IBSC Teachers New to Boys' Schools and Aspiring Master Teachers Conference

Part One
February 1, 2019
Harrow School
London, United Kingdom

Part Two
May 10, 2019
Summer Fields
Oxford, United Kingdom

Join us as we bring together professionals new to boys’ schools and seasoned colleagues to share best practices and facilitate discussions intended to strengthen all participants’ contributions to their schools and pedagogical approaches that work especially well for boys.

To take full advantage of learning and reflection, the conference takes place on two separate dates. Attend the first part of the conference at Harrow School in London on February 1. Then put into practice and reflect on what you learn before we gather for the second part of the conference at Summer Fields in Oxford on Friday, May 10.

Who Should Attend?

Teachers at every career stage should attend to explore techniques that work best for the teaching of boys in an all-boys or a coeducational school. Teachers new to boys’ school get insider tips and best practices from master teacher colleagues. Those involved in mentoring and supporting new teachers, who are more experienced in teaching boys and keen to reflect on your practice and deepen your understanding of the best ways to teach boys, should also attend. School leaders vested in the professional development of teachers should attend to gain valuable insight.

The conference caters to teachers working with boys at every level of ability and age, and in every type of school: primary and secondary, general and specialist, independent and state schools.

About the Conference

Sarah-Jayne Blakemore, professor of cognitive neuroscience at University College, London, keynotes the February event. She shares her inimitable expertise to address the development of the brain during childhood and adolescence and its implications for teaching of boys.

Independent commentator, education writer, and creator of the Learning Spy website, David Didau leads a panel discussion on Perspectives in Teaching Boys featuring Katharine Birbalsingh, founder and headmistress of Michaela Community School in Wembley Park; Neil Enright, headmaster of Queen Elizabeth’s School in Barnet; and David Faber, headmaster of Summer Fields School in Oxford.

Between those sessions, meet in breakout sessions to discuss current issues in boys’ education with fellow delegates, guided by experienced teachers from Harrow School, Eton College, and other IBSC schools in the UK. Gather in discussion groups constructed to bring together teachers in the same constituencies, allowing you to share ideas and experiences with peers.

Between the events, continue learning with regular but informal discussions online and in regional groups with the framework you receive at Harrow in February. The questions and topics emerging in these subsequent discussions lead to the second part of the conference in May.

For more information, please contact Alastair Chirnside, director of studies at Harrow School, at ac@harrowschool.org.uk.