Teachers Share Best Practice at First Ever FelstEducate Conference 

Teachers from schools across East Anglia came together at Felsted recently for a day of thought-provoking seminars and workshops relating to professional development.

The first 'FelstEducate - Teach Meet' event was themed ‘Knowing the Child’ and offered a carousel of seminars on topics ranging from the importance of sleep for optimising cognitive performance and wellbeing, to relational practice, adaptive teaching and a coaching approach. 
 

Guest speaker Finn McClelland from GL Assessment explained how Pupil Attitude to Self and School (PASS) surveys support wellbeing and academic growth, while Daniel Emmerson, Executive Director of Good Future Foundation, provided food for thought with the findings of his work on the social and emotional impact of developments in artificial intelligence. 

At a networking lunch, delegates shared practices relating to supporting pupils with English as an additional language as well as mental health first aid, and discussions on how the education sector might best respond to developments in AI continued.

This was followed by a keynote speech by Dick Moore, whose examination of the realities of ill mental and emotional health, while emphasising the power of relationships teachers build with their students, was simultaneously 'laugh out loud' and tragic.

The afternoon offered a chance for staff from HMC (The Heads’ Conference) to discuss one of two topics - matters relating to Psychology or Special Educational Needs. Meanwhile, a seminar for remaining delegates outlined Felsted’s progress in assessment, including the path members of staff have taken to becoming Assessment Leads with Evidence-Based Education, as well as tasters of the core professional development programme for teachers being launched at Felsted next year.
 

‘We were delighted to welcome delegates from so many state and independent schools to the first event of this kind at Felsted,’ said Emily Predabon, Felsted’s Director of Teacher Development. ‘Sharing ideas and the latest practices is crucial if we are to ensure that education keeps pace with the modern world and continues to offer our pupils the support they need to make the most of their learning. We are looking forward to hosting more FelstEducate events next year ’

FelstEducate is part of Felsted’s ambition to provide a regional hub for teachers. The school was one of the first in the country to launch its own bespoke Early Careers Teachers (ECT) programme in 2022. Aligned with the school’s whole-school academic development priorities, Felsted’s two-year programme centres on key pedagogical areas that are important for the holistic development of teacher training. Inspectors from the Independent Schools Teacher Induction Panel (IStip) have described Felsted’s ECT programme as ‘excellent’ and praised the way it can be tailored to suit each individual.