ASDAN welcomes stakeholders to inspiring evening with patron Lord Jim Knight

ASDAN was delighted to welcome education leaders, policymakers and changemakers from across the UK to our recent stakeholder event, held at Bristol’s Engine Shed venue. 

The evening brought together a distinguished line-up of speakers to explore the future of education and celebrate the power of inclusive, interest-led learning. 

We were especially proud to highlight the contribution of our patron, Lord Jim Knight, former Minister of State for Schools, who delivered a thought-provoking keynote reflecting on the growing challenges faced by young people in today’s education system.

Lord Knight spoke passionately about the rising levels of stress and disengagement among learners. He emphasised the need of creating engaging, meaningful learning experiences and praised ASDAN’s learner-centred, project-based approach for offering just that.

“Being bored at school is a really negative thing,” he said. “It implies what you're being fed isn't engaging. ASDAN is tackling this by creating courses linked to learners' interests and encouraging creativity and real-world skills.” 

He also raised concerns about the impact of mobile phones and excessive screen time in limiting opportunities for young people to be creatively “bored” outside the classroom – a crucial space for reflection and imagination. This, he argued, contributes to shortened attention spans and undermines deep engagement in learning. 

The evening also featured an inspiring presentation by Jemma Hancock, ASDAN trustee and Head of Organisational Development and Culture at Great Western Railway, who spoke about the skills employers value and the importance of lifelong learning. 

ASDAN Chief Executive Melissa Farnham closed the event by reiterating the charity’s mission to support learners who struggle to thrive in mainstream education. 

“There are 1.5 million learners in the UK who are disengaged from school each week. ASDAN exists to tackle this head-on by offering accessible, flexible programmes that meet young people where they are – and help them move forward.” 

Last year over 42,000 learners took part in ASDAN programmes, and over 7,500 being awarded certificated qualifications. With our pioneering Esports programme launching soon and the national roll-out of our new digital learning platform, ASDAN is leading the way in offering innovative, inclusive education for a new generation of learners. 

We thank all who attended for making the evening such a success and look forward to continuing our work together to build a more inclusive and engaging future for education.