We are pleased to announce that FREE tickets are available now for the NAPCE Spring Online Conference in April.

About the Event

NAPCE SPRING ONLINE CONFERENCE 2026

The Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Pastoral Care in Education.

Guest Speaker Dr Rohan Jowallah

Dr. Rohan Jowallah is a globally recognized educator, researcher, curriculum designer, and instructional innovator with over 30 years of experience across the Caribbean, England, and the United States. His work lies at the intersection of pedagogy, technology, and inclusion, with a mission to humanize and ethically steer the AI revolution in education

Purpose

• To share views about the opportunities and challenges of artificial intelligence
• To explore the potential Impact of artificial intelligence on future policy and practice.
• To consider the possible impact of artificial intelligence on pastoral care and support for learners
• To share good practice in pastoral care and support for learners.
• To discuss current issues in education, pastoral care and support, for learners.

Delegates experience

• Keynote expert speaker
• Exploring current issues
• sharing good practice.

Date

• Thursday 16^th April 2026, 7-15pm

Venue

• Online
• Link to be sent to all ticket holders

Programme

7-15 pm – Welcome Phil Jones, National Chair of NAPCE

7-20 pm – Guest Speaker, Dr Rohan J Jowallah

International Keynote Speaker on AI in Education

‘The Opportunities and Challenges of Artificial Intelligence.’

7-50 pm – Questions and discussion

8-00 pm – Pastoral Question Time

Chaired by Phil Jones with

• Professor Mark Diacopoulos Pittsburg State University, KS. (USA)
• Dr Nicole Ponsford, CEO Global Equality Collective
• Charlie Walker, Chief of Staff at CompliMind, AI powered support for healthcare
• Sam Human Head of AI at Globeducate,
• Samantha Marsden, author and teacher.

Free Tickets available on Eventbrite

https://NAPCEONLINE26.eventbrite.co.uk

• Limited to maximum 100 delegates
• NAPCE Members Free early booking window until January 1^st 2026

Any questions contact admin@napce.org.uk

Tickets are available now first come first served for NAPCE members and non-members.

We are very pleased to announce that tickets are now available for the NAPCE Annual Conference 2026 – in partnership with Pupil Pathways – in Worcester.

About the Event

Main Event Partner

Pupil Pathways

Pupil Pathways is on a mission to create a fairer, more equitable education system, one where disadvantaged, vulnerable, and those with need will thrive. We believe that early, targeted support is essential to ensure No Learner Is Left Behind, and to build a more inclusive society for all.

Find out more about them here: https://pupilpathways.com

Purpose

• To explore the current challenges for schools and colleges to demonstrate inclusion and belonging.
• To examine how effective pastoral care support can support inclusion and belonging

Date & Time

• Friday 9^th October 2026, 9.00am registration and refreshments

Venue

• The Graeme Hick Pavilion
• Worcester County Cricket Ground

Delegates experience.

• Keynote expert speakers.
• Schools sharing good practice.
• Question Time Panel
• Discussions
• Networking with other delegates
• Displays

Tickets – on Eventbrite at https://NAPCEANNUALCONFERENCE26.eventbrite.co.uk

• Limited to maximum of one hundred delegates
• Available on Eventbrite
• Link https://NAPCEANNUALCONFERENCE26.eventbrite.co.uk
• NAPCE Members £40.00
• Early Booking delegates £50.00 until Tuesday 10^th March
• Delegates £100.00
• Any questions contact admin@napce.org.uk
• Website napce.org.uk
• Email admin@napce.org.uk

The Conference Programme

9-00am – Registration and refreshments

9-20am – Welcome and arrangements for the conference. Is Inclusion an Achievable Goal? – Phil Jones, National Chair, The National Association for Pastoral Care in Education

9-30am – Headline Conference Sponsors, Brendon Nell, Pupil Pathways. ‘Effective Pastoral Care and Support for Transition’.

9-40am – Keynote Speaker – Andrew Wright OBE, Chair of The Attachment Research Community. Supporting the Learning Experience of Children and Young People

10-30 am – Keynote Speaker – Zoe Ali, Deputy Headteacher, Thornhill Community Academy, Dewsbury, England. ‘Achieving a Sense of Belonging in Schools’

11-15am – Break – refreshments -networking

11-30am – Keynote Speaker – Dr Anne Emerson. Speech and language therapist, teacher, trainer, parent-support worker, counsellor, researcher and author.  ‘Developing a Compassionate Culture in Schools’

12-20 pm – Lunch – networking

1-00 pm – Good Practice Presentation –Sam Cotton, ‘Empowering Change, and Personal Growth’

1-30pm – Good Practice Presentation – Vicki Blackburn, Dame Alice Owens School

Supporting learners, staff and families

2-00pm – Good Practice Presentation – Chris Tooley, Principal Netherhall School in Cambridge. A vision for effective pastoral care in schools.

