Whole Education and Schools of Tomorrow are delighted to be collaborating on this spring conference on 6th March 2025 at Mary Ward House in London. This day conference aims to explore, understand and challenge our thinking on the importance of schools as centres of community with confirmed keynote sessions from Jon Yates and Darren McGarvey.

A school remains one of the most significant civic resources remaining. They are both communities themselves and agents of influence and change, for better or worse, in their communities. The leadership required to build and exercise this wider role creatively and constructively is complex, subtle and demanding and needs leaders who understand and feel confident in that work and see it as central to their educational mission. So during this day together we will:

• Deepen our understanding of the importance of connection between school and community and of the nature of leadership which is able to successfully build social capital within and beyond the school.

• Explore practical strategies by which schools and trusts can work to strengthen the sense of community among all their stakeholders and to influence positively the wider communities they represent.

• Reflect on the strengths and potential for development within our own context, both as individuals and as schools or trusts

• Develop our thinking about the next steps we must take personally and as school or trust to support community cohesion and development