Level Trust 2025 Conference

Welcome to the Level Trust 2025 Conference! Join us for an exciting day filled with insightful discussions, networking opportunities, and world- class speakers. The event will be held at Venue 360 - The Riverside, a fantastic location perfect for our gathering. Get ready to engage with industry experts, share ideas, and gain valuable knowledge to shape and enhance your practice. We have an absolutely amazing line up of speakers for this year's conference. This is what last year's delegates had to say about the day:

An outstanding day. I feel extremely privileged to have heard such inspirational people speak. Extreme emotions throughout the day - laughing from the pit of my stomach one minute and crying the next. I haven't stopped talking about the conference to everyone that I see!

Brilliant conference, first class speakers.

Fantastic day! Look forward to this every year and it keeps getting better and better!

Come and join us. We'd love to welcome you! All profits from ticket sales go towards the vital work of Level Trust supporting children and young people living in poverty to access their education.

Info: Sufian Sadiq is the Director of the Teaching School at Chiltern Learning Trust, a former business studies teacher, and a holder of a number of other roles including Ofsted inspector, examinations writer and a trustee and founder of a number of charities, including Level Trust.

Info: Giles Duley is a photographer, writer, chef, presenter, and CEO of Legacy of War Foundation. His work focuses on the long-term humanitarian impact of conflict, and on helping tell the stories of those affected. Whilst working in Afghanistan, Giles was severely injured by an IED. As a result of his injuries, he is a triple-amputee. He since returned to Afghanistan to continue his work as a photographer, documenting the toll of war on civilian lives - as well as founding and acting as CEO of the NGO Legacy of War Foundation. With stories that are by turns poignant, inspirational and amusing, Giles looks at the enduring nature of the human spirit as well as the passion for his work that have helped him overcome his injuries. His experiences offer lessons in commitment, leadership, purpose and values. Giles also considers the unifying power of storytelling, as well as what resilience and determination look like.

Info: Laura Bates is the founder of the Everyday Sexism Project, an ever-increasing collection of over 200,000 testimonies of global gender inequality. She is the author of numerous books, including Everyday Sexism (shortlisted for Waterstones Book of the Year), the Sunday Times bestseller Girl Up, The Burning (nominated for the Carnegie Medal) and Fix the System, Not the Women and her latest book, The New Age Of Sexism. Her books have been translated into 8 languages.
Laura writes regularly for the Guardian and the New York Times amongst others and won a British Press Award in 2015. She is a frequent media commentator across Newsnight, Today, BBC Breakfast, Channel 4 News, CNN and more. She has presented two BBC television documentaries and is a consultant for productions tackling issues around gender inequality.
Laura works closely with politicians, businesses, schools, police forces and organisations from the Council of Europe to the United Nations to tackle gender inequality.

Info: Dheeraj is the Corporate Director for Children, Families and Education at Luton Borough Council. Dheeraj has worked in the caring profession in the UK for almost 20 years. His passion dates back to the late 90s where his first experiences of supporting communities on a voluntary basis in India spearheaded his trajectory into the profession.

Dheeraj oversees Children’s Social Care, Quality & Improvements and Education services all of which play a key role in the Luton 2040 vision to be a healthy, safe, sustainable child-friendly town.

Info: Spend time with a master of the spoken word, seven years a chancellor, official poet of the London Olympics, Honorary fellow of Oxford and Cambridge colleges, winner of 2024 Hay festival medal for poetry, and a three times Sunday Times best seller.

Lemn Sissay is a poet, playwright, memoirist and broadcaster. He has performed throughout the world from The Library of Congress in The United States to the national Theatre of Ethiopia in Addis Ababa to London Palladium in England. His television documentaries have been nominated for Grierson BAFTA and RTS awards. His work in radio has been nominated for Sony and Palm D’Ors.

Info: Chris Wild is a prominent advocate for young people in the UK care system, known for his deep commitment to reforming care practices based on his own challenging experiences growing up in foster care. Often referred to as the "Care Leaver Activist," he has made a significant impact by speaking openly about the systemic flaws within child care, particularly around issues like neglect, mental health, and the lack of adequate support for children in and leaving care.

Wild has authored books, including Damaged, which details his personal journey through the care system and highlights the traumatic effects of inadequate care. His experiences fuel his advocacy efforts, especially in addressing the high rates of mental health issues, homelessness, and lack of educational support faced by care leavers.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Venue 360 - The Riverside, 20 Gipsy Lane, Luton, United Kingdom