The Human Side of Leadership Conference

The Human Side of Leadership Conference is coming to The Carriageworks Theatre on Thursday 22 October, bringing together around 100 school and trust leaders from Leeds and beyond to talk about the realities of running a school. It's the inaugural conference of its kind, and the whole day is built around people-first leadership — focusing on the human side of the role rather than just the management of it.

The morning starts with two keynotes. Shaheen Myers opens with The Human Side of Leadership, the title that gives the day its name, and Kate Burton, Principal at White Rose Academies Trust, follows with Why I Still Love This Job. From there, the focus shifts to panel discussions: one on complaints culture, and another on creating cultures where staff and students flourish. The session closes with an open Q&A, so there's space to ask questions and get a proper conversation going.

Between the keynotes, the panels, and the open dialogue, the day looks at the pressures leaders navigate, the cultures schools build, and how to sustain the people who lead them. It's less about the administrative side of the job and more about the people involved — the staff, the students, and the leaders themselves.

It runs from 9:30am to 2:30pm at The Carriageworks Theatre, Millennium Square, Leeds LS2 3AD. Tickets were £109.05 and are now sold out.