3:20 - 3:50 PM | The Loyalty Question — What Makes Extraordinary Teachers Choose to Stay
CASE STUDY + ROUNDTABLE
The Conversation
Pay matters, but it's rarely the whole story of why an extraordinary teacher stays somewhere for years, or the reason another one leaves after eighteen months. Loyalty, in the schools that keep their best people, is earned, through trust, through value, through a sense of purpose that a paycheck alone can't provide.
This session explores what makes extraordinary teachers choose to stay, considering loyalty as something earned through trust, value and purpose, not pay alone. It combines lived teacher experience with HR and inclusion leadership perspectives, examines what the most sought-after schools do differently to retain their best people, and offers a practical conversation on building a place extraordinary people choose, again and again.
Key discussion points include:
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What makes extraordinary teachers choose to stay
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Loyalty as something earned through trust, value and purpose, not pay alone
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Combining lived teacher experience with HR and inclusion leadership perspectives
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What the most sought-after schools do differently to retain their best people
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A practical conversation on building a place extraordinary people choose, again and again
Speakers
Simon Lightman Director of the Learning Lab, The Flourish Project Simon Lightman FRSA FCCT is an educator, writer and school leader working at the intersection of education, sustainability and human flourishing. He is Director of the Learning Lab at The Flourish Project and supports schools and organisations internationally to explore purpose, wellbeing, youth agency and transformative approaches to learning and leadership.
May Zalat Director of Inclusion, Kids First Group May Zalat is the Inclusion Director at Kids First Group, leading inclusion across 36 nurseries in the UAE and Qatar. With over 18 years of experience in Early Years education, she has held senior leadership roles and holds a Master’s degree in Special Educational Needs. May is a qualified Early Years Trainer and Assessor, founder of the IECE Initiative, a Certified Positive Discipline Parent Educator, and a Learning Language and Loving It™ Program Provider. She supports educators and families through training, coaching, and guidance, with a mission to create inclusive early years environments where every child belongs and educators thrive.
Regan Ferreira Head of Inclusion, GEMS
Riaan Huyser Executive Principal, Al Rabeeh School & Al Rabeeh Academy Riaan Huyser is the Executive Principal of Al Rabeeh Education, leading Al Rabeeh School and Al Rabeeh Academy in Abu Dhabi. With over 30 years of international education and leadership experience across three continents, Riaan is a qualified school inspector and passionate advocate for school improvement and educational excellence. Under his leadership, both Al Rabeeh schools have achieved Outstanding BSO ratings and continued improvement through ADEK inspections. Riaan is also the BSME Country Representative for Abu Dhabi and was recognised among Abu Dhabi’s top three Principals in the ADEK Awards. His people-first leadership centres on developing staff, nurturing students and creating future leaders.