2-30pm – Good Practice Presentation – David Griffiths, Deputy Director of School Improvement for ISA International Education Group

Head of ISA Liwan International School. Co-Head of ISA Wenhua Liwan School. Introducing Daniel Machin, Principal at Queen Ethelburga’s Collegiate and Independent Day and boarding School in York

Global perspectives about effective pastoral care and support for learners

3-00pm – Break and refreshments

3-10pm – Pastoral Question Time Panel

Chaired by Phil Jones with an invited panel of expert guests.

3-50pm – Close – Phil Jones

For information and to reserve tickets go to https://NAPCEANNUALCONFERENCE26.eventbrite.co.uk

Tickets for the NAPCE May Conference 2019 are available now

The event will be held on May 8th, 2019 at The Studio Birmingham and the theme is “Facing the challenges of Mental Health and Wellbeing in Schools, Let’s Talk About It”.

A host of influential and inspirational key note speakers have been lined up and the event will include four special workshop sessions with experts for the sharing of knowledge and practice around the subject.

The event is aimed at people with a pastoral role within an education environment and delegates can now reserve places.

Promoting mental health and wellbeing is a challenge faced by all schools and professionals who work with young people.

This conference brings together the latest research and ideas to support all professionals in finding ways to support the personal development of young people to enable them to achieve their full potential in the 21^st century.

Tickets, priced at £40 (£20 for NAPCE members), includes the full conference, lunch and refreshments and can be purchased here https://napce2019.eventbrite.co.uk

The National Association for Pastoral Care (NAPCE) produced a special edition of the international journal ‘Pastoral Care in Education’, in August 2018 with the title ‘Facing the Challenges of Mental Health and Well-being in schools.

This presented the latest research and ideas from around the world on how to promote mental health and well – being and NAPCE is going to continue this important discussion at the Conference.

The event will be important to people with an interest in the future of education and how to meet the needs of young people.

This issue is relevant to all educationalists, at a time when the government is exploring how to improve mental health and well being in schools, how to provide appropriate training and to ensure that this is effective when there are constraints on budgets.

Delegates will have the opportunity to contribute to this discussion by attending the conference and to develop a greater understanding about how schools can improve the mental health and well-being of young people.

The Conference Programme

9am – Arrival. Tea or coffee and a selection of pastries

9.20am – Phil Jones Chair of NAPCE, ‘The importance of pastoral support in schools’

9.40am – Tim Boyes CEO Birmingham Educational Partnership, Key Note Speech

10.20am – Professor Stan Tucker and Professor Dave Trotman; Messages from Research: Schools, Pastoral Care and Mental Health.

11.00am – Tea or coffee & snacks

11.20am – Jonathan Jones HMI, Specialist Advisor for SEND. Ofsted views on the Schools role in Improving Mental Health.

12.00pm – Anna Cole, Association of School and College Leaders, Parliamentary and Inclusion Specialist. The Headteacher’s Perspective on the Challenge of Improving Mental Health in Schools

12.45pm – Two course lunch

1.25pm – Karen Mellanby, Director of Networks and Communities, MIND How to assess and respond to Mental Health needs in Schools.

2.00pm – Workshop Session

2.45pm – Tea or coffee & cookies

3.00pm – Workshop Session

3.45pm – Conference Close: Phil Jones Chair of NAPCE

ABOUT THE WORKSHOPS

Workshop One with Maria O’Neil, UK Pastoral Chat on Working Together with Parents to Safeguard Young People’s Digital Wellbeing

Workshop Two with Celina Bennett, Educational Consultant on Using the SUMO Principles in Schools and how this can improve a Child’s Mental Health and Well-being

Workshop Three – Melanie Glass, Development and Delivery Manager, for Newman Health and Wellbeing at Newman University Birmingham on Smashing the Stigma around Mental Health. training for staff and pupils and how it can support mental health and well – being in schools

Workshop Four – Catherine Harwood,Director of Whole School Wellbeing on School Provision for Mental Health and Wellbeing