2025 programme
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Please note that this programme is subject to change
Tuesday 7 October
Pre-conference learning camp: The latest in schools-based formative assessment
1.30pm BST
8.30am ET
Conference introduction
Jim Crawford – Chief Commercial Officer & Company Director, Surpass Assessment
1.35pm BST
8.35am ET
Keynote: John Winkley – The implications of AI for formative assessment
John Winkley – Education expert
Shirley Watson – Chief Executive Officer, Beckfoot Trust
While awarding organisations focus primarily on measuring learning, many aim to support learning too. As both experts in assessment, and as guardians of the final assessment the student will take, they are in a unique position to help.
Effective formative assessment, that drives and focuses learning, supports learners when they get stuck, and gives teachers real-time information about where their teaching is working, and where it isn’t, is widely recognised as having great impact on achievement. However, it has proved hard to implement at scale, for example where a teacher has to respond individually to the personal learning needs each child within a class. Technology has had some impact, for example in managing and presenting data to inform learning and helping students identify personal areas of strength and weakness.
The key question is how best to use the extraordinary power of AI to turbocharge the impact of technology on assessment for learning. This presentation will look at some of the options and consider the complex factors that impact on learning – particularly focusing on learning in the school classroom. To help with this, John is joined by Shirley Watson, the CEO of Beckfoot Trust – a multi-academy trust with around 8000 students across 10 schools in the Bradford district.
2.15pm BST
9.15am ET
Keynote Q&A
Jim Crawford – Chief Commercial Officer & Company Director, Surpass Assessment
2.25pm BST
9.25am ET
Short ad break
2.30pm BST
9.30am ET
Case Study: Large-scale, computer-adaptive testing project in reading and numeracy
Gemma O’Brien – National Assessment Programme Manager, AlphaPlus (AQA Global)
This session presents a case study of national implementation of on-screen adaptive assessments in reading and numeracy in Wales.
2.50pm BST
9.50am ET
Case Study: Enhancing the diagnostic potential of multiple-choice tests
Dr Jimmy de la Torre – Professor, Human Communication, Learning and Development, The University of Hong Kong
3.10pm BST
10.10am ET
Short break
3.15pm BST
10.15am ET
Case Study: US education trends to watch – and the supporting role of formative assessment
Kaitlynn Griffith – Chief Solutions Officer, Cornerstone Strategies
The US education market has never experienced a more volatile time. This is both an opportunity and a threat for those working in assessments. This session will highlight the most important trends to watch and touch on the role of formative assessment in supporting effective responses.
3.35pm BST
10.35am ET
Outro
Jim Crawford – Chief Commercial Officer & Company Director, Surpass Assessment
Day 1 – Wednesday 8 October
1.30pm BST
8.30am ET
Conference introduction
Jim Crawford – Chief Commercial Officer & Company Director, Surpass Assessment
1.35pm BST
8.35am ET
Company Update – A year in focus: Surpass strategy update
Andy McAnulla – Co-CEO, Surpass Assessment
Sonya Whitworth – Co-CEO, Surpass Assessment
Featuring updates from:
Jarret Dyer – VP of Test Security, Surpass Assessment
Ceri Harper – Chief Services Officer, Surpass Assessment
Laura Steighner – Director of Test Delivery Customer Experience, Surpass Assessment
2.05pm BST
9.05am ET
Community Stories – Pioneering AI in healthcare: Inteleos’ journey with Surpass Copilot
Jeff Grove – Director of Assessment Operations, Inteleos
Join representatives from Surpass Community members as they take us through their assessment journeys and challenges.
2.20pm BST
9.20am ET
Community Snapshot with CPA Canada
Chris Cramer, Chartered Professional Accountants (CPA) of Canada
2.25pm BST
9.25am ET
From bottlenecks to breakthroughs: Optimising Surpass for speed and scale
John Turner – Solutions Engineer, Surpass Assessment
Sophie Grogan – Product Owner, Surpass Assessment
Ian Brumfitt – Chief Operating Officer, Surpass Assessment
Danny Jimmison – Performance Test Lead, Surpass Assessment
Join the Surpass team as they take us through how investments in our technology support the seamless delivery of reliable, large-scale assessments on a global scale.
