The Exams Office, in partnership with The Learning and Skills Office, are hosting their inaugural annual Senior Leaders Exams Conference at the Coventry Building Society Arena, Coventry on Thursday 6 February.
The conference content will be tailored specifically to meet the needs of senior leaders in managing exams and assessments within their centre and effectively supervising and supporting their exams officer.
The benefits of attendance include:
- presentations from high quality, experienced speakers
- informative and interactive workshops
- practical advice, hints and tips
- acquiring the latest awarding body/JCQ information and updates to prepare you for the summer exam series and beyond
- networking opportunities
Delegates will have access to keynote speeches, presentations and workshops from experts in the field of exams administration and management, with a focus on guidance and good practice hints and tips. When booking their place, delegates will be able to select the workshops they would like to attend.
Refreshments, along with a buffet lunch, are provided at each event. A range of exams-related exhibitors will also be in attendance.
The content of the conference is different to the content covered in the spring senior leaders training. The conference covers the exam-related areas for which senior leaders have responsibility, whilst the training focuses upon the tasks which an exams officer must undertake before, during and after an exams series. This allows senior leaders to provide effective support and supervision for their exams officer to ensure a successful – and JCQ/awarding body compliant – summer exam series within their centre, and to consider contingency measures in the event of the absence of their exams officer.
Cost
The delegate rate to attend is £195+vat which includes refreshements, lunch, conference materials and access to the post-conference Virtual Conference which will include access to coverage of all workshops
Please note: As set out at the time of booking, only places cancelled by Monday 20 January will be fully refunded.
National Senior Leader/Line Manager Exams Conference 2025
| Date | Location | Venue | Booking status |
| Thursday 6 February 2025 | Coventry | Coventry Building Society Arena | CLICK HERE TO BOOK YOUR PLACE |
Booking window
The booking portal for this conference will be opened in early December and closed once capacity is reached.
Any queries should be emailed to conference@sltsupport.org
Event format
Indicative timings for the conference are:
- 8.00 onwards: Registration and refreshments
- 9.00: Welcome & introductions
- 9.15: The Exams Office update
- 9.30: Keynote speech – Ofqual: Safe delivery of exams and assessments
- 10.00: Workshop 1
- 10.55: Break
- 11.25: Workshop 2
- 12.20: Workshop 3
- 1.15: Lunch
- 2.00: Workshop 4
- 2.55: Break
- 3.10: Keynote speech – JCQ: Key updates
- 3.45: Close
Workshops
The Ofqual, JCQ and the major awarding organisations will be invited to deliver keynote speeches, presentations/workshops.
Delegates will have the opportunity to attend 4 presentations/workshops.
All workshops will be available to view via the Virtual Conference.
Key organisations/stakeholders will deliver the following presentations/workshops relevant to the senior leader/line manager role:
- AQA: Top tips to help your teachers work effectively with your exams officer
- JCQ Centre Inspection Service: JCQ centre inspections
- National Association of Examinations Officers: Effectively managing, supporting and supervising your exams officer (including utilising the Exams Officer Professional Standards)
- OCR: Special consideration – your role and best practice. This session will provide guidance on the special consideration process. We’ll address common questions, discuss frequent errors we see and provide examples of good practice to support your centre’s management of special consideration. Colleagues from our Special Requirements Team will be on hand to help answer your questions.
- Pearson: Cyber security leadership: cyber security – protecting your systems, student data and exam papers. This workshop, presented by ​Sunny Budd is designed specifically for senior leaders in schools and colleges. This session aims to equip senior leaders with the knowledge and tools necessary to enhance their institution’s cyber security posture, ensuring a safe and secure environment for both staff and students. It will cover essential elements of cyber security that are most relevant to senior leadership, including:
- Importance of cyber security in centres
- Best practices for maintaining security within educational institutions
- Implementation and benefits of multi-factor authentication (MFA)
- Q&A session
- The Exams Office: The role of senior leaders in devising exam-related policies and procedures
- ATP Cyber (external organisation): Be cyber safe and regulation ready – The ATP workshop will focus on addressing the most pressing cyber threats facing educational institutions today, from data breaches and ransomware attacks, to unauthorised system access and sophisticated phishing campaigns. Their cyber security experts will demonstrate how their platform helps educate schools and colleges to implement robust security measures that align with JCQ’s General Regulations for Approved Centres requirements while providing practical, step-by-step protocols for threat prevention, detection, education and rapid response
Exhibitors
A range of organisations with exams-related products and the major awarding bodies will be invited to attend as exhibitors at the conference. These include:
Awarding organisations
- AQA
- OCR
- Pearson
- WJEC
Support resources/organisations
- Arbor
- ATP Cyber
- Parcelforce (yellow label service)
- Phoenix Safe
- Scanning Pens
- Spaceforme (educational furniture)
- Texthelp
- SIMS
- Wharton (exam room clocks)
Senior Leader/Line Manager Virtual Conference 2025
The presentations at the National Senior Leader/Line Manager Exams Conference will be filmed and are available as part of the Virtual Conference by the end of February 2025.
How do I book my place?
You can book your place via the conference booking form.
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How do I cancel my place or amend the delegate who will be attending?
Terms and conditions relating to cancelling or amending your place are as follows:
- Places can be cancelled until Monday 20 January at no cost
- Any cancellations after this date will incur a £50+VAT administration fee
Please email conference@sltsupport.org if you want to amend/cancel your booking.
How long have I got to book my place?
The booking window for this conference will remain open until capacity is reached at each venue.
Will you be sending a delegate letter ahead of my attendance at a conference?
The delegate letters for this conference will be added to this page in January 2025.
An email will be sent to all delegates by 17 January 2025 to signpost to the delegate letter, and to provide a final opportunity to cancel your place without incurring a cancellation fee.
