Evidence-backed ideas for South African classrooms.

researchED is a one-day conference for exploring what makes great teaching & learning.

Designed for teachers, school leaders, and those who work with them.

Buy tickets
via Quicket
Lunch included! Submit a talk →
Submit via UK site

Date

Saturday 12 September 2026

09:30 – 16:00

Venue

Bishops College

1 College Road, Rondebosch · Cape Town

Proudly supported by

Line-up

Speakers & sessions by theme

researchED events run multiple sessions in parallel so that you can choose which sessions to attend. You'll get to choose at least 6 speakers to hear on the day. This year's sessions include:

Lesson design & pedagogy

Keynote

Dr Heleen Hofmeyr

Senior Researcher, RESEP, Stellenbosch University

The impact of socio-emotional skills in the classroom

Keynote

Adam Thorpe

International Education Advisor

When can we trust the evidence? Teaching, learning and the search for good science.

Eugene Peltaret

Co-founder & Chief Development Officer, Reflective

Exploring the Speed of Catch Up in Maths Backlogs

David Goodwin

Research Director, St Alban's College

Are teachers subject specialists or learning experts? Can they be both?

Dr Alexa February

Head of Academics, Huddle Education

Stop Apologising for Teaching — What the evidence actually says about teacher-led instruction.

Gundo Mmbi

Head of Education, Education-Ally

Content Coverage vs Content Mastery: Are Our Learners Really Learning?

Gillian Williams

Jakes Gerwel Fellowship

Learning through engagement

Merlaine Yeo

Founding Director of Unlock Learning South Africa

Differentiation That Works: What It Really Looks Like in the Classroom

Katy Roberts

Pedagogic Coach, Brombacher

Missed opportunities for dialogic teaching

Dalene Uys

Professional Development Lead, Huddle Education

What makes effective teacher training?

Dhereshni Moodley

Education Consultant

Celeste Abrahams

Principal, Jupiter Primary School

Teaching Children in Survival Mode

Iviwe Mtubu

Founder & Director, ReMatric SA

Experiential Learning as a Catalyst for Cross-Curricular Climate Change Education

Jenna Gilmour

Masters Student and High School Educator

It Takes a Village: Relational Leadership and Building Strong School Communities

AI & tech

Keynote

Prof. Dick Ng'ambi

Professor of Education Technology, UCT

Between Chalkboards & AI

Gabi Immelman

Co-founder & CEO, Mindjoy

Liezel Nicholas

Founder, AI for Schools

Practical AI Use in Education: Evidence from the Classroom

Dr Craig Gibbs

Executive Manager: Implementation and Innovation, JET

The impact of AI mathematics in low-resourced primary schools

Sanrie van der Westhuizen

Head of Blended Learning, Apex Education

The Blended Approach: Solution or Band-Aid?

Alexei McGregor

Head of Monitoring and Evaluation, Injini

From first login to lasting change: Supporting educators to use edtech effectively

Bronwyn Desjardins

Digital Innovation Specialist, Bishops Diocesan College

Two Loops, One School: A Theory of Change for Leading AI and Digital Innovation

Chelsea van Lieshout

Head of English, Bridge House School

Flying Too Low - What AI could Cost Writing in the South African Classroom

Leadership

Renate van der Westhuizen

Head of Schools, Apex Network

Sakeena Elloker

Head of Programmes, Instructional Leadership Institute

How School Leaders Improved Classroom Management Through Regular Observation and Feedback

Urshula Saindon

Principal, Silvermine Academy

Instructional Leadership: the key to high school literacy improvement

Jon Molver

Founder & CEO, Proteus Advisory

Joe Orsmond

Head of English, St. Andrew's College, Makhanda

Slow Education: The case for doing less in schools

More speakers to be announced — check back soon.

About

What is researchED South Africa?

researchED South Africa is an annual conference that bridges the gap between education research, evidence, and classroom practice.

Hear from some of South Africa’s finest teachers, leaders, researchers, NGOs, and policymakers about what’s working.

Walk away inspired and with practical, concrete ideas about what makes the most effective teaching practice.

We cover all contexts: urban, rural, no-fee and private. We know there are lots of differences, but when it comes to what we know about what works for learning, there are also lots of similarities.

Our programme, our speakers and our lens are South African — but we are part of a global network spanning the UK, USA, Qatar, Japan, Chile, Netherlands and beyond.

Our audience

1Those working in schools

2Those working with schools

3Those whose work is about schools

researchED brings together policy makers, NGOs, schools and academics

Who is this for?

Is this event for me?

Teachers

The majority of our audience are teachers. We welcome all teachers, from whatever school or context. If you're a keen teacher looking to develop, grow or strengthen your teaching — this is for you.

School Leaders

Regardless of what school you lead, this event is for you. If you want to learn, grow and strengthen what your school stands for — come and join us.

Academics & Researchers

Share your findings with a classroom-ready audience and hear the questions practitioners are actually asking.

School Support Organisations

Find out what other organisations are doing, speak directly to teachers, and hear from smart thinkers on best classroom practice.

Policy makers

Share system-level insight with those who make it a reality on the ground. Hear what the most evidence-engaged teachers and leaders are doing.

Join us in Cape Town.

Tickets and speaker submissions via researchED.org.uk.

Buy tickets
via Quicket
Lunch included! Submit a talk →
Submit via UK site

The format

How does it work?

researchED is held on a Saturday so that those working in, or with schools can attend.

