The Confederation of School Trusts

Trust: The CST Podcast, Produced by PLMR

Education EN ↓ 20 episodes

Trust: the CST podcast, produced by PLMR, is the new education podcast for anyone with an interest in school and education policy and practice in England. The Confederation of School Trusts (CST), the sector body whose members educate more than three million pupils, will bring listeners expert insights, ideas and innovations from a variety of voices across the school trust sector and beyond. We will be tackling the issues of the moment and looking forward, thinking about what we can do to build an even better education system for children and young people. For more: cstuk.org.uk or plmr.co.uk

Author

The Confederation of School Trusts

Category

Education

Podcast website

cstuk.org.uk

Latest episode

Dec 12, 2025

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Episodes

The Governance of AI 12.12.2025

In this episode, we go beyond AI's potential and what platforms to use to instead examine the governance of AI. This episode is a must-listen whether your schools and trust are yet to explore how to use it, or if you already have AI integrated into your digital strategy or if you're somewhere in between. Join PLMR's Head of Education Tiffany Beck OBE, CST's Director of Trust Govern...

CST Annual Conference 2025: Flourishing 13.11.2025

This year's CST Annual Conference in Birmingham focused on the theme of 'Flourishing'. Hear from a range of leaders about what flourishing means to them.

Next-Gen Governance 02.10.2025

Governance isn’t a box-ticking exercise — it’s human, strategic and deeply moral. In this episode, Tiffany Beck OBE (PLMR) is joined by Samira Sadeghi, Director of Trust Governance at the Confederation of School Trusts (CST), and Andy Wolfe, Executive Director of Education for the Church of England, to unpack Next-Gen Governance: what it is, why it’s needed and how boards can become true stewards...

Flourishing Teachers, Flourishing Children: Unlocking the Power of Professional Development 10.06.2025

In this episode, Tiffany Beck OBE, Head of Education at PLMR, is joined by Leora Cruddas CBE, Chief Executive of the Confederation of School Trusts, and Hilary Spencer, Chief Executive of Ambition Institute. Together, they explore the vital role of evidence-led, high-quality professional development in building resilient, purpose-driven school trusts. From motivating teachers and fostering inclusi...

The Anxious Generation: Jonathan Haidt on the impact of social media on children 02.05.2025

In this special episode of Trust: The CST Podcast, produced by PLMR, renowned social psychologist and author Jonathan Haidt joins an audience of English school trust leaders to delve into the themes of his latest book, The Anxious Generation . He explores the profound impact of smartphones and social media on children's mental health, development and education. Hosted by journalist and broadca...

New Domains of Educational Leadership: Inside the new book from Leora Cruddas CBE 02.04.2025

In this episode of Trust: The CST Podcast, produced by PLMR, PLMR's Head of Education Tiffany Beck OBE is joined by CST’s Chief Executive Leora Cruddas CBE, to explore the thinking behind her first book, New Domains of Educational Leadership .   Leora shares why now is the right moment to capture emerging learning from across the school trust sector and how the book brings together three vital...

The conceptual model of trust-led school improvement 07.02.2025

In this episode, PLMR's Head of Education Tiffany Beck OBE and CST's Deputy Chief Executive Steve Rollett are joined by Naveed Khan, Director of Education at Westcountry Schools Trust and Chris Gould, Director of Education and Deputy CEO at Truro and Penwith Academy Trust. The group delves into CST's conceptual model of trust-led school improvement and sheds light on what it's all about, what it l...

Building: The CST Annual Conference 2024 18.11.2024

Join PLMR's Head of Education Tiffany Beck OBE as she explores this year's CST Annual Conference theme of 'Building', on the ground in Birmingham. In this episode, Tiff speaks to Olympic champion Sir Mo Farah and his PE teacher; His Majesty's Chief Inspector for Ofsted Sir Martyn Oliver; Lord Adebowale, Chair of the NHS Confederation; John Edwards, Director General for the Regions Group at the Dep...

