Key speeches

Read a summary of the key speeches, and download the presentations, below.

Read more about the speakers (PDF, 94KB).

Howard Goodall, Composer and Singing Ambassador

Howard spoke passionately about his visit to South Africa, where he found singing is central to students’ education – and to keeping them alive.

As a singing ambassador, Howard wants to challenge the idea that you have to ‘strip away any creative subjects and just do the basics’ in schools. ‘It’s the other way round – you need to increase art, music, singing …’

Singing can help to:

• bridge age ranges and social divides
• raise ambitions and aspirations
• accelerate learning
• improve students’ brains
• raise self-esteem.

Julia Unwin, Director, Joseph Rowntree Foundation

Download a summary of Julia Unwin's speech (Word, 35KB)

Ty Goddard, Director, British Council for School Environments

Despite recent progress in England (for example, Every Child Matters), there are still a number of challenges, according to Ty Goddard. These include: achieving cultural change in organisations and institutions; improving and sharing practice; the lack of participation of children, teachers and the children’s workforce.

Young people also need supporting, so that they have the skills to participate effectively.

At BCSE they are trying to create a positive school, where spaces can be used for different teaching styles, where the community is welcome, and where there is a personalisation of educational space.

Geoff Mulgan, Director, The Young Foundation

Geoff Mulgan, from The Young Foundation, began by saying that, as a country, ‘we’re bad with children – they’re seen as a problem, rather than as participants. Also, many British communities don’t see learning as something for them. But there are underlying skills (for example, social) that are needed, which employees say are more important than formal qualifications. You can learn these skills through doing things with others.

Geoff gave examples of innovations, such as: working with 11 year olds on emotional resilience and getting successful professionals working in schools and other educational establishments as teachers, in leadership roles, and so on (call 020 8709 9030 for more details on Teach Next and Teach Too projects).

Jane Hutt AM, Welsh Assembly Government

Download a summary of Jane Hutt's speech (Word, 34KB)

Robson Davison, Deputy Secretary, Department of Education, Northern Ireland

Visit the Northern Ireland pages of our website to read a summary of Robson Davison's speech. 

Beverley Hughes MP, Department for Children, Schools and Families

The conference comes hot on the heels of the Children’s Plan, which aims to: think holistically about children's lives; see children in the context of their family; and strengthen and renew the role of the family and the wider community.

The mission for 21st century children’s services is to respond effectively to disadvantages in a tailored and more personal way. Sure Start centres and extended schools are pivotal to this, providing a hub for multi-agency responses.

‘It’s an exciting and challenging time to be working with children.’

 But there’s more we can do to:

• link programmes
• get young people, families and communities involved
• encourage volunteering
• empower young people in decision making
• make environments more child-friendly
• develop strong leadership
• celebrate the achievements of young people
• improve collaboration within children's services
• create a world-class children’s workforce.