Make a Difference Day

Make a Difference - for all operational staff

Empowering excellence behind the scenes

09.00 – 15.00 on Friday 4th July at Harrogate Grammar School

Our Operations Conference presents a fantastic professional development opportunity for all colleagues from across the Trust not working in a classroom-facing role to participate in an interesting day of keynote speeches from sector leaders and collaborative workshops. It's a rare chance to come together as one team, network, share best practice and gain valuable insights through a fun, thought provoking day, which will help us all in our busy jobs.

Speakers

Mark Roberts - Leadership and Innovation

Mark Roberts co-founded Beer Hawk in 2012 and scaled it to a team of over 170 beer enthusiasts. He has won numerous business awards and published a top-selling book, The Entrepreneur Within.

Stephen Morales - Operational Excellence

Stephen Morales, CEO of the Institute of School Business Leadership, has a 20-year career in operations and finance. He led the transition from the National Association of School Business Management to the Institute of School Business Leadership and collaborates closely with the Department for Education.

Jonny Wathen - Harnessing Digital and AI

Jonny Wathen, a seasoned CIO and Data Protection Officer, has over 15 years' experience in digital transformation across multi-academy trusts. Jonny holds an Executive MBA and has contributed to national digital initiatives with UCL and the University of Leeds.

Workshops

Colleagues will be able to select from a series of workshops, designed to help us in our day-to-day work.

Morning Workshops

Workshop	Workshop Description	Room
Exploring Neurodiversity in the Workplace Ria Tomlinson, HR Director at Red Kite Learning Trust	This workshop explores neurodiversity in the workplace and how to support colleagues through better understanding, communication, and reasonable adjustments. We’ll cover inclusive practices, supportive tools for line managers, and ways to foster an inclusive culture. Ideal for anyone interested in inclusivity or supporting neurodivergent colleagues more effectively.
What is coaching? And how to have a coaching conversation Julie Wellacott, HR Partner, Red Kite Learning Trust	This bitesize workshop introduces coaching, focusing on key theories, skills, and how to have effective coaching conversations. Learn practical methods to support and develop colleagues, whether through performance or challenging discussions. Ideal for anyone wanting to explore coaching, develop their style, and build confidence in workplace coaching conversations.
Using AI to Save Time and Boost Productivity Emma Johnson, Marketing Manager, Red Kite Education	Discover how to harness the power of AI to reduce workload, generate ideas and speed up everyday tasks. This practical workshop is ideal for those new to AI and will introduce AI tools, demonstrating how they can support a range of school-based tasks. You’ll leave with real examples and ideas you can apply immediately.
Get hands-on with Pivot tables Steve Howell, Commercial Director, Red Kite Learning Trust	Learn how to utilise this powerful function in Excel to analyse and present your data. Participants will get hands-on with Pivot tables and gain a basic understanding of why, when and how to use them. Perfect for anyone with some experience and confidence in Excel.
Specialist Pension Advice Chartered Adviser, St James's Place Wealth Management	Explore how to make the most of Specialist Pension Advice and implement Financial Wellbeing support in your workplace. With 80% reporting financial stress impacts mental health and 40% noting reduced work performance, this session highlights the importance of proactive support. Start making positive changes for a healthier, more productive future.
Absence Management Abigail Thackway, HR Business Partner, Red Kite Learning Trust	This workshop covers the Red Kite Learning Trust attendance policy, offering guidance and a refresher for line managers on managing absence. Learn how to support colleagues, hold difficult conversations, promote wellbeing, and apply the policy fairly and consistently. Ideal for new or existing line managers, within Red Kite, looking to upskill or refresh their approach.
Brand Voice and Engagement Emma Sharman, Marketing & Communications Manager, Red Kite Learning Trust	Every school tells a story, through its website, social media, signage, and even day-to-day conversations. This session explores how we can all play a part in shaping that story through consistent, engaging communication. Marketing isn’t just for the comms team, it’s everyone’s job in school to help build a trusted, recognisable, and proud school brand. Suitable for all Red Kite colleagues.
Trust-Wide Estates Collaboration Sam Shuttleworth, Director of Estates	A networking and knowledge-sharing session for site teams across the Trust. Review and consolidate planned preventative maintenance for greater efficiency. Share experiences with current suppliers and recommend reliable contractors. Discuss how to better collaborate and use existing skills within site teams to improve value and reduce costs for schools. Suitable for Red Kite Site Teams.