Building Place-Based Partnerships Between School Trusts and NHS Trusts 18.10.2024

Confederation of School Trusts' Chief Executive Leora Cruddas CBE, PLMR's Head of Education Tiffany Beck OBE and Windsor Academy Trust's CEO Dawn Haywood explore how to forge place-based partnerships between school trusts and NHS trusts in order to achieve lasting impact in communities. 

The Early Years 27.09.2024

REAch2 Academy Trust currently supports 62 primary academies across England, making it the largest primary-only academy trust in the country. 58 of those academies have Reception classes and 36 also have nursery provision, meaning REAch2 holds perhaps unparalleled expertise in early years settings in schools. Early years is a hot topic at the moment, particularly as Secretary of State for Educatio...

Getting started on a strategy for community anchoring 24.07.2024

School trusts are increasingly thinking about how to embed themselves as anchor institutions at the heart of the communities they serve. With so many different priorities to balance, how can leaders get started on thinking and doing bigger within their communities? Here Tiffany Beck OBE, Head of Education at PLMR, and Steve Rollett, Deputy Chief Executive of Confederation of School Trusts, speak t...

A Good Life: Shifting the narrative on SEND 18.06.2024

This episode is all about the system for special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), exploring both the current challenges in the system and how we can take a more optimistic, long-term view by focusing on how to ensure greater dignity for people with SEND. PLMR's Head of Education Tiffany Beck OBE hosts this inspirational episode featuring the insights of CST's Chief Executive Leor...

Funding Futures 20.05.2024

Tiffany Beck OBE, Head of Education at PLMR, speaks to Sam Skerritt, Director of Public Affairs and Policy at Confederation of School Trusts (CST) and Susan Fielden, CST’s Trust and School Funding Policy Specialist about the bottom line – school funding. How does it work at the moment, how does that complicate things for trust leaders and what solutions could make a big difference? 

Community Anchoring 15.04.2024

Join CST's Leora Cruddas CBE, Reach Foundation's CEO Ed Vainker OBE and PLMR's Head of Education Tiffany Beck OBE as they discuss the role of school trusts as anchor institutions in their communities. Learn more about what that means, what impact it can have and how to approach developing or stepping up your strategy to achieve this -- plus, find out what a 'disruptive edge' is...

Reimagining Governance 18.03.2024

PLMR’s Head of Education Tiffany Beck OBE speaks to CST’s Chief Executive Leora Cruddas CBE and Anthem Schools Trust’s Chief Executive Mohsen Ojja about reimagining trust governance. Since this recording, and following a concerted effort by CST, the DfE has now separated out governance guidance for academy trusts from maintained schools. CST welcomes the new guidance with its greater clarity about...

Starting With Why 26.02.2024

In this episode, CST Chief Executive Leora Cruddas CBE and PLMR Head of Education Tiffany Beck OBE discuss why school trusts are our best bet for a school system that keeps getting better.

School Improvement Architecture 26.01.2024

Steve Rollett, Deputy Chief Executive of Confederation of School Trusts (CST), and Tiffany Beck OBE, Head of Education at PLMR, discuss CST’s new paper on school improvement architecture.

Party Conferences 2023 and What Comes Next 10.11.2023

PLMR's Head of Education Tiffany Beck and Account Director Luke Walpole look back at the recent party conference season and what comes next.

Belonging: The CST Annual Conference 2023 17.10.2023

Hear from a range of speakers and delegates on the ground at the CST Annual Conference 2023, reflecting on what 'belonging' means in education. 

Intro to Trust: the CST podcast, produced by PLMR 25.09.2023

Join CST’s Chief Executive Leora Cruddas and Deputy Chief Executive Steve Rollett, and communications agency PLMR’s Head of Education Tiffany Beck sharing an overview of what to expect as the series unfolds. This will be followed by special event episodes in October featuring the CST Annual Conference and a political party conference season round-up. The series will then continue in January, with...

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