Summit 2025: Rebooting Education – The Future of Our Region is in School
The education landscape is undergoing a fundamental reset, and at Schools North East’s Annual Summit 2025, leaders from across the region came together to press the collective power button.
Held at St James’ Park yesterday (16 October), this year’s Summit (themed “Rebooting Education: The Future of Our Region is in School”) brought together 500 Head Teachers, trust leaders, policymakers, and education partners to explore what a strategic “reboot” of education should look like for the North East and beyond.
Rebooting the system: a day of ideas, leadership and collaboration
Opening the Summit, Schools North East Director Chris Zarraga set out why this moment is so pivotal for education in our region. With a new White Paper, Ofsted framework, curriculum review and SEND reform all on the horizon, decisions made now will shape schools for the next decade or more.
Chris argued that the real issue is not whether the country can afford to invest in education, but whether it chooses to. Billions can be found for projects like HS2 that never reach the North, £125 million on a bat tunnel, or hundreds of millions on cycle schemes and logo rebrands, yet schools are told there is no money for the basics: early years provision, speech and language therapy, educational psychologists, SEND support, and the cultural capital of a rich curriculum.
“Batcaves, lemurs and lycra,” he said, “while a generation of white working-class boys are being written off. This is a nation that can afford to support its children – it just keeps choosing not to.”
He delivered a powerful message about the need for fundamental reform. Reflecting on this summer’s GCSE and A-level results, he warned that the current system continues to disadvantage young people in the North East.
He noted that the structural differences between London and the North East are “stark and widening.” While decades of investment and strong civic infrastructure have transformed outcomes in the capital, the North East’s equally talented and ambitious young people remain constrained by an underfunded and outdated system.
“The result,” he said, “is a permanent north–south gap that no amount of school-level tinkering will close. That’s why the system doesn’t need another patch — it needs a complete reboot.”
Chris called for investment from the top, devolved powers to the regions, targeted support for disadvantaged pupils, and greater collaboration across agencies — all led by schools themselves rather than imposed from Whitehall.
His challenge to delegates was clear: to seize this moment to shape reform rather than wait for it. “If we act together,” he concluded, “we can make sure the reset is real — that the North East leads the way, and that the future of our children is written not in Westminster, but in our schools.”
He was then joined by Liam Roberts, CEO of Edwin (our brilliant main event sponsor), and Colin Lofthouse, Chair of Schools North East, who together highlighted the importance of leadership in shaping – not just responding to – reform.
Exploring reform, resilience and relevance
Throughout the day, speakers and panellists tackled some of the most pressing challenges facing schools today, from reform and accountability to leadership, sustainability, and wellbeing.
Professor Sir Paul Collier (University of Oxford) opened the first breakout session with “Forging Pathways from School to Worthwhile Working Lives,” a thought-provoking look at how education can better prepare young people for meaningful careers.
Meanwhile, Andy Cook (Centre for Social Justice)’s “Finding the Lost Boys” session resonated strongly with delegates, exploring practical ways to re-engage vulnerable learners and address barriers to success.
The second round of sessions brought a focus on collaboration and inclusion. Professor Toby Greany (University of Nottingham) discussed “Sustainable School Leadership: Place-based Collaboration in Turbulent Times,” highlighting how regional networks and partnerships can help schools adapt and thrive.
Jean Gross CBE followed with a deeply insightful session, “We Need to Talk About Jason,” exploring the issues facing white working-class boys and the systemic changes needed to support them.
A rebooted system driven by schools
The afternoon sessions focused on reform and policymaking. Baroness Morris, former Secretary of State for Education, led “Schools Leading the Next Stage of Reform,” calling on school leaders to shape reform rather than be shaped by it.
An important moment in the day was the “Rebooting the System” panel chaired by John Roberts (Tes), featuring Karl Ellerbrook, Jean Gross CBE, Pippa Irwin, and Baroness Morris. Together, they debated how reform could be redesigned to work with schools, building a system that empowers rather than constrains.
The Summit concluded with an address from Lee Owston HMI (Ofsted), “Inclusion at the Heart: The Future of Education Inspection,” offering insights into the evolving landscape of inspection, equity, and accountability.
Putting the North East at the heart of education’s next chapter
From AI and accountability to inclusion and leadership, Summit 2025 reaffirmed one clear message: the North East’s schools are not just part of the education system — they are the system. Across the region, schools are taking the lead in redefining what high-quality, equitable education looks like — rooted in community, powered by collaboration, and driven by a deep moral purpose.
The conversations at St James’ Park showcased the North East at its best: innovative, bold, and united. Delegates didn’t just discuss policy — they forged partnerships, shared lived experiences, and imagined a future where schools are trusted to lead real change. There was a tangible sense of momentum, with leaders agreeing that sustainable improvement will only come when schools are empowered to design the solutions their communities need.
As delegates departed, that message echoed throughout St James’ Park: the reset has already begun. It’s happening in classrooms alive with creativity and care, in leadership teams pushing boundaries, and in communities where education remains the beating heart of opportunity.