Afternoon Workshops

Workshop	Workshop Description	Room
From Vision to Value: Delivering Operational Impact Through Technology Jonny Wathen	This practical workshop explores how multi-academy trusts can turn digital strategy into real-world impact. Jonny Wathen shares examples of how technology enhances efficiency, collaboration, and operations across Trust functions. Ideal for operational leaders, IT strategists, and executives aiming to align digital investments with core mission and measurable outcomes.
Intermediary Excel Samantha Hirst Financial Controller, Red Kite Learning Trust	Suitable for delegates with a good basic knowledge of excel. Working through and simplifying functions such as SUMIF and VLOOKUP, with examples of how this is used within the Finance department in our Trust to help translate to your roles and tasks
Power query in Excel Thi Nguyen, Red Kite Learning Trust	Learn how to save hours each month by automating tedious Excel tasks with Power Query. This session introduces this built-in tool to stop repetitive copy-pasting, fix broken VLOOKUPs, and clean, combine, and refresh data automatically, perfect for people who use Excel regularly but not dashboards yet.
Cyber Security - Awareness David Burns, Director of IT, Red Kite Learning Trust	In this session you’ll look at methods scammers use when trying trick us into doing something we shouldn’t, what makes a secure password and why, as well as some do’s and don’ts when using free wifi. No IT knowledge is needed.
Procurement James Rant, CFO and Gintare Miles, Procurement & Contracts Officer, Red Kite Learning Trust	An overview of procurement regulation and landscape in the Education sector. This session will also outline the Trust strategy and policies and how this impacts all roles across our Trust. Suitable for Red Kite colleagues.
Arbor - Pupil Attendance Peter Martin, Operations Manager, Western Primary School Arbor Analyst, RKLT Ben Rollinson, Data Officer, TLA	This session introduces the Arbor Custom Report Writer and Trust Power BI Attendance Dashboard. Learn to create simple attendance reports in Arbor and interpret Power BI dashboards. Suitable for beginners and those looking to improve reporting skills, it offers practical tools to support your role effectively.
Social Media Top Tips Emma Sharman, Marketing & Communications Manager, Red Kite Learning Trust	Learn how to create effective, engaging, and on-brand social media content for your school. This session covers top tips, common pitfalls, and platform-specific guidance. Ideal for anyone involved in creating or approving posts, it will help you represent your school professionally and connect positively with your community and prospective families.

Logistics & Next Steps

To Register your place

Headteachers and Trust Leaders are collating a return for each school/department. Once your details are logged with us, we will contact you directly to gather your workshop preferences and to share further details about the conference you will attend.

Refreshments

Lunch and refreshments will be provided. If you have any special dietary requirements, please let your Headteacher or Trust Team Leader know.

Mobility Requirements

If you have any mobility requirements, please inform your Headteacher or Trust Team Leader.

Photo/Film Footage

Consent for photos/film footage to be used for Red Kite Learning Trust and schools on websites and/or social media will be assumed, unless you choose to opt out. Please inform your Headteacher or Trust Team Leader if you wish to opt out.

Transport options

For those colleagues going to Temple Learning Academy (TLA) and attending all day, coach pick-up will be available from Harrogate (Rossett School) and West Leeds (Crawshaw Academy) to/from TLA (departing circa 08:00 and returning around 15:45). Any colleagues living in Harrogate or West Leeds and going to TLA are encouraged to use the coach option from these pick-up points.
For those travelling by car to either TLA or Harrogate Grammar School, please car-share where possible as parking will be limited at both venues. For car drivers, in accordance with pre-published guidance, a reminder that drivers must ensure they have business insurance if using their own vehicle to go to a different place of work than usual.
For those based at schools close to TLA (Meadowfield, TNHPS, TMHS, Whitkirk) we are exploring the potential for you to park at your usual place of work and either walk to TLA or take a minibus. More information to follow if this applies to you.

Arrival &/or Departure time for any part-time staff

If you will only be able to attend the conference for part of the day, please let your Headteacher or Trust Team Leader know your expected arrival and departure times.