Leading Literacy, Leading Change is a ten-day online conference designed to help secondary schools develop coherent, whole-school approaches that equip all students with the literacy skills they need to access learning, communicate effectively and achieve their full potential in the modern world. Taking place from 5 – 15 October 2026, the conference will support schools to translate national literacy priorities into effective school-level strategies.

Led by leading academics and education experts, the blended programme of live webinars and pre-recorded webinars and podcasts will provide participants with the opportunity to explore the evolving nature of literacy, with sessions dedicated to disciplinary literacy and oracy, as well as wider literacies such as financial, digital and media literacy.

Speakers include:

• Neil Mercer, Emeritus Professor of Education, University of Cambridge.
• Geoff Barton, former General Secretary of the of Association of School and College Leaders.
• Alice Deignan, Professor of Applied Linguistics, University of Leeds.
• Marcus Jones, Literacy Lead at Huntington Research School.
• Dr Maria Korochkina, Research Prize Fellow, Institute of Health and Neurodevelopment, Aston University.
• Julia Snell, Professor of Sociolinguistics, University of Leeds.
• The Financial Literacy and Inclusion Campaign
• Sam Illingworth, Professor of Critical AI Literacy, Edinburgh Napier University.
• Ali Gellet, FRSA, AI education specialist.
• Dr Amrita Bains, Fellow in the Centre for Digital Information Literacy in Schools, National Institute of Teaching.

Click here to see the full programme of events. All webinars and podcasts will be available on demand for ticket holders until 31 March 2027.

Cost: Single login £100. Small group login (up to five delegates) £300. Whole-school login £450 with packages for Multi-Academy Trusts also available.

About National Literacy Trust: NLT is an independent literacy charity working with schools and communities to help all children and young people develop the literacy skills they need to succeed in life. The charity runs literacy programmes and CPD training courses, as well as providing online resources and tools to its members. It also undertakes research into all aspects of literacy and campaigns to raise awareness of literacy issues across the UK.