Primary conference 2025: Raising voices, raising literacy

Key event details

Date: 27 March 2025, 9.00am - 4.00pm

Tickets: £150

Premium member discount: £25

Lunch and refreshments provided

Registration: Please complete the form at the end of this page.

Venue: Bradford City FC. Location BD8 7DY

About the primary conference

We are delighted to launch our next primary practitioner conference. Taking place in Bradford, the 2025 UK City of Culture, our primary conference Raising voices, raising literacy will be a celebration of authentic self-expression.

Oracy is a key driver of the Labour government’s education pledge. We responded with the Creating confident communicators report, laying a roadmap for ensuring that every child – irrespective of their background – is empowered to find, develop and express their voice. At the conference we will continue our examination of spoken communication as a foundation for primary literacy.

Recent research shows that "children’s enjoyment of writing peaks when they start primary school, but steadily declines until they leave secondary school". What are the best ways to reverse this downward trend and nurture children’s creativity, self-expression and mental wellbeing? In line with our work in the Bradford Hub, we will welcome speakers from the world of poetry and academia to offer practical and creative ways to engage a generation of young writers.

At Raising voices, raising literacy we will consider how best to pool our expertise and resources to support young people’s written and spoken communication in the primary classroom.

We hope you will join the conversation.

Confirmed conference speakers:

• Jeffrey Boakye is a writer, speaker, broadcaster and educator with expertise in issues surrounding race, masculinity, education and popular culture. Jeffrey taught English in London and Yorkshire for 15 years and now provides training for educational establishments on race, identity, masculinity and education. He is a Senior Teaching Fellow at the University of Manchester’s Institute for Education, has written eight books including I Heard What You Said (Pan Macmillan, 2023) and Musical Truth (Faber, 2022) and hosts BBC Radio 4’s Add to Playlist.
  
  Being a better host: How teachers can empower identity
  
  Jeffrey will explore why tackling conversations in the primary classroom around social justice is both necessary and empowering. In addition, he will examine ways to support all children to celebrate their identity within the school environment.
  
• Jonny Walker is a children's writer, educator and workshop facilitator. He works across the UK and internationally, teaching children about mythology, nature, writing and poetry. Jonny is passionate about the transformative power of children's chat. He has written a host of books for children, as part of the Harper Collins Big Cat for Little Wandle Fluency series, about nature, mythology and more.
  
  Power of poetry
  
  In his workshop, Jonny will explore how the speaking and writing of poetry can act as an expression – and discovery – of what we think.
  
• Maddy Barnes is an experienced primary teacher, senior leader and English advisor who offers bespoke training across the UK and internationally. Maddy is also an established blogger and series editor and author for a Rising Stars and Prim-Ed Publishing. She is a DfE QA proofer for grammar and reading and a KS2 Writing Moderator. She is passionate about "getting it right" for children.
  
  Using and finding your voice through poetry
  
  Maddy will explore how to use poetry as a vehicle to inspire children and young people to hear and find their own voice. By exploring a range of high-quality poems, she will demonstrate how the medium can act as a rich and inclusive source of self-expression. Delegates will gain insights into recently published poetry and how to plan lessons around these in the primary classroom.
  
• James Durran is a Senior Education Advisor at North Yorkshire Council working with both primary and secondary schools. He is an experienced trainer and consultant, focusing on English, literacy and media, as well as general teaching and learning. He provides workshops, CPD courses and consultancy to schools, subject associations, university teacher-training courses and local authorities across the UK and abroad. James has lectured on a PGCE course for Cambridge University, and tutored on MA courses for UCL Institute of Education and the British Film Institute.
  
  Purposeful writing
  
  James will explore the idea of 'purpose' in pupils' writing, and how we can frame written tasks so that they support authenticity, challenge and enjoyment.
  
  
• Goldsmiths 500 Writers: Enhancing writing development from Year 2 to year 4 is a three-year, innovative programme that offers a rich, evidence-informed approach to developing literacy skills across the transition from KS1 to KS2 and across the lower KS2 phase. The programme, providing valuable insights due to its longitudinal approach, will provide training in a unique combination of instructional techniques designed to support the continued development of fluent reading as well as the development of writing voice. Martin Galway, Head of Schools' Programmes and Ki-Li Watkins, Young Writers Project Manager (Bradford), will present on the evolution of the programme, why the area of focus will provide such important insights and how we might use these insights to shape future work in the sector.

Meet our sponsors

Pearson's mission is to instil a lifelong love of learning in children and young people. From their Bug Club Family that addresses the key aspects of the DfE’s Reading Framework – phonics to skilled reading – to Rapid, their intervention for learners working below age-related expectations, they provide teachers with the very best primary resources for Reception to Year 6.

Collins publishes accessible and inclusive market-leading resources that support pupils throughout every stage of their school education. Visit us to discover expertly crafted fiction and non-fiction reading books created by renowned authors and illustrators from market-leading brands Collins Big Cat and Barrington Stoke.

How to book your place

Please book your place using the form below. Premium members receive a £25 discount.

To obtain your premium membership discount code, or if you have any questions, please contact ruth.king@literacytrust.org.uk.