Schools North East Ofsted Update (Virtual)
Zoom
This webinar is available only to Schools North East Partner Schools and Trusts.
A year into Ofsted’s renewed framework, is inspection seeing North East schools clearly? This autumn, school and trust leaders representing over 350 schools across the region told Schools North East how inspection is working in practice: those already inspected, those still waiting for the call, and leaders of trusts. Ben Hardy, Policy Manager at Schools North East, will share the findings and set them alongside what published inspection outcomes are showing so far. Together they ask a central question: does a framework that starts from headline data give fair weight to the context schools work in? The North East’s challenges reflect structural divide, not school failure. The region’s schools do more than most for long-term disadvantaged pupils, yet they serve communities facing some of the deepest disadvantage in the country. The session asks whether inspection recognises that, what it is costing leaders, and what it means for the future of school leadership in the schools that need great leaders most.
Event Overview
Ben Hardy
Policy Manager, Schools North East
Ben returned to Schools North East in January 2026 as Policy Manager, leading on the organisation’s strategic policy and public affairs agenda. His work provides alignment between policy, research, stakeholder engagement, and member insight; ensuring the voice of North East schools is heard to influence decision-makers at the highest levels.
Ben brings a wealth of cross-sector experience to the role. He re-joins Schools North East following five years at the Department for Education, where he primarily led on stakeholder engagement working closely with the sector to ensure that strategy was developed with schools, trusts, and local authorities. He also served as Policy and Strategy Lead for the ‘Maximising Value for Pupils’ programme, which was launched to tackle systemic challenges at a national level.
Between 2019 and 2021, Ben was Relationship Manager at Schools North East, where he developed strong relationships with a wide range of stakeholders across the region, including CEOs, CFOs, Head Teachers, School Business Professionals, local authorities, and other charitable organisations. Prior to this, Ben spent five years at The Key, supporting school and trust leaders nationwide. A committed advocate for the sector, Ben has been involved in school governance for over a decade and is currently Chair of Governors at a primary school in Newcastle.
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