Keynote Speakers

Kimberley Wilson is a chartered psychologist with a master’s degree in nutrition. She is author of How to Build a Healthy Brain and Unprocessed: How the Food We Eat Is Fuelling Our Mental Health Crisis. Kimberley believes the way we think about mental health – as separate from physical health is flawed. Her philosophy of Whole Body Mental Health is a comprehensive approach to mental health care; integrating evidence-based nutrition and lifestyle factors with psychological therapy.  A former governor of the Tavistock and Portman Mental Health Trust, Kimberley led the therapy service at Europe’s largest women’s prison. Kimberley hosted Radio 4’s Made of Stronger Stuff and regularly appears on BBC’s The Morning Show and Channel 4’s Know Your S**t. 

Dr Eowyn Crisfield is a specialist in languages across the curriculum, including EAL/ELL, home languages, bilingual and immersion education, super-diverse schools and translanguaging. She has been an ESL/EAL teacher, department head, curriculum developer, and has worked in several universities in teacher development programmes. She recently founded the Oxford Collaborative for Multilingualism in Education (https://ocme.uk) which aims to support schools, organisations, and governments to improve language teaching and learning in schools. Eowyn’s research is focused on equal access to learning and language development for all students, and on appropriate and effective professional development for teachers working with language learners. She is author of ‘Bilingual Families: A practical language planning guide (2021) and co-author of “Linguistic and Cultural Innovation in Schools: The Languages Challenge” (2018 with Jane Spiro), as well as a wide variety of chapters/articles in both practitioner and academic publications. She is also an honorary Norham fellow at the Department of Education, University of Oxford, where she is supporting the development of a new (distance) PGDip in EAL, alongside other teacher development and research initiatives. 

James Nottingham is the creator of the Learning Pit, one of the most widely used models for teaching to emerge in the last 20 years. He has worked closely with professors Carol Dweck (Growth Mindset) and John Hattie (Visible Learning); been a teaching assistant in a school for deaf children and a class teacher from Early Years to Grade 9; developed a ‘learning to learn’ programme in three high schools in the late 1990s; taught critical thinking to AS Level; been a deputy head in a middle school; and led a multi-award-winning project to raise achievement in 68 schools across north east England. In 2006, he created Challenging Learning, a not-for-profit organisation that helped shape pedagogical practice in the Nordic countries, Australia, New Zealand and the USA. At its peak, this company employed 30 staff in seven countries. When the pandemic began, he returned to the classroom, teaching 2 days a week in primary and 3 days a week in a high school in the Scottish Borders. He now divides his time between teaching, consulting and writing. His twelfth book, Teach Brilliantly, was released in 2024 and is a best-seller in the USA, Canada, Australia, China and Argentina.

Kate Jones is a highly experienced teacher, leader, bestselling author, and award-winning international speaker with a global reputation for championing evidence-informed, practical approaches to teaching and learning. She is currently Senior Associate for Teaching and Learning at Evidence Based Education, where she works closely with educators and schools to translate research into classroom practice that improves outcomes without adding to workload. Kate is the author of over ten published books, including the bestselling Retrieval Practice series, which has become a go-to resource for teachers seeking to embed cognitive science into everyday teaching. Her most recent publication focuses on feedback strategies that are both impactful and sustainable, supporting teacher wellbeing and student progress. In addition to her writing, Kate is the editor of ‘The researchEd Guide to Cognitive Science’ (2023) and she is a regular contributor to respected education publications such as TES and Teach Middle East Magazine. Kate has worked with schools across the UK and internationally, delivering keynote presentations, workshops, and consultancy support in a wide range of settings. Her work is known for its clarity, practicality, and focus on what truly makes a difference in the classroom. Based in the United Kingdom, Kate continues to share resources and reflections on social media via @KateJones_Teach.