Annual General Meeting 2026
Holiday Inn Boldon
The eighteenth Annual General Meeting (AGM) of Schools North East will be held at the Holiday Inn Boldon on Thursday 26 November, 2026, 8:30am.
The AGM is an exclusive event for Partner Schools and Trusts. Invitations have been sent to our members, bringing together the network to reflect on the organisation’s work and achievements over the past year, conduct its formal business and look ahead to the future.
The morning will begin with a networking breakfast, followed by the official AGM business and two guest speaker sessions.
Reflecting on our collective impact
The AGM is an important opportunity to recognise the collective strength of Schools North East and the role our network plays in championing schools across the region.
As we approach 20 years of Schools North East, we want our Partner Schools and Trusts to remain central to the network.
For almost two decades, our strength has come from schools working together, sharing their expertise and speaking with one collective voice. Continued involvement is just as important as we look to the future, championing the region, challenging the inequalities facing our children and creating opportunities for every child, for every school, for the future of our region.
All invites have been sent to all Partner School & Trust appointed members. If you haven’t received an invite and believe you should have, please email events@schoolsnortheast.com.
Book Your PlaceEvent Overview
Using pupil engagement to understand disadvantage – Jess Easton, Director, The Engagement Platform (TEP)
Drawing on benchmarking data from more than 800 partners and 400,000 pupils, this discussion will explore how schools can use pupil engagement alongside attainment data to build a fuller picture of children’s experiences and outcomes.
The Centre to the Periphery – Dr Elle Young, Postdoctoral Research Associate, Durham University & Dr Jo Davies, Lecturer and Research Associate, Bath University
Sharing findings from their research into the Government’s Opportunity Areas programme, this session will explore how place-based education initiatives and local partnerships can help reduce spatial inequalities, and will be followed by a roundtable discussion.
Dr Elle Young
Postdoctoral Research Associate, Durham University
Dr Jo Davies
Lecturer and Research Associate, University of Bath
Jess Easton
Director at The Engagement Platform (TEP)
Jess Easton is a Director at The Engagement Platform (TEP), bringing over 10 years’ experience in professional development and school improvement. Previously Director of CPD at White Rose Education, Jess led large-scale programmes supporting teachers and school leaders across the UK and internationally. At TEP, she leads work helping schools, trusts and education partners understand pupil, staff and family engagement through research, data and evidence-informed insights. Her work focuses on how engagement can act as an early indicator of wider outcomes, including attendance, attainment, wellbeing and inclusion.
Chris Zarraga
Director, Schools North East
Chris is the Director of School North East. He has been part of the Schools North East team since its operational inception in 2008 and in 2019 he was appointed Director. Chris works with senior leaders across the North East and nationally in the education and charity sectors, to represent the voice of North East schools. A central part of his work is to lobby politicians, policy makers, and the media to put a strong ‘regional accent’ on the education debate, so that North East schools are not left behind when it comes to education policy.
Under Chris, Schools North East launched the ‘Manifesto for North East Education’. The manifesto sets out the perennial challenges that impact educational opportunities in the North East and the principles needed to inform any educational policy wanting to address them.
Chris works with hundreds of schools across the North East and various organisations including Ofsted, the DfE, the North East’s universities, Local Authorities and various regional/ national businesses. Prior to joining Schools North East, he led a £1.4 million culture change project in education across the North East for the Treasury and DfE and was responsible for setting up a multi-million pound Enterprise Education Network.
Chris sits on various advisory boards including the NHS Integrated Care Boards, various Combined Authority advisory boards, and was a member of the DfE’s Opportunity North East strategic board. He has also sat on various boards for North East Universities. As well as being a Director of two North East multi academy trusts, Chris has been Chair of a 3 school Trust, Vice Chair of a large maintained secondary school and Vice Chair of a primary foundation school.
In a variety of roles from Regional Manager to Chief Executive to Board member, Chris has led large scale change management projects in education and has over 20 years’ experience of strategic management, consultancy, and client development experience at a ‘Big Four’ firm and various financial institutions.
Chris holds an MBA with distinction from Durham University Business School.
Public Transport
The venue is approximately 10 minutes by car from Newcastle Central Station.
From Newcastle Central Station, head to the Monument Pilgrim Street bus stop and take the X34 towards Sunderland. Get off at Abingdon Way. The venue is approximately a 10-minute walk from the bus stop.
Parking
The hotel benefits from complimentary, on site parking for guests. Please ensure you enter your vehicle registration number at reception to avoid charges.
Annual General Meeting 2025
Event Date: 26 September 2025
Location: Banks Homes Riverside Cricket Ground, Chester-le-Street
