The Schools & Academies Show

At The Schools & Academies Show you can meet suppliers, policy-makers and other education leaders, and attend CPD sessions on school improvement, purchasing and school management, over two days in Hall 1 at NEC Birmingham. The Schools & Academies Show is an exhibition and CPD programme for senior leaders in schools, academies and multi-academy trusts, which the organiser describes as a meeting point for education leaders, policy-makers and suppliers, with exhibitors focused on the same areas. The show’s website leads with the line “Mapping the Future of Your School”.

Birmingham 2026 dates and free admission

If you work in a school, trust, college or the wider public sector, you can attend free and receive a CPD certificate of attendance afterwards. The show runs on Wednesday 18 and Thursday 19 November 2026. According to the official visitor FAQs, doors open at 9am on both days, closing at 4.30pm on day one and 3.30pm on day two.

• Free entry for schools, multi-academy trusts, colleges, universities, charities, not-for-profits, local and central government and the wider public sector.
• Private sector visitors pay £699 plus VAT, chosen by selecting “private sector” as the attendee type when registering.
• Badges are printed from a personal QR code issued through the ConnectEd platform.
• As an accredited CPD provider, the organiser emails certificates of attendance after the event; processing can take up to 30 days.

If London suits you better, the organiser also runs a one-day London edition at Excel London on 12 May 2027. Other education dates on the calendar include Nursery Management Show (27 November 2026) and Bett UK (from 20 January 2027), both at Excel London, and more are gathered under education and technology trade shows.

Who you will meet

You can meet headteachers, MAT leaders, school business managers, school estate managers, SENDCOs and governors, the visitor groups the exhibitor pages name as the show’s targets. The organiser puts attendance at the Birmingham show at 4,000, against 3,000 for London.

You can also hear from national figures in education and policy. Speakers listed on the show’s website include Laura Trott MP, Shadow Secretary of State for Education; Sam Freedman of the Institute for Government; Angi Gibson, President of the National Association of Head Teachers; Sue Lovelock, the Department for Education’s Regional Director for the West Midlands; and Anthony Barry, assistant manager of the England men’s football team. Partner organisations shown on the site include ASCL, the Confederation of School Trusts, the Department for Education, NAHT, Nasen and NGA.

What you can do at the show

You can question government representatives, find practical ways to get value for your school, see SEND and EdTech suppliers, and pre-book meetings before you arrive.

• Government Education Village, where school and trust leaders can put questions to senior government representatives about upcoming changes.
• CPC Village, hosted with Crescent Purchasing Consortium and focused on practical ways for schools to get value without compromising quality.
• Inclusive Classroom, hosted by Findel Education, bringing inclusive learning environments to life.
• A new area at the Birmingham show bringing together specialist SEND suppliers.
• A start-up area bringing together 12 start-ups offering new EdTech for frontline teaching and classroom engagement.
• A dedicated stage for panel sessions on the sector’s biggest strategic challenges.
• The NGA, which says it has over 80,000 members, will bring hundreds of governance professionals to the show.
• An event networking platform lets visitors pre-book meetings, plan their agenda and connect with suppliers.

Four events on one free pass

With a free pass you get four education events under one roof. The Birmingham co-located events are the EdTech Summit, running since 2020 with a Main Stage for keynotes and panels and an Insights Theatre for CPD-certified case studies; the Independent Schools Conference for heads, bursars, governors and senior leaders; and the SEND Conference. Our guide to what a co-located exhibition ticket covers explains how to check which sessions a pass includes.

Exhibiting and speaking

You can choose how to take part, with packages ranging from exhibition stands to speaking slots. If you are exhibiting for the first time, you may find our guide to choosing your first UK trade show useful when weighing the Birmingham and London editions.

Free parking and getting there

You can park free, as the visitor FAQs say parking is complimentary for this show, booked directly on the NEC website using the code SACAD#V for visitors, speakers and VIPs. Birmingham International station is a five-minute covered walk from the halls, and the free air-rail link connects Birmingham Airport Terminal 1 to the station. The show FAQs say cloakrooms beside each hall are free, and Changing Places toilets sit by Hall 20 and Hall 2. The venue shares November with Lab Innovations and Advanced Engineering (both from 4 November 2026), and other dates are listed under trade shows in Birmingham.

Source: schoolsandacademiesshow.co.uk, schoolsandacademiesshow.co.uk/whats-on, schoolsandacademiesshow.co.uk/birmingham-visitor-faqs, schoolsandacademiesshow.co.uk/about-us