Secondary Conference 2026: Speakers and schedule
Building a reading culture
Our 2026 secondary national conference took place in The Saffron Centre, Birmingham, 6 July 2026, 9:30 - 15:30
See below to learn more about our keynote speakers and workshops below.
Keynote speakers and sponsors
Meet the experts who presented at our July 2026 conference
Sponsored by SeeHearEducation
SeeHearEducation believes 'we can all communicate better'. With Fouracy, Newsangle, Curious Worlds and SeeHearVote we support and encourage teachers and pupils to 'change your classroom, change your community…change the world!'
Christina Clark
Dr Christina Clark, Director of Research and Evaluation, at the National Literacy Trust, has 20 years of experience researching children, young people and adults’ reading engagement and through her research has explored the individual, social, cultural and environmental influences. She has published over 180 reports on children, young people and adults’ literacy since she joined the National Literacy Trust in 2005, helping to position the charity as an evidence-based organisation that conducts high quality research. Her research is cited nationally and internationally both by academics as well as literacy professionals working in the wider educational sector.
Sarah McGeown
Sarah McGeown is Professor of Literacy and Co-Director of the Literacy Lab. Her research centres children and young people's perspectives and experiences to better understand how to support their reading enjoyment, motivation and engagement.
Geoff Barton
Former General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders
Geoff has written and edited various books on literature, grammar and literacy. He is a writer for many publications, and a regular commentator in the media on educational matters. He is patron of the English & Media Centre, a Founding Fellow of the English Association, and a trustee of the Royal Shakespeare Company.
Most recently he was appointed as chair of the independent Commission on Oracy in Education to raise the profile of speaking and listening in schools and colleges. He was awarded the CBE in the 2025 New Year’s honours list.
Jessie Ricketts
Professor of Psychology and Vice Dean for Research and Knowledge Exchange at Royal Holloway, University of London, director of the Language and Reading Acquisition (LARA) research group
Jessie has more than 20 years of experience researching language and literacy in children, young people and adults. Jessie is a world expert on teenage reading and is particularly interested in how reading benefits children’s learning and language. Jessie works closely with large networks of researchers, teachers, educational charities and policy makers to conduct research and translate evidence. Jessie regularly provides continuing professional development (CPD) for secondary and primary schools, Multi-academy Trusts and Further Education Colleges that includes actionable recommendations for teachers and schools. Recently, Jessie worked with the Department for Education to develop a short CPD course for all secondary teachers so that they can support students of all ability levels. Jessie was an advisor for the DfE Reading Framework and EEF guidance on supporting secondary reading.
Darren Chetty
Dr Darren Chetty is a Lecturer in English Education at UCL Institute of Education and an affiliate at the UCL Sarah Parker Remond Centre for the Study of Racism and Racialisation. He contributed to the bestselling book, The Good Immigrant, edited by Nikesh Shukla. Darren has published six books to date, as co-author and co-editor. Darren provided training for the Carnegie Award judges and advises on the CLPE Reflecting Realities research and Penguin / Runnymede Trust’s Lit in Colour project. His debut picture book, I’m Going to Make a Friend, illustrated by Sandhya Prabhat, is published by Little Tiger. He co-authored with Karen Sands O’Connor, Beyond the Secret Garden? Racially Minoritised People in British Children’s Books (English Media Centre).
Chie Kutsuwada
Chie is a UK-based Japanese manga creator and illustrator known for her delicate, romantic style. A graduate of the Royal College of Art, London, she writes and illustrates her own stories, including King of a Miniature Garden and Moonlight, the latter shortlisted for the Manga Jiman competition. Her work spans adaptations like As You Like It and The Book of Five Rings, and collaborations such as Tsunami Girl and 100 Tales from the Tokyo Ghost Café, both nominated for the Carnegie Medal.
Chie has contributed to publications like Mainichi Weekly and created art books and how-to guides including 10 Step Drawing Manga. Her books are available in English-speaking countries and translated internationally. Beyond publishing, she runs manga workshops at institutions like the British Museum and teaches at the Art Academy, London. She’s also worked with the BBC, Channel 4, UK Japan Embassy, and more.
Julian Sedgewick
Julian is the author of six books for children, and co-author of the graphic novel Dark Satanic Mills and illustrated novel Voyages in the Underworld of Orpheus Black. On the way to realising his childhood ambition to write, Julian read Chinese Studies and Philosophy at Cambridge, before working as a bookseller, painter, researcher and script developer for film and TV, and shiatsu therapist. For the last three years Julian has been patron of reading for Leighton Park School and has now visited over 150 schools both in the UK and abroad. Voyages in the Underworld of Orpheus Black was shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal 2020. Julian lives near Ely, Cambridgeshire is married and has two grown-up sons. He still combines writing with his work as a therapist. In his spare time he draws as much as possible, juggles torches and knives, tries his best to learn Japanese - and waits for the weather to get cold enough to go fen skating.
