Gloucestershire Association of Primary Headteachers Annual 2023 Conference and Exhibition

2. Michael Rosen

Michael Rosen is one of Britain’s best loved writers and performance poets for children and adults.  His first degree was from Wadham College, Oxford and he went on to study for an MA and a PhD. He is currently Professor of Children’s Literature at Goldsmiths, University of London where he co-devised and teaches an MA in Children’s Literature.     Michael is also a popular broadcaster and has presented BBC Radio 4’s acclaimed programme about language, “Word of Mouth” since 1998, as well as regularly presenting documentary programmes for BBC Radio 4 and BBC Radio 3, including the Sony Gold Award-winning “On Saying Goodbye”.     Michael has published in the region of 200 books for children and adults, including “The Sad Book” with Quentin Blake (Walker Books) - a meditation on bereavement written after the loss of his son, Eddie; “We’re Going on a Bear Hunt” with Helen Oxenbury  (Walker Books) - made into an animated film for Channel 4 broadcast Christmas Day 2016 -  and “A Great Big Cuddle” with Chris Riddell (Walker Books) .  His poetry for adults includes “Don’t Mention the Children” (Smokestack) and “Selected Poems” (Penguin).  Non-fiction work for adults includes “Good Ideas: How to Be Your Child’s (and Your Own) Best Teacher” (John Murray),  “The Disappearance of Emile Zola, Love, Literature and the Dreyfus Case” (Faber), and his memoir “So They Call You Pisher!” (Verso).   He has written a book for children and teachers on writing poetry ‘What is Poetry?’ (Walker Books) and has done three booklets for teachers on writing and reading. These are available through his website www.michaelrosen.co.uk . He writes up a monthly news page on the website and a blog for teachers giving ideas for writing.   Michael writes a monthly open “letter” to the Secretary of State for Education in The Guardian where he critiques Government policy on schools from the standpoint of a parent.  He visits schools, teachers’ conferences and university teacher training departments where he is in demand to give performances, workshops and keynote addresses. He also appears regularly at literary festivals all over the UK and Ireland.    Michael has received several honorary awards, including degrees from the Open University, the University of Exeter, the University of London Institute of Education and the University of East London/Tavistock and Portman NHS Trust.  For outstanding contribution to children’s literature he received the Eleanor Farjeon Award and was Children’s Laureate 2007-2009.  In recognition of his contribution to the profile of French culture in the UK, he was made Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres.      His YouTube Channel ‘Kids’ Poems and Stories with Michael Rosen’ has had over 55 million views.

Alex Newton

Alex Newton is Director of Engagement at Voice 21. He is responsible for managing relationships with our 870 member schools as well as generating interest in Voice 21's work across the education sector and beyond. He joined Voice 21 in 2019 after working as an employment mediator, where he saw the importance of speaking and listening skills first-hand each day. Previously he has managed programmes for schools and young people in a variety of roles at education and equalities charities.

Baroness Floella Benjamin DBE

Floella tells of her childhood journey to England as a ten year old girl, a story which she wrote as a best selling book ‘Coming to England’. And her new autobiography ‘What are You Doing Here?’ She talks about how she overcame many adversities and obstacles by having a positive attitude and learning to face them with a smile and her philosophy of life her 3 C’s. She takes the audience on an inspirational journey by showing how they too can make a difference and change the world for children and young people, especially those from disadvantage backgrounds. Through her charitable work including her media appearances and life in Parliament she explains her mission to get everyone to focus on the important fact that ‘Childhood lasts a Lifetime’. Floella has become the first Caribbean woman to receive one of the United Kingdom's highest accolades, the Order of Merit. The award recognises distinguished service towards the advancement of the arts, learning, literature or science.

Jean Gross CBE

Jean Gross is a best-selling author and popular speaker. She is passionate about achieving better life chances for children who don’t have much going for them in their lives – particularly disadvantaged children and those with special educational needs. She writes practical books that aim to help teachers and leaders, and says ‘What I do when I write is collect the fantastic practice I have seen on my travels and try to put a conceptual framework around it, linking practice to research evidence.’ Jean has been a teacher, an educational psychologist, head of children’s services in a local authority, and a Visiting and Associate Fellow at three universities. She was formerly the government’s Communication Champion for children, responsible for promoting the importance of good language skills. Before this she headed a charity responsible for the Every Child a Reader and Every Child Counts literacy and numeracy tutoring programmes, and led work on overcoming barriers to achievement as a Director of the government’s National Strategies. She has frequently acted in an advisory capacity to government, and was awarded a CBE for services to education in 2011. Her many books include Beating Bureaucracy in special educational needs (4th edition out soon), Time to Talk (2nd edition, 2017) and Reaching the unseen children: practical strategies for closing stubborn attainment gaps in disadvantaged groups (2021).