The Embark Conference was held at the Derby Arena this year and focused on our core purpose of Love Learning, Love Life. We had over 700 staff attend the event which was our biggest conference to date.
The day started with an introduction from our Trust Leader Matthew Crawford where he thanked the staff for all their hard work. He then introduced Heath Primary School children to the stage who performed an incredible dance number of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory that they had created which wowed us all!
We were very lucky to have Lord Holmes as one of the guest speakers who told his incredible story of how he went to sleep at 14 years of age and woke up without his sight. He went on to win a total of nine gold, five silver and two bronze medals at the paralympic games. He represented Great Britain at four paralympic games between 1988 and 2000 and is the only British Paralympic swimmer to win six gold medals at a single games.
Sir David Carter, Former National Schools Commissioner for England, gave an insightful talk on the ‘Power of Schools’ who are part of a strong family unit and the importance of collaboration within our Embark family. It was a reminder for us that we have the collective power to drive change and improve the education for all our children within the trust.
Next up we had Chloe Maudsley from the Derbyshire Institute of Sport who launched the preparations for the Embark Olympics 2024 which will be an incredible opportunity for the children and schools.
https://twitter.com/i/status/1674761198003265536
Sarah Armitage our Chair of Trustees gave a wonderful insight and exploration of potential. “The future is not fixed… we live in a world of possibilities”
Victoria Farley who played the parts of Glinda in Wicked and Cosette in Les Miserable took the stage next to perform two numbers which were stunning! Following this, she got everyone up on their feet for an interactive workshop to sing We Will Rock You which was a great team building exercise.
https://twitter.com/i/status/1674810819945611265
https://twitter.com/i/status/1674811559284027392
Students from Anthony Gell Secondary School performed a stunning medley of songs including ‘Mr Sandman’ made famous by the Chordettes. They produced such a wonderful sound and the audience were very impressed with the performance.
https://twitter.com/i/status/1674773845474160641
This was followed by an inspirational talk on movement and mental health from Hannah at Red January UK. Hannah was once a pupil at Ladywood Primary so it was lovely for Hannah to see familiar faces and to share her story.
Our final speaker of the day was Kriss Akabusi who has a fascinating story to tell of his life struggles and successes that tied in very well with our ethos of Love Learning Love Life.
We would like to say a massive thank you to all of the guest speakers, to every member of staff who attended the event and to the sponsors from the day;
Cosy Direct
West End Workshops
Horsley Lodge Golf Club
Potentia
Purpose Media
John Walker solicitors
Elite Football Development
Lead IT
Jane Stapleton
Thank you for all your support!