Gloucestershire Association of Primary Headteachers Annual 2024 Conference and Exhibition

Ayesha Hazarika MBE

Ayesha is a columnist and broadcaster who is known for her insightful and witty opinions and observations on current affairs and politics. She hosts the weekend drivetime show on Times Radio every Saturday and Sunday from 4 till 7pm, where she dissects the week’s news and events across Westminster and beyond. Having started her career as a stand-up comedian playing clubs across the country, she then took what she thought was a natural diversion into politics as a Special Adviser for the Labour Party, working with them for eight years both in Government and Opposition. During her time in Westminster she worked for Gordon Brown, Harriet Harman and Ed Miliband, advising them on Prime Minister’s Questions, speeches, media and policy as well as heading up initiatives on topics such as Women and Equality. Since leaving front line politics, Ayesha has become a much sought after pundit. She has appeared on Question Times (BBC), Sky Papers (Sky News), The Andrew Marr Show (BBC1), Newsnight (BBC2), The Agenda (ITV) and The Today Programme (BBC Radio 4) as well as using her comedy skills on Have I Got News For You (BBC), The News Quiz (BBC Radio 4), Breaking the News (BBC Radio Scotland) and Matt Forde’s Unspun (Dave). Ayesha has a unique ability to combine laser-sharp political insight gleaned from the inside track at Westminster and her funny bones, honed in the world of comedy stand up; a perfect example of where a solid foundation in oracy has contributed to opportunity and success.

Dr Kirsty Garbett

Dr Kirsty Garbett is a Research Fellow at the Centre for Appearance Research at UWE Bristol. Kirsty is a body image expert with over 10 year’s experience in the development and evaluation of body confidence resources for young people. She has worked directly with teachers, child mentors, parents and young people across the UK and internationally to ensure resources that are available via the Dove Self-Esteem Project are evidence-based, accessible, and proven to be effective in improving body confidence among young people. Kirsty plans to share insights from her research, report on what we know works in the primary school settings to increase student confidence, as well as sharing hints and tips on how we can be positive body confidence role models for both our students and peers.

Nicky Moffat CBE

Nicky’s first career spanned 27 years in the Armed Forces, serving in the Field Army, as well as in strategy, policy and finance roles in Army Headquarters and the Ministry of Defence. As a private secretary, she worked at the heart of Government, supporting the Secretary of State for Defence during fast moving operations in Iraq, Afghanistan, Sierra Leone and Cumbria (attending Cabinet Office briefings with the Secretary of State throughout the ‘Foot and Mouth’ crisis). Her expertise and insights as a leader were developed throughout a range of ‘command’ roles, as a Training Company Commander, Training Regiment Commander and Director of her specialism. In her most significant leadership role, she led some 4,500 soldiers within the Army’s personnel and finance function; a model example of the power of communication in effecting change. In 2012, Nicky left the Army to set up What Good Leadership Looks Like. She now helps companies develop their people and make transformative and sustainable improvements in leadership and culture. Her clients include UK, multinational and global corporations in sectors as diverse as financial services, health, oil and gas, construction, media and law. She supports executive teams and individuals as a leadership, change and career coach. In 2018, Nicky made her TV debut as on-screen contributor to Secret Agent Selection: WW2 (BBC)/Churchill’s Secret Agents (Netflix). This five-part living history series, resurrects the assessment and training programme of the Special Operations Executive (SOE), one of World War 2's most covert organisations. The series charts the ingenuity and creativity of Britain’s covert wartime response and aptly illustrates the power of hitherto untapped talent and a positive mindset, as seemingly ordinary men and women discover that they are capable of extraordinary things.

Professor Teresa Cremin, FAcSS, FRSA, FEA

Teresa Cremin is Professor of Education (Literacy) at The Open University, UK, and co-Director of the Literacy and Social Justice Centre which creates space for research, practice and advocacy to enrich educational opportunities for all. Teresa’s research focuses on volitional reading and writing, teachers’ and children’s literate identities and creative pedagogies. An ex-teacher and teacher trainer, Teresa now undertakes research and consultancy and is a Fellow of the English Association, the Academy of Social Sciences, and the Royal Society of the Arts, a Trustee of both the UK Literacy Association, and The Reading Agency, and an appointed DfE Reading for pleasure expert. Teresa has published over 30 books on teaching literacy and nurturing creativity, most recently, Reading Teachers: Nurturing Reading for pleasure (2022). Teresa is passionate about social justice and enabling all children to become keen readers, and leads a research and practice coalition to support the development of children’s reading for pleasure https://ourfp.org/