Last week, over 1,000 schools joined us in Birmingham and online for our biggest ArborFest to date! The day was packed with talks from Arbor users and sector leaders, roundtables, interactive sessions and networking opportunities – all exploring the theme, “The future of work in schools.”
Couldn’t make the event and want to know what ArborFest is all about? We’ve put together a small roundup of the day, stage by stage below. If you were able to join us, remember to keep sharing your insights and photos from the event using #ArborFest.
The Main Stage
James and Sonia opened the day on The Main Stage, which was followed by an inspiring talk on leadership and collaboration by Diana Osagie, a showcase of our 2025 Product Vision, and a panel of Arbor users and Alex Jones (Ofsted) sharing how schools can get Ofsted-ready with Arbor.
The final talk of the day was from our keynote speaker, Baroness Mary Bousted, Chair of the Teaching Commission. Mary shared exclusive insights into the work of the Commission and highlighted its strongest recommendations to transform teachers’ working lives, in the context of the recruitment and retention crisis.
We finished up the day with our hotly contested Customer Awards, celebrating the customers who collaborate with us and challenge us to make Arbor even better.
The Innovation Stage
Over on The Innovation Stage, Arbor customers shared their insights and top tips on how school and trust leaders can both get started and make a measurable impact with AI. This was followed by a panel of data leaders (including Andrew Proctor, AWS) discussing which questions organisations should be asking of their data.
We finished the day on the Innovation Stage with ‘A data geek’s guide to improving attendance’, in which three Arbor schools and trusts shared their data analysis insights which have surfaced the hidden reasons for absenteeism.
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The MAT Stage
Our MAT Stage was back by popular demand, opening with a panel on how exactly trusts can operationalise a merger.
Our second panel of the day featured three MAT leaders and Arbor users asking the question: what should a MAT of the future look like, which led to discussion around belonging, inclusivity and flexible working.
We closed the day with members of both the Arbor and SAMpeople community sharing how, why and when to join up your MIS and HR at trust-level, and how the joining up of systems has supported in the delivery of their overall trust strategy.
The Show and Tell Stage
Introducing, The Show and Tell Stage!
We designed this stage to bring to life on-the-ground insights from school leaders, and to open discussion around how to get the best out of the Arbor Suite.
It was standing room only for the first talk of the day, where school and trust leaders shared the ‘wow’ moments and advice which had made an immediate impact in their first 12 months of using Arbor.
Next up, the SAMpeople Team gave a show and tell demo of SAMpeople, for trust leaders and schools who are thinking about investing in HRIS.
And to finish off the day, we had an exciting hands-on session, led by Bex Campbell, in which ArborFest attendees got together in groups to pitch and vote for the next feature to be built in Arbor! The feature in the winning pitch has been added to our roadmap.
Roundtables, Arbor Labs Live and more!
The best bit about ArborFest is getting hundreds of school and MAT leaders together in one place, in-person. We had sessions running throughout the day to bring together these leaders to share best practice, see new features and collaborate with the Arbor Team! This year, as well as our Roundtables, we introduced Arbor Labs Live!
If you can’t tell, we’re already very excited for next year. Click here to see even more photos.