The format of parallel sessions lets you choose your own route through the day.

40-minute sessionsShort, focused, and practical.

You choose your dayPick the sessions that matter to you from the programme.

Driven by evidenceEvery speaker must be able to justify their claims.

This is roughly how the day will look — exact times and sessions confirmed closer to the event.

9.30–9.45 Welcome

9.45–10.15 Keynote

Room 1

Room 2

Room 3

Room 4

Room 5

Room 6

Round 1
10.25–11.05

11.05–11.25 Break

Round 2
11.25–12.05

12.05–12.45 Lunch

Round 3
12.45–13.25

Round 4
13.35–14.15

14.15–14.35 Break

Round 5
14.35–15.15

15.25–16.00 Close / Panel

Themes and topics

The theme for the conference is evidence-backed ideas for South African classrooms.

We welcome submissions from speakers on anything to do with effective classroom practice, or how to lead and support effective classroom practice.

We are looking for sessions that are:

Evidence-based

Useful & practical

Interesting

Submit a talk →
Submit via UK site

Example sessions from previous events

Phonics: myths & misconceptions Instructional leadership: supporting better teaching & learning Beyond the EdTech hype Behaviour lessons from schools that have got it right Policy priorities for education reform Teaching teachers: how do adults learn? In pursuit of good lesson design 10 principles of effective instruction

The team

Who we are

researchED South Africa is a non-profit event organised by people with a passion for great teaching and learning. It stands on the shoulders of the original researchED concept created by Tom Bennett in the UK.

Adam Thorpe

Independent Education Advisor

Adam is an independent education advisor who has spent the past ten years supporting a wide range of South African schools and education organisations. A former school leader, he works with schools and NGOs to improve teaching quality and drive school improvement. He works internationally, supporting school networks in the UK, and has helped to build one of the UKs most successful teacher training programmes: Ark Teacher Training.

adamthorpe.co →

Lester Lalla

Headmaster, Bishops Prep

Lester is an experienced school leader with a deep commitment to evidence-informed practice in South African education. As Headmaster of Bishops Prep in Cape Town, he brings a practical passion for effective classroom instruction.

About the event

How researchED works — and what to expect.

The format

How it works

Always on a Saturday

So that those who work in schools can attend without taking time off.

6–7 parallel sessions

Each session is 40 minutes. Attendees choose their own day from the released programme.

Held at a school

Sessions run across halls and classrooms at Bishops College, Cape Town.

At least 50% teachers

The audience is always at least 50% teachers and school leaders.

Evidence-informed only

All speakers must justify their claims with evidence and answer audience questions.

All South African contexts

Urban, rural, no-fee and private. The lens is South African.

Submissions

Want to present?

We welcome submissions from teachers, academics, policymakers, researchers — anyone with something evidence-based to share. Sessions should be practical, evidence-backed, and relevant to South African classrooms.

Example topics from past events: Phonics: myths & misconceptions · Instructional leadership · Beyond the EdTech hype · Policy priorities for reform · 10 principles of effective instruction

Submit your talk on researchED.org.uk →

Ready to attend?

Tickets are available via Eventbrite.

Buy tickets
via Quicket
Lunch included! ← Back to home

Attendees

Is this event for me?

researchED South Africa is for everyone with a stake in improving education — across every context, every role, and every type of school.

Teachers in Government Schools

Access practical, evidence-backed strategies for the no-fee classroom.

Evidence-based teaching strategies
Curriculum and instruction research
Connect with peers across provinces

Teachers in Independent Schools

Challenge assumptions, encounter new research, and leave with ideas for Monday.

Cutting-edge instructional research
Evidence on high-performance learning
Cross-sector perspectives

School Leaders

Build the evidence base for decisions about curriculum, PD and school culture.

Instructional leadership research
Staff development strategies
School improvement evidence

Academics & Researchers

Share your research with a classroom-ready audience and hear practitioners' real questions.

Present findings to teachers directly
Bridge research and practice

NGOs & Education Organisations

Share what works in your programmes and connect with the schools you serve.

Share evidence from programmes
Connect with school leaders

Policymakers

Hear directly from teachers and researchers about what the evidence says — and doesn't.

Ground policy in classroom reality
Evidence-informed decision making

Join us in Cape Town.

Saturday 12 September 2026 · Bishops College

Buy tickets
via Quicket
Lunch included! Submit a talk →
Submit via UK site

The people behind it

Who we are

researchED South Africa is a non-profit event organised by people with a passion for great teaching and learning. It stands on the shoulders of the original researchED concept created by Tom Bennett in the UK.

Adam Thorpe

Independent Education Advisor

Adam is an independent education advisor who has spent the past ten years supporting a wide range of South African schools and education organisations. A former school leader, he works with schools and NGOs to improve teaching quality and drive school improvement. He works internationally, supporting school networks in the UK, and has helped to build one of the UKs most successful teacher training programmes: Ark Teacher Training.

adamthorpe.co →

Lester Lalla

Headmaster, Bishops Prep

Lester is an experienced school leader with a deep commitment to evidence-informed practice in South African education. As Headmaster of Bishops Prep in Cape Town, he brings a practical passion for effective classroom instruction.

Join us in Cape Town.

Saturday 12 September 2026 · Bishops College

Buy tickets
via Quicket
Lunch included! ← Back to home