On Friday 31^st January 2025, we held the Inclusive Leadership and Practice Conference at Carr Manor Community School. This was our fourth annual conference, and our largest by a considerable margin.

Over 300 delegates were in attendance to enjoy the talks, workshops, and entertainment on offer. Also in attendance were colleagues from 15 partner organisations and collaborators operating promotional stalls and information booths.

We are thankful to our fantastic sponsors: Leeds City College, White Rose Academies Trust, Leeds Trinity University, Morley Glass and Glazing, and Carr Manor Community School. Without their generous support, the event would not have been possible.

The day began with opening words from our host and LLA Ambassador Jamie Jones-Buchanan MBE, who wove together his experiences as a professional sportsman with the areas of inspiration he now takes in his current role as Director of Culture, Diversity and Inclusivity at the Leeds Rhinos. Jamie considered the importance of collaboration – “A plane has four million parts, and not one of them can fly” – a sentiment and theme which permeated the conference as the day unfolded.

Following Jamie’s introduction, we were joined by Baptist minister and the founder of Oasis UK, Steve Chalke MBE. Steve picked up this theme of collaboration, weaving together his own personal professional journey with the practice of turtle conservation tourism. He asserted that we are social, caring people who must work together to see real success. All keynotes are available to watch on our Members’ Zone.

Running concurrently with the conference was our first LLA Youth Summit, taking place in the newly built Carr Manor Community Hub. As the morning’s talks were delivered, these were livestreamed to the 65 young people at the summit. They took Steve Chalke’s ‘manifesto for hope’ as a springboard to generate their own ideas together for their manifesto of the future. Thank you to Carr Manor Community School, Ralph Thoresby, Co-Op Academy Priesthorpe and Wetherby High School for contributing to this.

Delegates attended two workshops during the day, with a variety of choices with both an education focus and cross-sector sessions. Alongside the workshops, attendees could choose to attend an expert panel focused on either inclusive leadership in education, or on cross sector inclusive leadership. Thank you to our expert panellists who shared valuable insight during these open Q&A sessions.

During the Conference, we were proud to be entertained by some fantastic performers from our partner organisations – Leeds Conservatoire and the Northern School of Contemporary Dance.

The Olivia Cuttill Trio performed some wonderful music for our audience before the Youth Panel, which was again hosted by Jamie Jones-Buchanan MBE.

The Youth Panel consisted of 6 young people from Carr Manor Community School and Wetherby High School, spanning Year 6 through to Year 11 (10 – 16). The pupils were selected from the Youth Summit, and they answered questions from both the host and some of the delegates in the audience.

For many of our guests, the Youth Panel was the highlight of the day. Colleagues were engrossed by the children’s eloquence, passion, and insight. It was truly inspirational to hear their voices, and a real opportunity for the young people to speak to an audience of leaders and difference-makers in the city of Leeds and beyond. The panel in full can be watched on our Members’ Zone.

The day came to a close with a powerful performance from the Northern School of Contemporary Dance, followed by the final keynote of the day from Anne Longfield CBE.

She spoke about the Centre for Young Lives, and its drive for ‘a new era for inclusion’, and an inclusive system which begins with support in the early years, mental health support in and around school, wrap-around support for families, breakfast and holiday clubs, and strong local partnerships.

Also running alongside the conference was an INSET day involving the staff from five LLA partner schools – Carr Manor Community School, Wetherby High School, Ralph Thoresby, Co-Op Academy Priesthorpe and Wetherby High School. Sessions for the training day took part across multiple venues and included a livestream of the opening speeches from the conference.

Staff from these schools were able to come together for the first time and share best practice in a series of unique workshops delivered by colleagues from across the organisations. It was an excellent opportunity to broaden the scope of the professional development – we thank all who contributed to facilitating these sessions. It was another example of the Leeds Learning Alliance’s ambition to expand the collaboration between our partner schools. We look forward to welcoming more delegates and partners to our next conference.

Thank you to all delegates, workshop leaders, stall operators, and speakers who attended the event – it was proof that the appetite for inclusion is strong and shared by many of our collaborators and partners. Together, we continue to build an inclusive future for young people in Leeds and beyond.