Conference and Graduation Celebration Marks Success of the Class of 2025 - 2026

Marking the culmination of their training year, our newly qualified SWIFT Teacher Training teachers and staff attended the Class of 2025 – 2026 Conference and Graduation event yesterday, Thursday 16 July 2026 at the University of Plymouth's Rolle Building.

The Future of Education Conference​
The day began with The Future of Education Conference, which challenged and inspired trainees to consider what education might look like by 2030. Trainees took part in a series of interactive workshops focused on four key themes shaping the sector: Artificial Intelligence and EdTech, Convening Community, Sustainability in Education, and SEND in Education. The workshops encouraged collaboration, innovation and reflection on some of the most significant opportunities and challenges facing schools today - with a focus on the role of teachers in raising awareness for the next generation. 

​Trainees valued understanding the different baseline for AI and tech skills and the challenges in this fast-moving technology know-how. As teachers of the next generation, they were grateful for the steer in opening their eyes to the importance of different communities around them and gaining an understanding of the gravity of the sustainability situation and how to support anxious learners and how to help every child.

​One astutely observed whilst all different topics, the connection between all four of the sessions was how teaching can interweave with the wider context of the world. 

The Graduation Ceremony
Following a celebratory cream tea, celebrating their crowning moment, SWIFT Executive Director Martin Smith led the Graduation Ceremony. Graduates were awarded a certificate for their QTS across a wide range of primary and secondary subject specialisms, including English, Mathematics, Sciences, Computing, Languages, Humanities, Arts and Physical Education.  

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​The Keynote Speaker
The keynote address was by Professor Jonathan Sharples, Professor of Evidence-Informed Leadership at Manchester Metropolitan University. His presentation emphasised the importance of using research and evidence to drive educational improvement and highlighted how effective implementation and collaboration can help schools achieve meaningful and sustainable change. It added a gravitas and meaning to the event and Professor Sharples encouraged the Early Career Teachers to get involved in the school improvement journey.

Welcome, ECTs – Your Journey’s Just Begun Poem
​Deputy Director for Secondary, Kelly Armstrong read a wonderful poem with so many memorable lines to inspire the graduates in the highs and lows – but ultimately rewarding teaching career:
 
“The highs will be higher, the lows may be tough,
You’ll wonder some days if you’re really enough.
But spoiler alert: you absolutely are--
You're the constant, the cheerleader, the classroom star.”
 
“You’ll be their safe space, their hero, their guide,
With a sticker, a smile, and arms open wide.
They may not remember the fractions you taught,
But they’ll never forget how deeply you thought
They mattered.”
 
“You’ll master the art of “the Look” and “the Pause,”
You’ll referee fights and hopefully settle the cause.
You’ll teach Romeo, Bunsen, or long division,
While managing phones with ninja precision.”
 
“So here’s to the calling—both beautiful, wild,
To the power you hold in the heart of a child.
To the light that you spark with a lesson or word,
To the silent “I see you” that’s felt though unheard.”

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​Other Presenters
​​Deputy Director for Primary, Emma Sivyer spoke from the heart to the newly qualified teachers and encouraged them to be the best they can be. The University of Nottingham PGCE Team sent their congratulations and commended the Graduates for their dedication and commitment. Whilst, with all the presence of a teacher at the front of his own class, Adam Holt spoke with great gusto on behalf of the Trainee Representative Group with notable mentions to fellow graduates.
 
Executive Director, Martin Smith concluded this momentous event on an uplifting note inspiring the SWIFT Teacher Training graduates to be the secret ingredient in education as a collective commitment as “the agency for change.” 

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Thank Yous
To Conference Workshop Leads: Michael Kimber and Anthony Lees (The Cornerstone Academy Trust), Mohamed Abdallah (The Reach Foundation), Tom Pether (Education South West and Ministry of Eco Education) and Alison Betts (Whole School SEND), our guest speaker and dignitaries in attendance, Matthew Shanks CEO and Suzannah Wharf, Director of Education for Education South West. 

The Graduation Ceremony of our Class 2025 - 2026 was a wonderful way to end the term, celebrating the achievements, resilience and professional growth of our graduating cohort. We are proud of every single one of you and wish you every success and fulfilment in your onwards careers.  The teaching profession will be all the more enriched by you. 

Report by Jude Baylis, SWIFT Executive Assistant