NAHT Regional Roadshow 2026

 

We are pleased to announce the dates for our Regional Roadshow taking place in spring 2026.

Join us for a day of professional development, networking and plenary discussions led by prominent voices in education covering the following:

• The education landscape - Paul Whiteman
• Education reform/white paper - James Bowen
• SEND review - Marijke Miles
• Ofsted inspection - Ian Hartwright
• Curriculum review - Sarah Hannafin
• Employment Rights Act - Paula Porter
• Parental complaints - Browne Jacobson

These events have been intentionally designed to ensure they are nationally delivered, but locally felt.  They are an opportunity to build community by mobilising regions and bringing NAHT expertise to members closer to their schools.

Dates and venues (9am - 3.30pm)

Please click on the date below to book your place:
Tuesday 24th February - IET, Birmingham
Wednesday 25th February - Liverpool Hope University, Liverpool
Thursday 19th March - Mercure Hotel, Norwich
Friday 20th March - Radisson Hotel, York
Tuesday 24th March - University of Bristol
Wednesday 25th March - 15Hatfields, London

Click here for booking terms, conditions and code of conduct.

Members:  £95
Non-members:  £145

Lunch and refreshments are included within the ticket price.

 

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Welcome to our speakers

Paul Whiteman – NAHT general secretary 

Paul Whiteman took over as general secretary of NAHT in September 2017.  NAHT represents the majority of school leaders in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Paul leads all of NAHT’s campaigns to improve schools for everyone, including the campaigns to achieve a fair funding settlement for schools, improve the systems of accountability and improve the recruitment and retention of teachers and leaders.  

Prior to taking over as general secretary, Paul was NAHT’s director of representation and advice, a post he held for five years. The representation and advice team includes regional officers, organisers, the advice team and the legal team, helping to promote NAHT’s voice across the country while providing highly regarded assistance and protection to members when needed.

Before joining NAHT, Paul spent a decade as a national official at the FDA, the union for civil servants. He has a first-class grasp of education issues as well as many years’ experience in the wider trade union movement.
 

 James Bowen - NAHT assistant general secretary

James Bowen is assistant general secretary at NAHT, where he leads the union’s policy, research, press and communications teams. He is the former head teacher of an ‘outstanding’ junior school in Hampshire and has held a number of other leadership positions in schools, including deputy head teacher, SENCo and subject leader. James has particular expertise in a number of key policy areas, including funding, assessment, accountability and curriculum. He is a regular education blogger and appears regularly on television and radio as an NAHT spokesperson.

 

 

 

 

Marijke Miles - SEND and Alternative Provision (AP) Sector Council chair

For nearly 30 years, Marijke Miles has worked with young people with SEND in many different settings and sectors. Currently head teacher of Baycroft School, a school for secondary-aged students with learning and sensory difficulties and autism, she was previously head teacher of Prospect School, a secondary school for boys with SEMH. Both have become known as centres of excellence for supporting young people and their families, particularly children in care, as well as training units for student social workers from the Universities of Chichester and Winchester. She is known for her innovative practice, which has been featured in several books, and is in demand as both a speaker and a writer. As chair of NAHT's SEND and AP Sector Council and a member of the National Forum for Neuroscience in Special Education, she contributes intellectual and moral advocacy to SEND practice, provision, and strategy.

Ian Hartwright - NAHT head of policy (professional)

Ian Hartwright is NAHT’s head of policy (professional) and is responsible for NAHT’s policy work on pay, inspection, funding, recruitment and retention, and workload and well-being.  An experienced educationist, Ian worked as both a history and politics teacher and a curriculum leader in four secondary schools.  Ian led education at a grade 1 listed historic visitor attraction, delivering formal programmes, public engagement and working with European and Transatlantic partners.  As a senior manager at Ofsted, Ian led the policy team responsible for developing statutory inspection frameworks, guidance and procedures, and later worked as a consultant before joining NAHT in 2016.  A committed trade unionist, Ian has been a workplace representative and also served as a national executive member of the FDA.

 

Sarah Hannafin - NAHT head of policy (practice and research)

Sarah Hannafin is head of policy (practice and research) at NAHT, where her policy remit includes curriculum, statutory assessment, qualifications, performance data, pupil mental well-being and safeguarding. Before joining NAHT in 2015, Sarah spent 18 years working in schools, starting as a learning support assistant before qualifying as a teacher of religious education. She spent eight years of her teaching career on the senior leadership team, where her responsibilities included teaching, learning, pastoral support and safeguarding.