2.30pm BST
9.30am ET
An introduction to new capabilities for clinical examination support, and the Advanced Media Library
Sophie Grogan – Product Owner, Surpass Assessment
Jim Crawford – Chief Commercial Officer & Company Director, Surpass Assessment
2.50pm BST
9.50am ET
Surpass Services Update
Gareth Hopkins – Solutions Manager, Surpass Assessment
Sophie Brumfitt – Head of Product Managment, Surpass Assessment
2.55pm BST
9.55am ET
Community Stories with GPhC – Scaling a Test Centre Network for large, single-day exam events
Ruth Exelby – Head of Trainee Pharmacist Assessment, GPhC
Join representatives from Surpass Community members as they take us through their assessment journeys and challenges.
3.10pm BST
10.10am ET
Podcast: And it matters because… test security in the assessment industry
Rachel Schoenig – Founder & CEO, Cornerstone Strategies
Jarret Dyer – VP of Test Security, Surpass Assessment
3.25pm BST
10.25am ET
An introduction to Surpass Tutor for professional qualifications
Adam Foley – Head of Digital Innovation, Surpass Assessment
3.35pm BST
10.35am ET
Community Snapshot – Streamlining the authoring and delivery of a multilingual test
John Turner – Solutions Engineer, Surpass Assessment
3.40pm BST
10.40am ET
Community Stories with CISI – Transitioning a large-scale, continuous testing programme to Surpass
Lesley Perry – Senior Manager for Scheduling and Administration, Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment (CISI)
Saffron Dunk – Project Manager, Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment (CISI)
Ellen Wood – Head of Customer Success, Surpass Assessment
Join us for an insightful conference session led by Saffron Dunk, a Project Manager at the Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment (CISI), along with Lesley Perry, Senior Manager of Scheduling & Administration at CISI, and Ellen Wood, Customer Success Manager at Surpass. This session will delve into the collaborative development work carried out by CISI and Surpass over the past year to transition CISI’s large-scale, continuous testing programme to the Surpass Platform.
In addition to an overview of CISI’s transition to Surpass, attendees will gain insights into the specific features developed to facilitate this, such as custom score reports, right-to-left language support, and the implementation of a daily digest email.
3.55pm BST
10.55am ET
AI with confidence: Building, governing and innovating together
Andy McAnulla – Co-CEO, Surpass Assessment
In just two years, AI has gone from hype to an everyday reality. But how do you embrace this technology without losing control? In this session, Andy McAnulla, Co-CEO of Surpass, shares how Surpass has built a foundation of strong AI governance, partnered with the community to define responsible AI principles, and delivered real-world innovations like Surpass Copilot, Surpass Tutor, and AI-powered proctoring. Learn how responsible adoption is accelerating growth, improving assessment quality, and reshaping everyday processes, while keeping people at the centre.
4.05pm BST
11.05am ET
Keynote – The automated future of assessment
John Weiner – Assessment industry adviser / former Chief Science Officer
We are in an era of rapid and significant change, as technology and AI are transforming work and education, and in turn, reshaping the world of assessment. This poses a challenge for testing professionals and organizations to adapt, build strategies, and develop innovative approaches to testing – reimagining the entire testing lifecycle. This presentation explores transformative trends, expected changes, and implications for the future of testing.
