South and City College Birmingham to Host Fifth Annual HOW2 Leads Event

TeachingHOW2s is pleased to announce that the 2026 HOW2 Leads Face-to-Face Planning and Networking Event will be hosted by South and City College Birmingham (SCCB), where a newly introduced teaching and learning framework, embedded across the college and operationalised through the HOW2 Platform, is driving cultural change, strengthening classroom practice, and supporting sustained improvement.

The 2026 event will mark the fifth annual gathering of HOW2 Leads, a community of educators championing innovation through the HOW2 Platform across the sector. The event brings HOW2 Leads together to strengthen their inter-college community, share how they are using the HOW2 Platform in practice, and explore its full range of tools and techniques — including the newly expanded HOW2 AI Assistant.

Several HOW2 Leads will give talks about their experiences of implementing the platform across their respective organisations, sharing solutions and facilitating discussion around best practice. Dan Beale, Advisor at TeachingHOW2s, will chair the event. This year will also see the introduction of HOW2 Think Tanks, enabling participants to explore a range of teaching and learning challenges. 

SCCB is a fitting setting for this year’s event: the college has undergone a significant improvement journey, embedding a new Teaching & Learning Framework, developmental lesson visits, and utilising the HOW2 Platform to translate strategy into consistent classroom practice across eight campuses. Thanks to its culture of continuous improvement and collaboration, it’s the perfect environment for peer-led professional exchange.

Sinead Martin, Deputy Director of Quality and Teacher Innovation at SCCB, is looking forward to the inter-college collaboration and peer-led growth the event will foster. ​“We’re proud to host the HOW2 Leads event and bring colleges together to collaborate, share learning, and explore the practical questions that come with strengthening teaching and learning. These conversations matter because no one does this work in isolation. The HOW2 face-to-face event gives leaders the space to work together and tackle the challenges educators face.”

During the event, HOW2 Leads will explore the newly expanded HOW2 AI Assistant and its role within the wider platform. The session will demonstrate how the Assistant supports efficiency while remaining grounded in high-quality, evidence-based teaching practice. Exploring these features together will enable educators to exchange ideas and apply them directly within their own teaching and professional development contexts.

This year’s gathering offers a valuable opportunity to strengthen connections across the HOW2 community and carry that collaborative momentum back into their own institutions.

South and City College Birmingham is a further and higher education institution at the forefront of promoting a culture of innovation and shared practice. The college offers high-quality education, technical and vocational training to young people, adults, and employers, promoting personal and professional growth. Through its commitment to its students and to innovative, inclusive education, SCCB is dedicated to empowering learners and fostering a sense of community that extends beyond its campuses.

TeachingHOW2s is driving innovation in CPD for educators across Further Education, Higher Education, schools, and workplace training. Its digital platform offers a practical, evidence-based approach to embedding transformative teaching techniques, supported by its integrated AI Assistant, which provides real-time, tailored support to help educators quickly adapt strategies to their own classrooms.

Alongside this, its collaborative tools encourage professional dialogue and peer-to-peer learning, helping educators share best practices and build collective expertise. HOW2 makes CPD an everyday, scalable, and sustainable practice — supporting staff in creating engaging, effective learning environments where both learners and practitioners can thrive.

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