 

 

 

Paula Porter - NAHT assistant general secretary (people, advice and legal)

Paula is a solicitor with more than 28 years’ experience representing teachers, head teachers and other professionals in high-profile legal proceedings. A former partner and practice lead with the largest trade union law firm in the UK.

Paula is also a school governor.

 

 

 

 

Browne Jacobson will be represented by dedicated lawyers at each location to discuss parental complaints

 

Philip Wood - principal associate

Philip is a principal associate advising schools and academies. He’s known for his breadth of experience across the key issues facing education institutions, including admissions, SEND, exclusions and discrimination. He regularly advises on complaints and exclusions with Equality Act implications across the full range of protected characteristics, including sex, race, gender reassignment, religion and disability.

Philip frequently represents schools in Equality Act litigation, including in the First Tier Tribunal, the Upper Tribunal and the County Court. In 2024, Philip acted on nearly half of the total Upper Tribunal appeal cases relating to disability discrimination in schools. These include A Multi Academy Trust v RR [2024], which provides the first interpretation of the reasonable adjustment amendments to the Equality Act for schools.

 

He's frequently instructed on some of the most high-profile and sensitive matters relating to education and pupils. This has recently included cases related to Prevent and pupils deemed at risk of terrorism, child deaths in school, pupil stabbings and sexual misconduct by pupils.

Previously, Philip advised several schools in relation to the ‘No Outsider’ protests, relating to sex and relationships and citizenship education. He also successfully defended a related judicial review claim. This experience means that he is still called upon to advise on continuing issues in a number of schools where parents have ongoing concerns about the curriculum.

Philip also co-chairs the firm’s Education Shadow Board and, in his spare time, chairs the board of a five-school multi-academy trust.

 

Katie Michelon - partner

Katie is a highly experienced education lawyer. She advises schools and academies across England on a broad range of education law matters, including governance, admissions, Ofsted inspection, exclusions and parental complaints. Katie has particular expertise in the area of school intervention, advising schools and academies on matters such as warning notices, interim executive boards and forced academisation. She also has a huge amount of experience supporting schools with challenging Ofsted inspections. Katie has advised on hundreds of academy projects, including the creation and expansion of multi-academy trusts and the conversion of all types of schools, including special schools, pupil referral units and hospital schools. She now focuses largely on group projects, working closely with multi-academy trusts on transfers and conversions. Katie regularly speaks at national conferences and delivers webinars. She also delivers bespoke training to trust boards and leadership teams on topics such as safeguarding, complaints and exclusions. 

 

Mark Blois - partner

Mark is a leading expert in education law and governance and has been recommended as a leader in his field for almost 20 years in Chambers and Legal 500. Chambers ranks him as one of only two lawyers ranked in Band One nationally for recommended schools’ lawyers. Legal 500 includes him in its Hall of Fame, which highlights law firm partners at the pinnacle of the profession.

Mark also has more than 20 years' experience in serving in governance roles in the school, academy and further education sectors. Between 2011 and 2021, Mark served as the chair of the L.E.A.D Academy Trust, a 25-school multi-academy trust operating in the East Midlands, Lincolnshire and South Yorkshire region, educating more than 10,500 children and young people.

Mark continues as the Trust's vice chair. Mark regularly speaks at national conferences, including those of the Confederation of School Trusts (CST), the Association of School & College Leaders (ASCL), the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT), the Institute of School Business Leadership (ISBL) and the National Governance Association (NGA). Mark is also a trustee of the National Association for Special Educational Needs (NASEN).

 

Charlotte Antoniou - partner

With 10 years’ experience in the education sector, Charlotte has recently joined Browne Jacobson LLP to head up its London-based education practice.

Charlotte specialises in advising maintained schools, academies, multi-academy trusts and their sponsors on an array of legal matters, including collaborative structures, re-brokerages, governance, data protection, admissions, exclusions and special educational needs issues.

Charlotte is ranked by Chambers and Partners as a notable practitioner and has advised on more than 300 academy conversions and 60 free schools to date.

 

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Programme*

 

*subject to change.

Click here for booking terms, conditions and code of conduct.