Held in Bloomsbury, perceived by many as the pulsing heart of intellectual London life, and hosted in the Arts and Crafts splendour of Mary Ward House, Critical Educational Policy and Leadership Studies Research Interest Group (CEPALS RIG) members gathered to critically engage in the 'study and practice of socially just leadership.' This RIG promotes education as a public and 'socially just' service, and as such its remit is to share research on policy scholarship and education leadership (including methodologies and methods) to inform and support our professional practice and research. Conveners Dr Ruth McGinty and Dr Steve Courtney (University of Manchester) designed the half-day forum under the broad title 'Practice and professionalism.' The programme included presentations by a diverse and dynamic network of academics and professionals as specialists in their respective fields. This was followed by a discussion underpinned by a series of questions posed by our expert convenors and appointed discussant, Professor Helen Gunther (University of Manchester). This article provides a brief description of the CEPALS RIG event in Bloomsbury.