MESLC 2025 Day One Roundup: The Good, The Great, and The Beach Drinks!

Hey, LinkedIn fam! Here I am, fresh from a hot bath and fighting sleep, but a promise is a promise, so let's dish about Day One of MESLC 2025!

First up, major props to our host Philippa Wraithmell for keeping us all in check (and on time) through this packed day!

The show kicked off with a BANG thanks to Evelyn Forde MBE dropping truth bombs about her journey from leaving school without qualifications to becoming one of the UK's most successful Black female educators (and Principal of the Year 2020!), reminded us why representation matters in education.

The insights kept flowing as Grant van der Kruk (School Box) tackled the parent journey in UAE's dynamic education landscape, while Nadim Saad , Chief Happiness Officer at The Happy Confident Company, reinforced the critical importance of student wellbeing. McGraw Hill 's VP of Professional Services DJ West followed with a compelling three-pronged approach to student success that had us all reaching for our notebooks.

Post-coffee break (because even educators need fuel and the room was like an icebox!), we dove into transformational change with Camsie McAdams from Discovery Education on, sharing valuable lessons from Egypt's educational reforms. The parallel sessions were equally engaging Simon O'Connor FCCT and led an insightful workshop on coaching excellence, while Daniel McHugh had his audience rethinking systems thinking.

A very well attended session on "Life After School Leadership" with Debra Forsyth , Dr Helen Wright , and Bill Turner suggested either a fantastic conversation or a lot of curious leaders looking to make an exit! ??

Claire Gadsby introduced us to "No More Nando's" not a ban on peri-peri, but rather a powerful metaphor for enabling student independence. The afternoon brought more learning with Evelyn Forde's session on pathways to senior leadership and an excellent panel on developing middle leaders. Dr. Ashkelon Govender Dr Ritika Anand. NPQEL Sadia Saba Tracy Crowder-Cloe thank you very much for sharing your experience and insights.

The day concluded with an impactful panel featuring Justin Reynolds Ed.D. , Rebecca Coulter , Matt Lecuyer , and Dr. Suleiman Hamdan , sharing authentic insights on building lasting school cultures.

We wrapped up with beachside networking because some of the best professional development happens with a drink, soft or otherwise, in hand.

I'm looking forward to Day Two, though Day One has set quite the bar!