Conference: Improving life chances and making hope possible through education

Join us for two days of learning, professional development, and finding opportunities to collaborate to improve life chances and make hope possible through education. Booking is now open. The outline programme and details of our keynote speakers are below

Who are we?

We have been educating the teaching and education workforce for almost 140 years. Our vision of ‘working creatively with others to enhance life chances’ is at the heart of who we are and what we do. We focus relentlessly on harnessing the power of education to transform lives, every day, in our work with our students and strategic partners.  

No matter which sector you work in, to best understand and address challenges facing children, families, young people, and their communities, it is essential that we work together creatively, share knowledge, and make our ideas a reality.  

The 2026 Faculty of Education conference at Edge Hill University provides the opportunity to do this.

Who is the conference for?

We are keen that the conference represents the diverse voices and lived experiences of those with an interest in the conference theme. We aim to ensure the event is accessible and inclusive.

As well as academic researchers and postgraduate students, we particularly welcome contributions from:  

• education, health and workforce development professionals  
• schools, colleges and other education settings  
• community partners (including charities and VCSFE sector organisations)  
• child, adolescent, youth and adult services  
• social care and social work professionals  
• creative, digital and enterprise industries  
• sport and leisure
• criminal justice settings   
• alternative education providers  
• policy makers, commissioners and civil servants

Our conference programme will be organised around our Faculty themes: 

• Early Years Education, Families, and Communities
• Inequalities, Health, and Wellbeing
• Values, Ethics, and Culture
• Teacher Education and Professional Learning
• Transformative Education

Spotlight Event

‘The Good Society and How We Make It’ lecture and book signing

Kate Pickett OBE, Professor of the Public Understanding of Social Science (University of York)
Thursday 18 June, 12.30-2.15pm
Law and Psychology Lecture Theatre, Edge Hill University, Ormskirk

Bestselling author and leading inequality researcher Professor Kate Pickett will be speaking as part of Edge Hill University’s flagship education conference this June, exploring how education can improve life chances and create a fairer society.

Join us for this exciting opportunity to hear about Kate’s world-leading research that investigates how fairer, healthier, more sustainable societies can be created by addressing inequality and poverty through evidence-informed action.

Kate will be available after the event to sign copies of her books. Hardback copies of her latest book, ‘The Good Society and How We Make It’ will be available to buy at the event at a 30% discount of £17.

Abstract
How do we ensure that everyone has good health and receives the care they need? How do we provide education that allows every child to flourish? How do we ensure safety, justice and a sustainable environment for all? A fairer, healthier, more caring and sustainable society is entirely within our grasp if we use the evidence we already have and confront the poverty and inequality at the root of so many of our problems. In this talk, Kate will focus on the practical, galvanising, perspective-shifting vision we need for transformative change.

Bio
Kate Pickett OBE FRSA FFPH FAcSS is Professor of Epidemiology at the University of York and director of the Born in Bradford Centre for Social Change. She is also academic co-director of Health Equity North.  A social epidemiologist, Kate’s research and writing focus on the wider determinants of health and inequalities in wellbeing. Kate is co-author, with Richard Wilkinson, of the bestselling and award winning The Spirit Level (2009) and The Inner Level (2018). Her latest book, The Good Society, was published by Bodley Head in February 2026.  Kate is a co-founder of The Equality Trust and a trustee of the Wellbeing Economy Alliance. She received an OBE in 2023 for services to societal equality.

Keynote Speakers

Professor Emeritus Peter Moss (University College London)

Session title: Towards a democratic culture: contesting the future of early childhood education

Session title: Towards a democratic culture: contesting the future of early childhood education

Abstract
The adverse consequences of a pervasive neoliberal culture for education policy, provision and pedagogy in England are increasingly apparent. But the question remains: what do we want instead? Focusing on early childhood education I will argue for the need to contest the neoliberal cultural hegemony and to develop an alternative: a democratic culture. I will draw from a project I am currently working on to explore what a democratic culture is and what it might mean for early childhood education policy, provision, and pedagogy. Turning away from the neoliberal question of ‘what works?’ to the democratic question of ‘what do we want?’ opens up a space of possibility. Another future for early childhood education is possible.

Bio
Peter Moss is an Emeritus Professor at the Thomas Coram Research Unit, UCL Institute of Education, University College London. His research and writing interests cover early childhood education, education and democracy, and the relationship between employment, care and gender. Much of his work has been cross-national, especially covering Europe and the Anglosphere. He is co-founder of the International Network on Leave Policies and (with Gunilla Dahlberg) was the initial editor for the Contesting Early Childhood book series. He has published widely, his most recent books being Early Childhood in the Anglosphere: Systemic failings and transformative possibilities (with Linda Mitchell; 2024, UCL Press) and Care Leaves and Care Time for All: Towards caring democracies, economies and worlds (with Andrea Doucet; April 2026, Policy Press).

Dr Alex Blower (Arts University Bournemouth)

Session title: Building a movement to change the narrative surrounding working-class boys and young men

Session title: Building a movement to change the narrative surrounding working-class boys and young men

Abstract

Dr Alex Blower will reflect on a career spent challenging how working-class boys engage educationally, and how education engages with them. Drawing on research and lived experience from his book Lost Boys, he demonstrates how systems often misinterpret the realities which shape the lives of boys and young men. He argues that research must do more than diagnose problems; it must drive change. This principle underpins Boys’ Impact, a UK-wide initiative convening educators, amplifying evidence, and equipping communities to strengthen the ecosystems around boys who are eligible for Free School Meals. The keynote calls for a shift from deficit thinking to dignity‑led practice, reminding audiences that meaningful change emerges when research and lived experience work together.

Bio

Dr Alex Blower is an author, researcher and global thought leader on issues related to masculinity, inequality and education. Since completing his doctoral research which focused inequality and access to university for white working-class boys in the West Midlands in 2020, he has been a keynote speaker at national and international conferences, talking on issues related to inequality and the experience of young working-class men in education.

In 2025, he was invited to join the MenCare Changemaker network, a global initiative to mobilise 100 leading influencers from around the world from business, the media, culture, civil society, and government to find solutions to critical challenges related to men, boys, and masculinities. Regularly commenting on issues related to masculinity and inequality in education for media outlets such as the BBC, LBC and The Times, his first monograph, Lost Boys: How Education is Failing Young Working-Class Men, was released last year.

Outline programme

To book for one day, or both, use the booking link below. Booking closes on 1 June.

Wednesday 17 June

Thursday 18 June

Any questions?

If you have any questions about the conference, or issues submitting contributions, please contact: [email protected]