Annual conference 2026
On this final day, delegates will bring our annual conference to a close and hear from Daniel Kebede.
Annual Conference press releases
Day four at conference
"Together, conference we are unstoppable." - NEU General Secretary: Daniel Kebede. Watch Daniel delivering his powerful speech at the end of conference 2026.
Day four in pictures
Lewis Pugh NEU26 (©KoisMiah26)
Final day applause (©KoisMiah26)
Auditorium crowd (©KoisMiah26)
NEU Conference 2026 (©KoisMiah26)
Day three at conference
Dr Tia T. Mills, executive committee, National Education Association, our international speaker, addressing #NEU2026: “The fight for our children’s futures is universal. Every child deserves safety and opportunity. Let’s continue building a future where every student can thrive.”
Award winners
Winners of the Fred and Anne Jarvis, Nikki Simpson and Annie Higdon Awards 2026
Mika won for empowering women at the grassroots (©KoisMiah26)
Rebecca won as a key Save Education organiser (©KoisMiah26)
Greg won as a strong voice for early years (©KoisMiah26)
Rep and officer of the year 2026
Jenny Cooper, Brent is our 2026 officer of the year, winner. Jenny is an absolute powerhouse at local, regional and national level. The Arthur Terry Learning Partnership team in Birmingham, Staffordshire and Warwickshire are 2026 reps of the year.
One of nature’s collaborators who brings out the best in everyone (©KoisMiah26)
Winning strikes and advocating for the union (©KoisMiah2026)
Day three in pictures
Remove killer asbestos (©KoisMiah26)
Welfare not weapons (©KoisMiah26)
Privatisation by stealth (©KoisMiah26)
Regressive approach to post-16 (©KoisMiah26)
Ed loves a visor (©KoisMiah26)
Day two at conference
Winners of the Steve Sinnott and Blair Peach awards. Michael and Shanzia for their exemplary international solidarity work. Ruth and Joao who both received the Blair Peach award for their incredible work on fighting for equality.
Shazia won for raising awareness for Palestine, Cuba and Sudan (©KoisMiah26)
Michael won for unwavering commitment to Ukraine's teachers and pupils (©KoisMiah26)
Ruth won for championing disability rights (©KoisMiah26)
Joao won for his work countering the far right (©KoisMiah26)
Day two in pictures
Don't marketise new teachers (©KoisMiah26)
White paper priority motion (©KoisMiah26)
Resisting the far right (©KoisMiah26)
The fringe at conference (©KoisMiah26)
Practical activism (©KoisMiah26)
Discussing pensions (©KoisMiah26)
Day one at conference
Opening conference, NEU president Ed Harlow spoke about the transformative power of arts and creative subjects: “…for too long educators have had to make do and mend in a broken system… So our message to government must be clear…Fund our schools, invest in educators, invest in our children, invest in our communities.”
Zack Polanski speech
This afternoon, Zack Polanski, leader of the Green Party, spoke out about the cost of living crisis and its impact on schools and committed the Greens to reverse the real-terms cuts in school budgets: “In your classrooms, in your staff rooms, in your union - you are already building a different future. “Let’s fund it properly. Let’s trust teachers.”
Day one in pictures
Enjoying the Ofsted motion (©KoisMiah2026)
Reading for pleasure not tests (©KoisMiah2026)
The importance of play (©KoisMiah2026)
Standing for safe schools (©KoisMiah2026)
Tackle racism in schools (©KoisMiah2026)
Conference information
Activist Zone
2026 Activist Zone activities by day
FAQ for new delegates
This FAQ are designed to help if this is your first annual conference or if you’ve been before, but didn’t understand how everything worked.
Annual conference
Conference is the main decision making body of the union where changes to policy and the rules are agreed.
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