08 Oct 2026
Around 50 education experts gathered in Cambridge on 14 September to focus on how to help students develop self-management skills, one of the five priorities identified in our research, Preparing Learners to Thrive in a Changing World. This research found that both students and teachers see self-management skills as critical for success but challenging to teach and learn. Almost a quarter of teachers (23%) identified self-management skills as the most difficult to teach from a list of options, and 19% of students considered these skills the most difficult to learn.
The Education Summit was hosted by Cambridge's Education Futures team, with participants representing schools, school groups and universities. Professor Sara Baker from the University of Cambridge Faculty of Education, and Mitch Weathers, author and founder of Organized Binder, led the sessions, presenting findings that link strong self-management skills to future success.
'In the classroom, there are behaviours that allow students to 'do school': pay attention, manage their time, get organised, complete tasks,' explained Mitch Weathers, highlighting how school can be a lonely and passive experience for students who find these behaviours difficult. 'We want to help students understand how to be active participants in their education.'
Self-management across the curriculum
Academics from UK universities, including Cambridge, Oxford, Bath and Liverpool John Moores University, shared their perspectives on the role of self-management skills across the curriculum, from oracy and literacy to improving wellbeing and digital habits. The summit also included practical workshops to help Cambridge identify where more research is needed, and shape new resources to make self-management skills easier to learn and teach.
'One of the key takeaways is that self-management is not a bolt on to the curriculum, but something we need to bolt in,' said Paul Ellis, Head of Education Practice at Cambridge. 'We need to be developing these skills across the curriculum at all levels of education.'
Read highlights from the summit.
Mitch Weathers is the keynote speaker at our Cambridge Schools Conference Online on 19 to 22 October. It is free to attend – find out how to sign up for sessions.