4.45pm BST
11.45am ET
Keynote Q&A
Laura Steighner – Director of Test Delivery Customer Experience, Surpass Assessment
John Weiner – Assessment industry adviser / former Chief Science Officer
4.55pm BST
11.55am ET
Outro
Jim Crawford – Chief Commercial Officer & Company Director, Surpass Assessment
Day 2 – Thursday 9 October
1.30pm BST
8.30am ET
Conference introduction
Jim Crawford – Chief Commercial Officer & Company Director, Surpass Assessment
1.35pm BST
8.35am ET
Keynote – Learning in the world of AI, assessment for the world of AI
Andreas Schleicher – Director for Education and Skills, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)
In this keynote Andreas will share how we learn in a world of Artificial Intelligence (AI), and crucially how we assess what is learned, for the world of AI. He explores how topics that are easy to teach and test have now become easy to digitise and automate, and the implications of the declining importance of routine tasks for the future of work.
2.05pm BST
9.05am ET
Surpass Feature Tour: all the latest enhancements in the Surpass Platform
Georgie Jones – Assessment Specialist, Surpass Assessment
John Turner – Solutions Engineer, Surpass Assessment
2.20pm BST
9.20am ET
Community Stories – Delivering large-scale, paper and on-screen tests in schools
Nick Biancalana – Technical Product Specialist, Surpass Assessment
2.35pm BST
9.35am ET
Community Stories – Secure, offline Chromebook delivery and the future of exam delivery technology
Ellen Patterson – On-Screen Exams Delivery Analyst, AQA
2.50pm BST
9.50am ET
Community Snapshot: The latest in AI-based remote proctoring technology
Miriam Broome – Online Proctoring Manager, Surpass Assessment
2.55pm BST
9.55am ET
Community Stories – AI in test preparation and personalised learning
Adam Foley – Head of Digital Innovation, Surpass Assessment
Gray Mytton – Assessment Innovation Manager, NCFE
Graeme Clarke – Head of Digital Assessment Services, Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA)
In this session we will explore how clients are currently using Surpass Tutor. We will hear from NCFE who will discuss their plans for a comparative study to test its accuracy and to compare LLMs with Neuro-Nets. We will also hear from the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) who will share how they are planning to use Surpass Tutor to support students and enhance learner attainment both inside and outside the classroom.
3.05pm BST
10.05am ET
Community Snapshot with Dainis and Company, Inc. – Navigating unchartered waters: Using Surpass for high-stakes exams for ship-bound captains
Amanda Dainis – CEO and Lead Psychometrician, Dainis and Company, Inc.
3.15pm BST
10.15am ET
Community Stories with SQA – Intelligent reporting: using Surpass APIs to analyse assessment performance and delivery
Alastair Black – Digital Assessment Manager, Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA)
Nevil Hopley – Senior Data Analyst, Data & Analytics Team, Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA)
In this session, the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) will showcase how they have harnessed Surpass APIs to assess the performance of items and assessments, by pulling the data into statistical software and building reports. They will go on to explain how they will be able to use these to monitor assessment performance and identify potential malpractice. Finally, they will discuss the data SQA needed and challenges they faced, before rounding up what they have achieved so far with Surpass.
3.30pm BST
10.30am ET
An introduction to Surpass Tutor for Awarding Organisations and schools
Adam Foley – Head of Digital Innovation, Surpass Assessment
3.40pm BST
10.40am ET
Company Update – A year in focus: Surpass strategy update
Andy McAnulla – Co-CEO, Surpass Assessment
Sonya Whitworth – Co-CEO, Surpass Assessment
Featuring updates from:
Jarret Dyer – VP of Test Security, Surpass Assessment
Ceri Harper – Chief Services Officer, Surpass Assessment
Laura Steighner – Director of Test Delivery Customer Experience, Surpass Assessment
4.10pm BST
11.10am ET
Panel: The future workforce – disruption from AI and robotics in vocational practice
With a presentation from Dr Kulvinder Panesar – Assistant Professor of Applied Artificial Intelligence, Bradford University
Jim Crawford – Chief Commercial Officer & Company Director, Surpass Assessment
Gray Mytton – Assessment Innovation Manager, NCFE
4.45pm BST
11.45am ET
Audience Q&A
Jim Crawford – Chief Commercial Officer & Company Director, Surpass Assessment
4.55pm BST
11.55am ET
Outro
Bob Gomersall – Chairman, Surpass Assessment