Amy Smith is the Deputy CEO of the Inclusive Education Trust (IET), which is a Alternative Provision (AP) Trust based in Surrey. Previous to this role, Amy was Head of School at Wey Valley College (which is now part of IET) and led the school to an ‘Outstanding’ judgement in all areas in 2018. Amy has worked in the AP Sector for over 10 years in provisions across London, Cambridgeshire and Surrey in a variety of leadership roles. Most notably, Amy was one of the team who set-up the TBAP Residence as part of the DfE Social Innovations fund. The TBAP Residence worked with some of West London’s most vulnerable young people who were either on the edge of care and/or involved in the youth justice system.
Prior to working in AP, Amy led several ‘Outstanding’ Performing Arts departments in mainstream schools across London and Surrey.
Amy is also Director of PRUsAP, which is the National Organisation representing Pupil Referral Units and Alternative Provisions.
Amy is a practitioner who believes in a creative, therapeutic and inclusive approach to behaviour management.

Dr Craig Johnston’s research interests lie in the study of youth justice, school exclusion and theories of the social and sociality affecting individuals and communities. His published work held a rating of ‘world leading’ in REF 2021, and his priority is to engage in research with a strong social justice agenda that addresses inequalities of all kinds. Craig has over 25 years’ professional experience in the fields of Youth Justice, Psychology, Education and Social Work across the UK and the USA.

He has held statutory roles and led several multi-disciplinary teams. Craig holds Doctoral, Masters and bachelor level teaching commitments on Criminology, and previously on Education, Youth Work, Sociology and Social Work degrees courses. He is also the online Editor of the Journal of Class sand Culture, the co-founder of the Alliance of Working Class Academics and the Alternative Provision Research Network.

​Ann-Marie Matson is Director of Children’s Services at North East Lincolnshire Council. She is motivated by a belief that lasting change happens when we work together- so every child, in every community, has the safety, support and opportunity they need​.

With more than 30 years experience across local authority children’s services, Ann-Marie has spent her career working alongside children, young people and families- especially at the moments when the right help, at the right time, matters most. After more than 20 years in a neighbouring local authority, which included being in the role of DCS that led to outstanding across all areas , she returned to her home town to become Director of Children’s Services in North East Lincolnshire in December 2023. Appointed to lead improvement, Ann-Marie has helped drive rapid and sustained progress from ‘inadequate’ to ‘good’ across all judgement areas, with ‘outstanding’ leadership- building confidence, capability and momentum across the workforce, partnership and community​. She is also a Director on the Grimsby Town Football Club Foundation Board, supporting work that strengthens communities and expands opportunity for local children and young people beyond the pitch​.

Ann-Marie leads through relationships-because sustained change is built on trust, honest conversations and shared accountability. She places a high value on partnership, working shoulder-to-shoulder with elected members, schools, health, police, the voluntary and community sector, and regional and national colleagues to shape a joined-up system of early help, protection and opportunity. She is committed to listening to children and families and  welcomes challenge and independent scrutiny​.​​​​​

​Joe White is Deputy Service Director for Inclusion at North East Lincolnshire Council. Prior to this Joe worked in the Mainstream Secondary sector as a senior leader with an array of responsibilities including SEND, Safeguarding, Pastoral and Inclusion, participating in two school takeovers and improvement projects whilst working for a successful regional Multi-Academy Trust​.

Joe took the plunge to join North East Lincolnshire Council, his ‘home’ local authority, in 2024, at the time rated ‘Inadequate’ in all areas as a Children’s Services, with the passion to drive strategic change for the children of North East Lincolnshire. Joe joined an almost entirely new Children’s Leadership Team under a new Director of Children’s Services, with the shared passion to deliver rapid but lasting change.

Joe’s portfolio encompasses strategic leadership of school attendance, exclusions, Alternative provision, elective home education, children missing from education, child employment, safeguarding in education, and a wider Children’s Services leadership remit.

More than two years on, and almost 3 years into the Council’s transformation journey, Joe is delighted to share successes in the improvement of outcomes for children, and the exciting opportunities the future now holds for the children of North East Lincolnshire​.​​​​​​​​​​​​

Andy is the Director of Education at Maiden Erlegh Trust, which comprises 11 schools across Berkshire and South Oxfordshire covering mainstream primary, secondary, special education, and Alternative Provision. The Trust’s work is guided by three core values: Aim High, Be Inclusive, and Work Together.

Andy leads the Trust’s school improvement and support team and has extensive experience in school leadership at all levels, including Headship. He has conducted research into staff professional development and holds both the NPQH and NPQEL. Alongside his trust role, Andy is a serving Ofsted Inspector and contributes to wider system leadership through school improvement partnering, NPQ facilitation, and sits on a number of governing bodies.

Mike Power is Headteacher of St Helens Alternative Provision Service, leading two local authority maintained pupil referral units across primary and secondary phases. He works with children and young people with complex SEMH, SEND, medical and inclusion needs, and has led a significant improvement journey across the service, strengthening safeguarding, curriculum, attendance, behaviour, governance and quality assurance across multiple sites.