Workshops
Delegates at the Secondary Conference can choose to attend three workshops. No prior booking for workshops is required. Resources from all workshops will be made electronically available to delegates after the conference.
The role of reading in developing our social understanding
- Dr Sanne van der Kleij, Assistant Professor at the University of Birmingham
In this workshop we will explore how narratives can provide learning opportunities for our understanding of others. For instance, how reading books exposes us to characters who behave or feel differently than we would or experience situations we may never encounter in real life. Sanne will discuss insights from research on the role of reading in young people’s ability to express and understand thoughts, intentions and emotions and how this can be applied in literacy and writing activities in the classroom.
Addressing blind spots in school reading cultures
- Marcel Ebanks, PSHE and Media Practitioner, Bacon's College, Southwark
- Amy Lloyd, Director of School Library Services, St Paul's Way Trust, Tower Hamlets
Marcel Ebanks and Amy Lloyd’s work focuses on developing reading in secondary schools, developing practice that celebrates the expertise that young people bring to all forms of narrative culture. Their partnership is particularly focused on gender and reading. This workshop will draw on their experience as practitioners to explore how blind spots within schools can overlook existing reading cultures and will provide practical strategies on how to uncover and celebrate these cultures.
Relatable Reads: Tackling literacy engagement through diverse genre fiction
- Roger Morris, school librarian, Washwood Academy
- Dr Amy Burge, Associate Professor in Popular Fiction, University of Birmingham
Can reading genre fiction (such as romance, fantasy, graphic novels) by diverse authors improve student literacy and engagement? This question was at the core of collaborative work undertaken by Dr Amy Burge and teachers at Washwood Heath Academy in Birmingham. They read a graphic novel written by a Muslim author – Huda F Are You? by Huda Fahmy (2021) with groups of reluctant readers as part of the school’s ‘Love to Read’ initiative to see if student literacy can be increased by giving students more diverse reading material. In this workshop, Dr Burge and the school reflect on the intervention and offer some resources, and practical tips and tricks for implementing similar activities in other schools or settings.
Diversifying approaches to reading unseen texts
- Vanessa Havill, former English A Level teacher at Joseph Chamberlain Sixth Form College, Birmingham; Creative Writing MA student, University of Birmingham
This workshop will consider the cultural values and individual stories students bring to a text and how this can support their responses to A Level English Literature texts, particularly unseen extracts. Using materials co-created with researchers at the University of Birmingham and the University of Exeter as part of the AHRC-funded Empathy, Narrative and Cultural Values (ENCV) research project, Vanessa will model an unseen extract activity showing how to build students’ confidence and independence in responding to literary texts. The workshop will provide you with practical activities to develop inclusive approaches and diversify curriculum choices, supported by the ENCV Education Resource Pack.
Poetry to strengthen and inspire with The Emma Press
Join award-winning publisher The Emma Press and poet Laurie Bolger for a lively exploration of contemporary poetry. They’ll run through some fast-paced exercises to boost your creativity and get your own ideas swimming. You’ll leave with ready-to-go activities and prompts designed to engage, inspire and re-energise you and your students.
All welcome - no knowledge of poetry required.
Sleep, memory and learning
- Dr Rebecca Crowley, Postdoctoral researcher, Royal Holloway University of London
- Dr Jakke Tamminen, Senior Lecturer, Royal Holloway University of London
Drs Crowley and Tamminen are experts in sleep, learning, and memory research. Their work explores how poor sleep during teenage years can impact young people’s learning and educational outcomes, and how research can be translated into practical solutions. Through discussion and hands-on experience, their workshop will share evidence-based strategies that teachers can use to better support teenage sleep.
Learn more about their work investigating sleep, learning, and education in adolescence and watch their video 'How to get a good night sleep'.
(Video produced by Nifty Fox Creative)
Scroll Smart: A media literacy game to combat mental health misinformation
- Ruth Page, Professor of Applied Linguistics University of Birmingham
Do your students need to improve their critical thinking skills about mental health content shared by social media influencers?
This workshop introduces Scroll Smart: an educational card game created by young people for young people, to be used in PSHE lessons as part of the incoming RSE Wellbeing Online curriculum.
Come and play the game, explore the teaching resources and find out how you can help combat misinformation about mental health.
The Scroll Smart resources were developed from the ESRC-funded research project, Influencer Stories of Mental Health and Young People. For more information, please see the project website: https://influencerstories.bham.ac.uk/
Reading across borders: building teenage reading communities
- Sabrina Walsh, Ridgeway Academy, Hertfordshire
- Asmaa Ait Youssef, Mohammed Khair Eddine Middle School, Agadir, Morocco
Paired last December through a British Council project on developing teenage reading, Asmaa and Sabrina will explore how international literacy partnerships can spark a love of reading while building cultural understanding and student leadership. Drawing on their collaboration, they will demonstrate how reading for pleasure can act as a powerful bridge between communities and cultures, widening perspectives and fostering meaningful connections.
You’ll leave with practical ideas and inspiration to develop your own teenage reading partnerships in your local area and beyond.