidance

Schools are required to implement the new DfE statutory RSE/RSHE guidance from the 1^st September this year. This session will explore the PSHE policy landscape, the changes to statutory content and how best to ensure your school is ready to deliver an outstanding, comprehensive PSHE education programme.

Speaker: Jenny Barksfield – Deputy Chief Executive and Director of Education, PSHE Association

11.00 – 11.15

Refreshment break

11.15 – 12.00

Session 2: Supporting young people to make safer choices about drugs: ketamine and other emerging trends. 

The landscape young people inhabit in relation to drugs is constantly shifting, and recent concerns about ketamine have highlighted the urgency of effective drug education as a core component of reducing harm, and the important roles schools can play. This talk will provide an insight into the current context for young people in relation to drugs, and how to provide the relevant information, strategies and support students need to reduce risk and stay safe. 

Speaker: Fiona Spargo-Mabbs OBE - Director, Founder, Author; DSM Foundation

12.00 – 12.45

Session 3: Smarter Questions, Better Judgement: Critical Thinking About AI in PSHE

Artificial intelligence is increasingly shaping how young people learn, socialise, seek advice and form opinions. For PSHE leaders, this presents a clear challenge: pupils are turning to AI for support with revision, careers, relationships and wellbeing, often without the critical habits needed to question what they are told.

This practical session explores why critical thinking is now a core competency within PSHE and how it aligns with existing priorities including digital literacy, wellbeing, relationships, citizenship and ethical decision-making. Rather than adding another initiative, it strengthens what effective PSHE already does best: helping pupils navigate influence, information and choice.

Through concise, practical examples, the session will show how AI can prompt discussion around bias, reliability, identity and responsibility. Delegates will leave with ready-to-use questioning strategies, lesson prompts and a set of AI critical thinking cards to support more thoughtful, reflective engagement with AI across their schools.

Speaker: Ben Whitaker - Co-director of Edufuturists

12.45 – 13.30

Lunch

13.30 – 14.30

Session 4: Facilitated Networking Session 

Facilitator: Adam Hall - Head of PSHE, Pocklington School, Lifelearning project

14.30 – 14.45

Refreshment break

14.45 – 15.15

15.15 – 16.05

Session 6:  Foundations for life: building a KS3 a wellbeing curriculum at GSAL – Case Study

This session will provide an overview of the wellbeing curriculum GSAL have developed over the past decade, including the rationale behind its design and how it has evolved in response to emerging needs. Leanne and Joanna will share practical resources, recommended speakers and key takeaways for attendees, alongside reflections on the challenges they encountered and how they upskilled staff to deliver the programme with confidence. The session will also explore collaboration with primary colleagues, supporting pupil wellbeing through transition to senior school, effective liaison with parents and carers, and approaches to equipping families with wellbeing strategies. 

Speakers: Leanne Sutheran - Head of Student Health and Wellbeing, and Joanna Haynes-Boyd - EDI Coordinator and Head of PSHE at The Grammar School at Leeds

16.05 – 16.15

Closing remarks and depart

Keri Moorhouse, Education Officer, HMC