Successful Middle Leaders Conference hosted by NLCS Jeju

NLCS Jeju proudly hosted this year’s Middle Leaders Conference, continuing the tradition of rotating venues across our international campuses. Over the course of a dynamic three-day event held on Friday to Sunday, Middle Leaders convened at NLCS Jeju to delve deep into the intricacies of exceptional leadership.

From heads of departments to assistant vice principals and aspiring leaders, attendees were immersed in a series of insightful discussions, inspiring presentations, and invaluable networking opportunities. The conference served as a platform for fostering connections and sharing best practices in leadership across the NLCS community.

Day 1, Friday 23rd February

Delegates from across NLCS (UK), NLCS Dubai and NLCS (Singapore) arrived at various times on Friday and came together to greet each other alongside NLCS Jeju. A welcome event at the campus was prepared with food and refreshments for all, providing the perfect setting to get to know other members of staff and the school itself.

Day 2, Saturday 24th February

An action packed day begins with Lynne Oldfield, Principal at NLCS Jeju summarises the event with an overview of the conference and formal introductions to speakers and delegates.

following on from the briefing, the day consisted of two amazing sessions delivered by keynote speaker, Sian Carr on the topic of shifting your mindset from classroom teacher/tutor to a leader of people. Sian has many years’ experience in the field of education as an MFL teacher, Senior Leader, Principal, Executive Principal and System Leader. Sian was also awarded an OBE for her services to education  in the Birthday Honours List for 2020. During the session, Sian supported delegates to outline their own leadership values and approaches to leadership, whilst also exploring the mindset shift that new middle leaders as they go from leadership of their own classrooms to grow into strategic, compassionate, solution-focused leaders of a team.

In addition to Sian’s sessions, we also had notable guest speaker, Tom Sherrington who provided an insightful session on how to maximise the impact of your team. during the talk, Tom provided advice and approaches on how to ensure that middle leaders are getting the most out of their teams and the practical steps that they might take in the early stages of middle leadership to ensure that there is a measurable impact.

Tom Sherrington is an education consultant and author, writing the popular and widely read blog and books including ‘The Learning Rainforest’ and the best-seller ‘Rosenshine’s Principles in Action’. With 30 years’ of experience as a physics and maths teacher alongside being a school leader himself, Tom is in demand from schools around the world to deliver CPD for teachers and leadership teams. Being a regular keynote speaker and contributor to conferences and education festivals, we are delighted to have Tom join this year’s conference.

Day 3, Sunday 25th February

On the final day of the conference our Director of Education Strategy, Gwen Byrom led discussions on ‘Leadership in an NLCS Context’, consolidating the learning and areas of focus from Sian and Tom’s sessions the previous day into the context of leadership with an NLCS school. Delegates engaged in reflective panel discussions and plenary presentations, cementing their learnings from the enriching conference experience.

In summary, the Middle Leaders Conference at NLCS Jeju showcased a dynamic blend of insightful discussions, inspiring presentations, and meaningful connections. From exploring the nuances of leadership in an NLCS context to delving into practical strategies for team optimization and leadership transition, the event provided a rich learning experience for all attendees. Against the backdrop of our rotating international campuses, this year’s conference underscored our global commitment to leadership excellence within our educational community. As we look back on the event, we celebrate the bonds strengthened, the insights gained, and the collective steps taken towards fostering leadership excellence and a shared ethos across our schools.