Thames Valley School Business Managers, Heads & Senior Leaders Conference and Exhibition

Dai Durbridge - Browne Jacobson LLP

Dai is based in Browne Jacobson’s Manchester office and heads up the firm’s education team in the North West. He advises schools, academies and colleges on frontline education matters, including school admissions and exclusions, parental complaints, disqualification from childcare settings and GDPR. He is also a leading expert on safeguarding in education, chairing and speaking at numerous national conferences and writing articles and providing comment for the sector and national press. From supporting schools with allegations made against staff, peer on peer abuse and student mental health issues, to serious case reviews and Ofsted inspections Dai has been on hand to help schools with the full range of safeguarding challenges.

Justin Smith - Owner, Chameleon Training and Consultancy.

Following a career spent in private sector business development and marketing, Justin moved into the education sector over 20 years ago and has worked as a senior leader in 3 large secondary schools in Suffolk and Norfolk. In 2017 Justin established his own business, Chameleon Training and Consultancy, designed to provide specialist marketing, income generation and bid writing services to the education sector. A vastly experienced bid writer, Justin has secured over £7 million in additional income for schools, from a variety of sources including conventional grants and trust funds, commercial sponsorship and donations. Chameleon Training and Consultancy has developed a suite of practical and innovative products, services and masterclasses to support school leaders nationally, from stand-alone primary schools to large multi-academy trusts. Justin was awarded the Guardian/ISBL Marketing Award in 2015, became an ISBL Fellow in 2017 and is a member of the Institute of Fundraising.

Ryan Green

Ryan has over 15 years of experience in the education sector. He is an esteemed speaker and sector authority on the topics of school finance and Income Generation. He has carved out his success in the family business, Pebble, where his bold ideas and business acumen have helped to position Pebble as a market leader in the provision of fundraising and financial solutions to schools. Ryan regularly delivers presentations at education sector events on financial resilience in education and Income Generation principles. He draws extensively from his professional experience as a fundraising consultant in the education sector to give practical and pertinent advice that motivates school staff to take action and achieve success. His engaging style is favoured by those new to income generation and income generation experts alike. Ryan combines his infectious enthusiasm with expert subject knowledge to deliver a fresh perspective on new opportunities for education funding.

Vic Goddard

Vic Goddard is probably the most famous head teacher in the UK today, but it’s only when you see him in his beloved Passmores Academy that you really witness how good he is. Vic came to the public’s attention in TV’s Educating Essex but his straight-talking, informal, light-hearted approach meant that some sections of the media (yes, you Daily Mail!) misunderstood what Vic was really all about – refusing to ever let a student fail. See Vic in action and you’ll understand how passionate he is about young people, about education and about the privileged position he holds. ‘The Best Job in the World’ as he has famously written for our Independent Thinking Press. Vic commands respect not because of what he is but because of how he treats everyone around him – with compassion, with relentlessly high expectations and with an infectious belief that we all have something to offer the world.