Mike is also a member of the Department for Education’s Secondary Headteacher Reference Group, contributing to national policy discussion from the perspective of school leadership and alternative provision. He regularly writes and speaks on SEND, behaviour, attendance, exclusion, alternative provision and the practical conditions required to build genuinely inclusive schools.

Karen is Headteacher of Stopsley High School in Luton, a role she has held since June 2021, where she has led a rapid and sustained school improvement journey, moving the school from Requires Improvement to Good in just over a year. Her leadership is defined by a strong focus on culture, high-quality teaching, and robust systems of accountability, alongside a deep commitment to inclusion and ensuring that all students can succeed. This has included the successful development of internal alternative provision, enabling vulnerable and disengaged students to remain within mainstream education while receiving targeted, high-quality support.

Across her career, Karen has led improvement in complex areas including behaviour, attendance, safeguarding, curriculum design, and leadership development. She has a particular expertise in closing the attainment gap for disadvantaged students, working closely with organisations such as Challenge Partners and The Brilliant Club to develop evidence-informed strategies that widen access and opportunity.

Sharon Minikin is a senior leader, SENDCO and Base Lead with 26 years of teaching experience, including 21 years specialising in supporting children with additional needs. She helped establish the Local Authority-funded Mount Pleasant Resource Base and has been instrumental in its growth from 12 to 22 places.
In her role, Sharon leads a dedicated team, oversees teaching and learning across the Base, and works closely with families and professionals to ensure pupils receive the support they need to thrive. All children within the Base have autism and associated social communication difficulties, and Sharon has extensive experience in developing effective approaches to support communication, social understanding, emotional regulation, independence and learning.
Sharon’s experience includes working in a Speech and Language Resource Base and as an ASD Outreach Worker, supporting schools to meet the needs of autistic pupils. She also contributed to Durham University’s Triple A Training Tool research project, which focused on supporting autistic pupils in mainstream schools. She is passionate about inclusive practice and achieving the very best outcomes for children with SEND.

Nicky Lupton is Deputy Base Lead at Mount Pleasant Primary School’s Inclusion Base and SEND Advisor for Lingfield Education Trust. With over 30 years of experience working with neurodiverse children and young people, she has developed extensive expertise in inclusive education, specialist provision and supporting schools to meet the needs of pupils with SEND.
In her current role, Nicky leads a class of eight neurodiverse pupils within a mainstream setting, ensuring that teaching, support and interventions are carefully tailored to meet individual needs and promote positive outcomes. She is highly skilled in creating inclusive learning environments that enable pupils to develop confidence, independence and successful relationships.
Alongside her school-based responsibilities, Nicky provides training and professional development for staff and supports schools across the Trust in establishing and developing Inclusion Bases. Whilst working for Mount Pleasant, she provided specialist advice, guidance and training to schools within Darlington Local Authority, to enhance provision for neurodiverse learners’

Passionate about creating meaningful connections across education, wellbeing, and sustainable construction, with a particular interest in Alternative Provision, SEND, and trauma-informed learning environments.

At TG Escapes, I support business development, recruitment, and sector engagement, helping to shape conversations around modular education spaces, stakeholder collaboration, and sustainable delivery. I manage the company’s presence at conferences and industry forums, building relationships across the education and public sectors.

I am especially interested in how therapeutic architecture, nature-inspired design, and off-site construction can support calmer, more inclusive learning environments while achieving sustainable and low-disruption delivery outcomes.

My name is Briony Salter, and I am the Alternative Provision Coordinator at West Ham United Foundation. Since joining in September 2025, I have coordinated the Moore Family Foundation Alternative Provision programme, supporting its growth from one school to multiple partnerships and six provisions. With over five years’ experience in education and a background in forensic anthropology and science, I am passionate about SEND, inclusive learning and helping young people build confidence, re-engage with education, and achieve recognised qualifications.

Amy Smith is the Deputy CEO of the Inclusive Education Trust (IET), which is a Alternative Provision (AP) Trust based in Surrey. Previous to this role, Amy was Head of School at Wey Valley College (which is now part of IET) and led the school to an ‘Outstanding’ judgement in all areas in 2018. Amy has worked in the AP Sector for over 10 years in provisions across London, Cambridgeshire and Surrey in a variety of leadership roles. Most notably, Amy was one of the team who set-up the TBAP Residence as part of the DfE Social Innovations fund. The TBAP Residence worked with some of West London’s most vulnerable young people who were either on the edge of care and/or involved in the youth justice system.
Prior to working in AP, Amy led several ‘Outstanding’ Performing Arts departments in mainstream schools across London and Surrey.
Amy is also Director of PRUsAP, which is the National Organisation representing Pupil Referral Units and Alternative Provisions.
Amy is a practitioner who believes in a creative, therapeutic and inclusive approach to behaviour management.