David is an expert on education, leadership, organisation and system change.

He is a partner at the UK’s Innovation Unit, Consultant to the Global Education Leaders Programme and New York City’s iZone initiative since 2010, and Innovation Coach on Nesta’s Creative Councils programme. Between 2000 and 2006 David was the Director at the National College for School Leadership and prior to that for 14 years headteacher at Sharnbrook Upper School and Community College. He has taught on the Leadership Masters programmes at the universities of Cambridge and Nottingham; worked on system change initiatives in a number of countries; and has written extensively on system change themes.

David will join us to argue that the current schooling system is inappropriate to both the task and the times – and show us what an alternative might look like.

Some things we now know: • The existing model of schooling has had more than 100 years to succeed for 100% of young people and it isn’t even half way there • We know that intelligence can be grown, and that all young people can be successful learners • Technology has revolutionised learning, but not schooling • Young people ‘power down’ their learning when they attend school.

There are models of practice around the world from which the system resolutely fails to lean. David will show us what these alternatives are and invites us to imagine a different way.