Education’s Most Valuable Players take centre court at The Education Business Conference 2026
More than ever, schools are being asked to do more with less. Rising costs, increasing SEND demand, workforce pressures, ageing estates and growing expectations continue to place enormous strain on the education system.
Yet despite these challenges, schools across the North East continue to deliver remarkable outcomes for our region’s children and young people.
That was the central message running through this year’s The Education Business Conference, which brought together School Business Professionals, CFOs, COOs, HR leaders, estates teams, governance professionals and school leaders from across the region and beyond.
Held in collaboration with the Department for Education, this year’s conference explored the Maximising Value for Pupils programme, which fit well with our chosen theme for 2026: Most Valuable Players.
Because if anyone understands how to maximise value for pupils, it is the professionals who quietly make schools work every day.
In response to these ongoing challenges, we will also be hosting an upcoming Policy Update Webinar for Partner Schools & Trusts, designed to provide the latest national updates and explore what they mean in practice across the region.
Efficiency matters – but so does sufficiency
The conference welcomed the conversation around efficiency and the Department for Education’s Maximising Value for Pupils programme. We wholeheartedly agree that schools should seek value in every contract, every staffing decision, every estate strategy and every procurement exercise.
However… one message resonated strongly throughout the day: Efficiency and sufficiency are not the same thing.
Schools and trusts can be exceptionally well-run and still face significant financial pressures. A budget can be expertly managed and still not be enough.
For many of our delegates, the notion of finding efficiencies was not a new challenge. North East schools have spent years innovating, collaborating and adapting to increasingly difficult circumstances.
They have redesigned staffing structures, embraced technology, shared services, renegotiated contracts and managed energy crises — not because policy demanded it, but because every pound saved represents another pound available to support children.
Putting pupils at the centre
At its heart, the conference reinforced that maximising value is not ultimately about money, but rather about the children and young people.
Every efficiency created, every process improved and every strategic decision made creates opportunities for pupils. It protects interventions, preserves enrichment opportunities, supports families and enables schools to provide the additional help that children and young people need.
As delegates heard throughout the day, operational excellence is never an end in itself. Strong finances, effective governance, resilient estates, safe systems and strategic workforce planning all exist for one purpose: improving outcomes for children.
Recognising education’s Most Valuable Players
School Business Professionals have often been described as the backbone of the education system. Increasingly, however, their role extends far beyond operational management.
They are strategic leaders.
The conference highlighted the breadth and complexity of modern school business leadership, with sessions covering workforce wellbeing, AI and digital innovation, cyber security, climate action, estates strategy, procurement, energy, employment law, medicines management, inspection readiness and inclusion.
The sheer range of topics reflected the reality of the profession itself. Today’s School Business Leaders are not simply administrators. They are problem-solvers, negotiators, risk managers, commercial experts and trusted advisers.
They are the people who keep schools functioning through uncertainty and complexity.
They are education’s Most Valuable Players.
Building confidence in an uncertain world
Another theme running through the conference was resilience.
Whether discussing cyber security, wellbeing, climate responsibilities or the evolving demands of leadership, speakers repeatedly emphasised the importance of confidence, adaptability and collaboration.
Four-time Paralympian Amy Conroy delivered a powerful keynote exploring how mindset shapes what we believe is possible. Her message about challenging self-imposed limits and finding confidence in adversity provided an inspiring backdrop to many of the wider discussions taking place throughout the day.
Meanwhile, sessions on wellbeing and workforce sustainability recognised the pressures facing School Business Leaders and the need to ensure those who support schools are themselves properly supported.
From policy to practice
The conference also demonstrated the value of bringing together national policy and regional expertise. Working closely with the Department for Education, delegates explored the practical realities of implementing reforms across areas including school business leadership, estates, energy, procurement and inclusion.
Importantly, the event provided an opportunity for the experiences of North East schools to help shape those conversations.
Because while policy may be developed nationally, it is implemented locally — and few regions understand the realities of making every pound count better than the North East.
Collaboration as a strength
Beyond the presentations and workshops, the conference provided valuable opportunities for colleagues to connect, share experiences and learn from one another.
Throughout the day, the exhibition hall and Department for Education Live Networking Zone buzzed with conversation and collaboration, bringing together practitioners, sector experts, sponsors and exhibitors committed to supporting schools.
That spirit of partnership has always been one of the North East’s greatest strengths.
A sincere thank you
Schools North East would like to thank everyone who helped make this year’s The Education Business Conference such a success.
Our thanks go to every speaker who generously shared their expertise, to our exhibitors and sponsors for their continued support, and especially to our main event sponsor, Education Mutual.
Most importantly, thank you to all of the delegates who invested their time in themselves, their teams and their schools.
The challenges facing education are significant. But if this conference demonstrated anything, it is that the North East possesses an extraordinary community of professionals who continue to meet those challenges with creativity, determination and unwavering commitment.
They are, and always will be, education’s Most Valuable Players.