Transforming Education Retreat

Stepping back from the day-to-day is sometimes what’s needed to see what’s possible. This retreat is for leaders who want to shift culture, not just fix problems. And for those who believe change can be both systemic and deeply human.

We begin with one simple question:

How can we lead systems change in ways that restore our humanity?

A three-day residential for leaders exploring a timely question…

“What might shift if we stopped trying to fix education and started reimagining it together?”

Retreat Details:

  • Location: Hawkwood Centre for Future Thinking, Stroud, UK

  • Duration: 3 days (from 11am 6 October to 3pm 8 October 2025)

  • Accommodation: Single room, full board included

  • Audience: Educational leaders, decision-makers and system-shapers

  • Fees: £795 per person, all inclusive

  • Financial Support: Bursaries available to ensure access for all

  • Questions: Contact Retreat Lead: Rachel Musson

Why attend?

This isn’t just time away from school, it’s time to reimagine its role in a changing world. The Transforming Education Retreat is an immersive three-day gathering for leaders who are ready to move beyond firefighting and into future-shaping.

You’ll join a global community of forward-thinking educators and decision-makers to step back, reflect deeply and explore what it truly means to lead learning through complexity. Together, we’ll imagine a new culture of education: one that works with life, not against it.

What to expect

This retreat offers space to think differently, connect deeply and reimagine what’s possible in education.

Over three immersive days, you’ll step away from the urgency of everyday leadership and into a slower, more spacious environment where meaningful questions can surface. With a small group of fellow leaders, you’ll explore fresh perspectives on systems-change, share insights from your own context and take part in guided dialogue to uncover what matters most and what gets in the way.

Each day follows a steady rhythm. You’ll begin with expansive questions to spark imagination, move into grounded inquiry around current realities and end with practical steps for bringing transformation to life. Sessions are interactive. A mix of collective inquiry, reflective practice and creative exploration. Experienced facilitators and peers who understand the complexity of leading change will hold space throughout.

Evenings allow for informal connection or quiet reflection. Nature, nourishing food and a calming setting offer space for restoration as well as visioning.

What you’ll gain

This retreat is designed to help you return to your role with greater clarity, confidence and connection.

You’ll develop practical strategies to embed wellbeing into the fabric of your learning environment. You’ll sharpen your understanding of systemic challenges and explore cultural shifts that create deeper, lasting change. You’ll be resourced to lead with integrity and imagination, aligned with what matters most.

You’ll also reconnect with your own purpose. Through shared inquiry and reflection, you’ll find fresh energy for the work and a renewed sense of how to lead in ways that sustain you.

And you’ll be part of a growing community of educators committed to shaping the future of learning, together.

Session Content

  • Visioning a new future for education

    We begin by expanding the lens, stepping back to imagine what education could become if we centred wellbeing, relationships and real-world readiness. Together we’ll ask courageous questions:

    • What if learning helped young people thrive in life, not just exams?

    • What if schools became places of care, creativity and community?

    • What if education helped regenerate people, place and planet?

    This day invites bold visioning, not wishful thinking but future-facing strategy rooted in hope, intelligence and shared purpose.

  • Understanding the systems we’re working within

    The second day grounds us in the present. We’ll explore the complex realities of leading in today’s education systems: the tensions, constraints and possibilities we face. Through facilitated dialogue and systems thinking tools, we’ll ask:

    • What’s holding us back from the change we seek?

    • What are we already doing that works and how do we grow it?

    • Where are the opportunities to lead differently?

    This is a day of truth-telling and listening to each other, to ourselves and to the wider systems we shape and are shaped by.

  • Turning vision into practice

    The final day is about action. Together we’ll explore real-world strategies for cultivating a culture of wellbeing in our schools, organisations and wider communities. Through shared examples, creative tools and peer exchange, we’ll ask:

    • How do we embed new ways of leading and learning?

    • How do we stay resourced as leaders and resource others?

    • What might change look like from the inside out?

    You’ll leave with clear next steps, renewed confidence and the connections to sustain change beyond the retreat.

“The Triple WellBeing practices have really helped me focus more… not as something you need to learn in order to cope, but as a way of life, something that’s just part of who I am.”

- Gail Singer, National English Counsellor, Ministry of Education.

The Facilitators

RACHEL MUSSON – Director of Education
As an esteemed international speaker, educator, facilitator and RSA fellow, Rachel is dedicated to fostering regenerative education and holistic wellbeing. With over two decades of experience as a secondary school teacher and curriculum designer, she champions the belief that education has the power to ignite positive change in the world. Rachel collaborates with global leaders and educators to drive policy reform, facilitates transformative workshops and delivers impactful keynotes on education transformation. Her unwavering commitment to empowering educators and students alike reflects her belief in creating a more compassionate and sustainable world through education.

Holly Everett - Director of Community
Holly brings a wealth of experience in designing and delivering immersive education programmes. With a passion for fostering empathy and connection, Holly is an Aspen UK Rising Leaders Fellow, qualified teacher and coach. Her journey began as a secondary school English teacher before transitioning to the non-profit sector, where she has spent the last six years developing and delivering education programmes addressing issues ranging from bullying to digital literacy, mental wellbeing, and sustainability. Holly's leadership was pivotal in the creation of the groundbreaking Rebooting Education Report, reflecting her commitment to creating positive change in education and beyond.