The Festival of Education 2023

Thursday 6 July 2023

9.00am - 4.00pm

Wellington College

Duke's Ride, Crowthorne, Berkshire, RG45 7PU

The 13th Festival of Education will take place across two days in July, with 300 thought-provoking sessions from some of education's leading thinkers. NFER will be hosting four sessions on the first day of the festival.

Please check this page closer to the event for a confirmed venue for these sessions.

Are we going to have enough teachers?
Thursday 6 July, 09:30-10:15

NFER’s School Workforce Lead, Jack Worth, will be presenting on the teacher supply issues and what evidence-informed approaches school leaders and policymakers can take to recruit and retain teachers. He will be drawing on research from NFER’s annual report. ‘Teacher Labour Market in England Annual Report 2023’. Jack will be joined by a sector leader to illustrate the practical benefits of taking actions to address staff retention issues while maintaining focus on education quality.

The National Tutoring Programme: a route to closing the disadvantage gap?
Thursday 6 July, 10:30-11:15

NFER's Head of Classroom Practice and Workforce, Dr Ben Styles, will be holding a session on ‘The National Tutoring Programme: a route to closing the disadvantage gap?’ and will lead a panel to discuss the pros and cons of tutoring. He will be joined by Headteacher Richard Slade, Headteacher Simrat Mavi and the Chair of the government’s Strategic Tutoring Advisory Group, Nick Brook.

A Skills Imperative - From here to 2035
Thursday 6 July, 12:45-13:30

NFER’s Research Director, Dr Lisa Morrison-Coulthard, will hold a session on what essential skills are needed for the future of work. She will be drawing on research from NFER’s 5-year programme ‘The Skills Imperative 2035: Essential Skills for Tomorrow’s Workforce’. Dr Morrison-Coulthard will be joined by David Hughes (CEO of Association of Colleges), and Chris Millward (Professor of Practice in Education Policy at the University of Birmingham).

Our research experts will also be a part of a number of other sessions:

  • 'We need to go radical on flexible schooling’ - Thursday 6 July - 10:30-11:15 - Featuring NFER School Workforce Lead Jack Worth.
  • 'What does a strong trust look like?' - Thursday 6 July - 12:45-13:30 - Featuring NFER Senior Economist Jenna Julius.
  • 'How to improve BAME representation in schools (and why it matters)' - Featuring NFER School Workforce Lead Jack Worth.