Alicia Coad
Darren Coxon
Jo Cruse
Henry Fraser
Virginia Parkes
Julie Robinson
Nicola Rollock
Dr Kathy Weston
Alicia is a former Independent Schools Marketing Director and has supported many schools with their marketing and admissions. She has over 15 yrs experience in the sector having previously worked in the corporate world and is passionate about all things schools marketing. She is also an Independent school governor, parent of children in Independent Schools and married to an Independent School teacher so brings a 360 degree perspective on schools marketing and admissions.
Darren is the Founder of Coxon AI, a consultancy specialising in helping schools make sense of AI in their context. An educator for 25 years, Darren has most recently managed the operation of school groups, notably Brighton College’s international schools and Britus Education, Bahrain. Darren has been at the forefront of educational technology for many years, including leading the first state 6th form in the UK to move to an iPad 1:1 model. He is now a major thought leader on AI in education and has delivered training, keynotes and workshops for HMC, COBIS, BSME, GSA, NAHT, Saxton Bampfylde, Independent Schools Portal, the National College, and GESS Dubai. This summer he will be speaking at the Inspiring Leadership Conference.
Jo’s expertise sits at the intersection of education and entrepreneurship. She leads the Education Practice at people and culture consultancy, 100 & First, and advises ambitious start-ups and schools on projects related to strategy, entrepreneurship, and leadership development.
A former A Level teacher, in 2019 Jo became a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts for her work in the sector. Jo began her career working in politics in South Africa, where she held positions including Chief of Staff to the Parliamentary Leader of the Opposition.
Jo holds several voluntary and advisory roles in the education sector. She is also the Founder of Delivering Better, a national campaign for maternity care reform.
Henry is an accomplished mouth artist, Sunday Times bestselling author and renowned speaker who was left paralysed from his shoulders down following a tragic accident when he was 17. He counts author J.K. Rowling and the England Rugby and Cricket teams among his fans.
Henry’s story is an example of resilience in its most extraordinary form. In his session, he’ll discuss how he turned an unthinkable experience into a catalyst to create change in his life and the lives of others.
Virginia (Ginny) Parkes commenced her career in education 20 years ago, when she initially taught ICT and business studies up to, and including, A Level. After several years in teaching, Ginny moved into a consultancy based role before joining the Department for Education, initially as Head of Digital Engagement for the Training and Development Agency (TDA) before moving on as a Senior Communications Advisor for the DfE. Following the birth of her two daughters, Ginny took up the role of Education Strategy Director for an educational trust in Greater Manchester, before eventually taking up her previous role as Director of Finance & Operations (Bursar) at an independent school in Cheshire. Ginny is an experienced governance professional, having sat as a governor for several schools throughout her career, as well as holding the position of Director of Governance for a large complex FE college group in South Yorkshire. Ginny is now a Trustee of the Sir John Brunner Foundation in Cheshire. In addition to being a qualified teacher, Ginny also holds a first degree in Business Management and a MSc. in Technology Enhanced Learning, Innovation & Change. Ginny’s role within AGBIS draws on her experience as a teacher, governance professional and independent school bursar enabling her to support member schools’ governing bodies.
Julie Robinson, General Secretary, ISC
Julie was first a teacher then head of two co-educational, day and boarding prep schools for children aged 3-13. She led education and training for IAPS for five years and was appointed General Secretary of the Independent Schools Council in 2015.
The ISC’s data analysis informs advocacy of the sector and Julie has appeared in the national media regularly. Live appearances include Newsnight, Sky News, The Today Programme, BBC, and Channel 4 News. The ISC is a representative body working with a range of other organisations linking the independent education sector and government policy. It brings together the independent school associations AGBIS, GSA, HMC, ¹û¶³´«Ã½APP, IAPS, ISBA and the Society of Heads along with affiliate associations BSA, COBIS, SCIS and WISC. The ISC’s three priority areas of activity are: research/data; media/communications and policy/public affairs. ISC seeks to support, inform and promote the sector, rebutting untruths and explaining the value of independent education to wider society.
Julie advocates working together for the benefit of children in all kinds of schools. She is a trustee of the School Partnerships Alliance and a school governor at a state school as well as an independent school in London.
Professor Rollock is a consultant and author who stands out for her ability to cut through the noise of current debates around racism with academic rigour, forensic analysis and precision. She works cross-sector with policymakers and organisations as a strategic advisor, cultural consultant and public speaker. Clients include corporates and financial institutions such as Moody’s, Morgan Stanley and The Financial Times.
Nicola Rollock is Professor of Social Policy & Race at King’s College London and Distinguished Fellow, Faculty of Education at the University of Cambridge. She is interested in how we think about and understand racism as a basis for fostering meaningful change. She is also founder and Director of NIANRO Consulting a boutique research agency specialising in innovative racial equity research and advice and, author of The Racial Code: tales of resistance and survival published by Penguin Press.
Professor Rollock was Cultural Consultant to the Young Vic’s production of Beneatha’s Place and previously Specialist Advisor to the Home Affairs Select Committee’s inquiry ‘The Macpherson Report: 22 Years On’. She has also held advisory roles with the University of Cambridge, the Wellcome Trust and the British Science Association.
Professor Rollock is probably best known for her research into the career experiences of Black female professors and the related exhibition ‘Phenomenal Women’ which went on display at London’s Southbank Centre and, for her role as academic expert in the BAFTA-winning Channel 4 documentary The School That Tried to End Racism.
She has made recent appearances on BBC Politics Live, BBC R4 Woman’s Hour and France24 Live and, as well as writing academically, her work has featured in The Financial Times, British Vogue and The Guardian.
Professor Rollock’s work is highly regarded both within and outside of the academy as reflected by a series of accolades. She is featured as one of 50 WeAreTheCity’s HSBC-sponsored Trailblazers for her contributions to gender and racial equity. In 2021, she was selected by apolitico as one of the 100 most influential academics in politics; in 2020, following an endorsement by Baroness Doreen Lawrence, she was included in the Duke & Duchess of Sussex’s list of Next Generation Trailblazers for challenging prejudice and contributions to British society and in 2019, was selected by Times Higher Education journalists as one of the ‘people of the year’, from across the globe, who impacted on higher education.
Dr Kathy holds a LL.B., Masters and Doctorate in Social Science (Criminology) from the University of Cambridge and worked for many years as a policy researcher and research fellow in education. She is the co-author of two books for school staff on “Engaging Parents” (Bloomsbury, 2018;2020) and a sought-after keynote speaker. In 2018, she founded Tooled Up Education: a digital library of evidence-based resources for parents and teachers, on all aspects of parenting, education and family life.
Dr Weston works with a team of researchers who collaborate with some of the world’s most eminent researchers. By having access to the most up-to-date research findings, Tooled Up is able to bridge the world of research with real-life by curating and developing usable tips, activities and advice that can empower parents or those who work with children. This unique, digital library grows in response to requests from schools and parents, making it a powerful hub of most relevant content in the educational space today.
Go to to read more about her work.