Graham offers a range of keynote talks, great for motivating staff, inspiring school leaders and affirming strategic thinking.
Synopsis
Real change in schools rarely begins with a new policy or programme — it starts with a question.
In this keynote, Graham explores how action research can be the engine that powers genuine, sustainable cultural change. When teachers and leaders become researchers in their own classrooms, professional dialogue deepens, trust strengthens, and improvement becomes owned rather than imposed.
Drawing on his experience as a MAT CEO, Ofsted inspector, university lecturer and leadership coach, Graham shares powerful stories of schools that have shifted from compliance cultures to learning cultures by embedding disciplined inquiry. He shows how structured cycles of research — taken from his book Irresistible Learning — enable staff to reconnect with professional curiosity, break silos, and build a collective identity around evidence-informed practice.
This is not research for research’s sake; it’s research for renewal and empowerment. When staff see the impact of their own inquiry, the culture moves from doing things to teachers to learning together as a team. The result? A school that learns as deeply as its pupils.
Key Takeaways
- From Compliance to Curiosity — how action research reframes accountability and fosters intrinsic motivation among staff.
- Inquiry as a Leadership Tool — practical ways leaders can structure professional inquiry to embed reflection, collaboration and trust.
- Making Change Stick — why research-informed action transforms culture more effectively than externally driven initiatives.
Perfect For:
- School and trust leaders seeking to deepen professional culture.
- CPD leads and research champions developing evidence-informed practice.
- Leaders preparing for the next phase of school improvement through autonomy and collaboration.
Irresistible Learning 