?? Highlights and Reflections from the HMC Conference for Heads’ PAs ??”

And just like that it is over.? Another fantastic HMC Conference for Heads’ PAs at the The Cheltenham Chase Leisure and Spa .

Last week I felt privileged and delighted to welcome over 80 Headmasters’ PAs to our Annual Conference.

Getting there was a matter of planes, trains and automobiles, made all the easier with my Scottish travelling companions Alison Maxwell , Lucie Fletcher and Shona Carroll.

Day One started with a quick intro from Gareth Johnson and then I set the scene with a foodie themed icebreaker. My nerves were quickly quelled as the noise levels rose and everyone was talking. As PAs we have to think on our feet and this icebreaker was no exception.

After the icebreaker we "started the day with joy".? Thank you to Jon Bockelmann-Evans who kept us breathing and laughing for an hour.? I loved the laughing yoga and beware unsuspecting colleagues……….”Very Good, Very Good, Very Good YAY!”………if you know you know ????

We then moved on to “My Head & I”, the Heads and their PA session, very ably chaired by Gareth Johnson.? ?Thank you to Nicola Huggett and her PA Jane Moore, Jaideep Barot & Cath Archer, and Eddie Falshaw & @lisa-annewilliams. We all enjoyed your insight and frankness, even when things didn’t go according to plan.?

A lovely lunch, followed by Darren Coxon with his keynote session on how to Supercharge your Day with AI.? Lots of jaw-dropping moments, tips and hints and in general how this next phase of technology is going to improve the lives of PAs worldwide.? Reassuring to realise that AI is never going to replace the human touch (thank goodness) and there is still a lot of caution and security required, but for the most part and for me (at the moment), sometimes getting the first line of a difficult letter is all you need.? I can't wait to try out some of the other AI programmes mentioned.?

We then moved on to the last session of Day One with the very underrated title of Customer Service & People Care – introduced by Steve Descher and then presented by Karen Hatton from the activitygroup .? Karen, thank you, this was a fantastic session.? Talking about bandwidth, emotional labour and resilience and what colour category we were most aligned to was very enlightening.? There was great energy in the room, especially at the end of a long day. This session really resonated with so many of us.

?A very quick rest and then dinner, another opportunity to bond with our HMC peers national and international.? Thank you to the Cheltenham Chase Hotel for a beautiful meal. I was responsible for the table plan and took great pleasure in trying to ensure that there was a good mix at all the tables, I think it worked. This gave delegates the opportunity to meet as many people as possible over the course of the two days.

First workshop on Day Two "School Crisis Management" was presented by Richard Gordon, assisted by Lucy Green from BUDMC.? This workshop gave us an insight into situational awareness, the preparation required and the necessity in ensuring that School Crisis Management plans are up to date and that key staff have regular training.? The interactive scenario left us with a lot of food for thought.

The second workshop “The Role of a Head’s PA in an Inspection” was presented by Sue Duff.?? Sue’s presentation gave us background on what is required from us as PAs when the call comes in and what inspectors are looking for.? Although things are a bit different here in Scotland, Sue’s presentation still gave us loads of takeaways.

A very quick break and then a brief update from behind the scenes at HMC (The Heads' Conference) , thank you to Dee Loryman for explaining HMC membership for our Heads and what we need to do, to Melanie Fidler for keeping us up to date on the upcoming professional development events and Rebecca Murphy for highlighting HMC Corporate Partnerships.

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Finally, and always, the way too short session on Sharing Best Practice.? We only managed to get through two topics from all the pre-conference suggestions.?? There was fantastic engagement and a great opportunity for the delegates to share ideas and experiences in a safe space.

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This has been such a fantastic experience for me to be part of this planning group.? It has been a delight to work with fellow PA’s Julie Descher, Helen Thomson & Lisa-Ann Williams along with Mel Fidler and Rebecca Myatt DipM from HMC.? Thank you, Becky, for all your behind the scenes work on this year’s event!

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This is my last year on the planning group - it's time for some fresh ideas -however, it is fantastic to go out on such a high.? I believe, this is one of the largest attended Heads' PA Conferences and I am delighted to see it go from strength to strength.

At this point I want to say thank you to Mel Fidler for inviting me to be involved way back in 2021 and offering me this incredible CPD opportunity.? I would wholeheartedly recommend this to any PA looking to grow and expand.

And finally, (well almost, I think!) to Gareth Johnson , who didn’t only push me, but catapulted me out of my comfort zone.? Working with Gareth has been an amazing experience.? His support, drive and attention to detail are unmatched and the way he has directed and steered these events, adapting and probing, and getting the most out of everyone who has attended has been incredible.

I strongly encourage any HMC Head, who has read this far, to actively encourage your PA to attend this event.? Despite the immense pressure and workload, we all face, the benefits to both you and your PA are truly invaluable.? Over 80 Heads’ PAs will return to work on Monday energised and brimming with ideas, tips and strategies to make your life so much easier.? It's not always about working longer, it's about speculating the time to work smarter.

Thank you to Mike Martin and Hutchesons' Grammar School for recognising this and supporting and encouraging me in my endeavours.

And finally, yes, really finally, to all the PAs who attended the conference, thank you for your engagement, support and friendship and I look forward to joining you all next year as a delegate.

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Full disclosure, only assisted by Chat GPT in two paragraphs and a title ??