Last year, we called the Leading for Creative Thinking National Gathering a ‘shift’ rather than a conference. It was a bold statement, but those who attended made it a reality. People left feeling hopeful, energised, challenged, and connected, and we’ve enjoyed seeing those connections strengthen in the months since.
We are therefore excited to warmly invite you to be part of our 2026 National Gathering and help us move to the next stage; turning energy into deeper expertise, influence, infrastructure and collective action that can travel further than our individual impact in classrooms, schools, communities and systems.
We would be delighted if you can join us to:
Keep the momentum alive – Let’s sustain each other’s energy, share updates and sharpen our thinking.
Continue strengthening the web – The “glue” matters. We need to keep connecting leaders, teachers, researchers, system and policy colleagues, cultural partners, employers and young people.
Make the invisible visible – There is powerful practice happening across schools, regions and communities. We need to tell those stories, learn from them, and use them to influence what happens next.
Centre young people’s futures – This work is ultimately about children and young people and their creativity, confidence, agency, wellbeing, belonging and capacity to shape and thrive in the world they inhabit.
CCE, The Chartered College of Teaching and the Leadership Skills Foundation would be delighted to welcome you:
Date: Tuesday 24 November 2026
Time: 9.45am arrival for 10.15am start – 4pm finish
Venue: The Bluecoat, School Lane, Liverpool, L1 3BX.
8 mins walk from Liverpool Lime Street / 4 mins walk from Liverpool Central
Click here for further details.
Ticketing
Tickets are now on general sale priced at £130 (plus booking fee). A special discount of £30 for Chartered College Members will be applied when using the code CC30 at checkout. Please note, that there are limited number of discounted tickets available.
We are also pleased to be continuing this work alongside our Leading for Creative Thinking partners at the Centre for Real-World Learning, University of Winchester, and Emerita Professor Louise Stoll.
Last year showed us that, across the system, there is more happening than many of us realised to make creative thinking core to teaching, learning and the way we do things.