For our Autumn lead meet, we are returning to the capital and Opogo to bring together a day of leadership learning!

Yesterday saw a first for Step Up – an in-person birthday celebration. A week after our launch on 10th June 2023, the founding team (Adam Brett-Aguirre, Christine Ivory, Nicola Arkinstall, Utha Vallade and I) met to map out the mission, vision, values and plan for Step Up initially. One thing we agreed on was to mark and celebrate our birthday/anniversary to celebrate and showcase all of the amazing people within the network.

This time of year is always interesting in schools and the education system. A time of year where there is so much to do in the academic year you’re already in but you need to start strategically planning the following year - staffing, timetables, calendars, curriculum and transition - to name a few. That is exactly the same at Step Up.

Not an email you expect to read on a Friday afternoon as you sit in the school car park about to start your commute home. However, a delightful email to read - Step Up has been named as 'One To Watch' in this year's one to watch list compiled by NatWest. The Ones to Watch list sits alongside the annual SE100 Index, which names the UK's top 100 social enterprises, an award that Step Up was privileged to receive in 2024.

As I drove on the M6 towards our venue, I reflected on the many events we have ran and how many face-to-face events we have organised and hosted. I worked out that this was our ninth in-person event, our second in Birmingham City Centre and our fourth in the Midlands. Being in the heart of Birmingham's Chinatown with the Hippodrome around the corner and overlooking the the Arcadian really showed the importance of connection - the hustle and bustle by the time we left was totally different to the calm and quiet as we arrived - often mirroring the toughts of school leaders.

We made it! To the final term of the year. We are pleased to share with you what we have on offer this summer, we hope you're able to join us. Join us at an event… Birmingham Lead Meet Our Birmingham Lead Meet takes place on Saturday 25th April 2026 with presentations from Adam Brett-Aguirre, Adrian McLean, Azuraye Williams, Jonathan Smart and Rachael Jackson-Royal; coaching circles facilitated by Hiral Kelly and Julia Hancock; with a growing exhibitor marketplace including Aluna Behaviour Consultancy, Boundless Learning, Step Up Network and the Diary Toolkit.

When Step Up Network CIC started in 2022, X (formerly Twitter) was where we found our voice. It was where we shared our first ideas, connected with people who believed in what we were building, and began growing a community around our work. For that, we’re genuinely grateful. But as we’ve evolved, so has the way we think about communication, community, and impact.

In one month, we will be hosting our next face-to-face event; this time in the city where we held our first ever in-person event - Birmingham. Our event is taking place on Saturday 25th April in Birmingham City Centre starting at 10am until 1pm (with a pre-event dinner the evening before and an optional lunch afterwards). Some of the topics so far include pastoral leadership, being an evidence informed leader and how to lead effective development of culture (plus more to be revealed).

A week ago today, we held our second webinar of the academic year. Our webinars this year are focused on our vision and priorities, as well as our social entrepreneurship aims. This webinar, entitled ‘Stepping Up to Headship’, was born out of the growing need to respond to the headteacher recruitment and retention crisis, alongside feedback from our community requesting more content focused on securing promotion.

As part of our intentional, strategic pause, our newly formed network committee met in-person with our founder to plan our future. Just over a week ago, our team of committed volunteers came together in the UK’s second city, Birmingham for a day of reflection, review and revision of our plans. Some of us started the day with a breakfast and social catch up before meeting the other members of our team at our strategy day location just a stone’s throw away from Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter.

YouTube video by Step Up TV | Step Up Network

You may have seen our social media posts showcasing the many fantastic ways you can engage with us after our ‘strategic pause’ ends on the 1st of February. We recognise that less is more and we want to focus on providing more succulent information at regular, planned intervals rather than spamming across social media. We will update you in some ways we will do this after our strategy day on 17th January.

Written by Mark Pritchard MAT Director of Education, experienced Headteacher and Leadership Coach Hi everyone. Mark here. I hope you’re all doing very well. I’m reaching out because I have been dedicated to supporting the StepUp network from the outset. I was a speaker at the StepUp inaugural conference and have since supported a number of the fantastic events that have followed.

Written by Ben Hobbis Founder, Step Up Network CIC Yesterday saw a community of educators come together for the third time in the capital to explore all things leadership development and growing your career in the education sector. An event in the capital is now becoming an annual staple within the Step Up calendar with people travelling from across inner and outer London, the East of England, South East and South West England as well as the Midlands.