Education Conferences & Events | Schools North East

Summit 2026

St James' Park, Newcastle

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Thu 8 October 2026

09:00 - 16:00

Schools North East Summit 2026 the North East’s must-attend school leadership event.

Bookings are now open for Schools North East Partner Schools and Partner Trusts – Am I a Partner School?

This year’s Summit comes at a pivotal moment. With the government’s focus on regional growth and its mission North East agenda, the role of schools in shaping the future of our region has never been more important.

With the Secretary of State invited, and major national policy developments continuing to shape the education landscape, the Summit will provide a vital opportunity for leaders across the North East to come together, share insight, and help shape what comes next.

Further details on this year’s theme will be announced in May, but one thing is clear: this is a moment for the North East to come together, reflect, and lead.

The Schools North East Summit is the largest regional gathering of Trust CEOs, Head Teachers, and senior school leaders in the UK. Now approaching its eighteenth year, it brings together over 500 of the region’s most influential education leaders for a day of insight, challenge, and collaboration.

At the 2025 Summit, themed “Rebooting Education: The Future of Our Region is in School,” leaders from across the sector explored what a strategic “reboot” could look like for the North East. The event closed with an address from Lee Owston on inclusion, inspection, and the future of accountability.

Previous speakers have included Catherine McKinnell, Gillian Keegan, Justine Greening, Dame Rachel de Souza, and leading figures such as Sir Kevan Collins and Sir David Carter.

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Event Organiser

Event Costs

Partner School£100 + VAT

Bookings are now open forSNE Partner Schools

Bookings will open to all21 May

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INVITED: Bridget Phillipson MP

Secretary of State for Education

Bridget is the Labour Member of Parliament for Houghton and Sunderland South; one of three constituencies in the City of Sunderland. She was first elected to the seat on 6 May 2010, and was most recently re-elected at the 2024 General Election. She is also the Secretary of State for Education and Minister for Women and Equalities.

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.

Tyne Bridge Restoration – Travel Information

If you are planning to travel to the Schools North East Summit by car, please remember that the Tyne Bridge is currently undergoing major restoration works and is down to one lane each way.

We recommend avoiding the Tyne Bridge as there are expected delays of up to 40 minutes at peak travel times. Heavy congestion is expected on the Quayside route, Swing Bridge and routes to and from Redheugh Bridge and all approaches to the Tyne Bridge from both Newcastle and Gateshead sides.

Public transport is strongly advised when travelling to and from Newcastle city centre and Gateshead town centre, whether or not you now drive over the Tyne. For those who can’t use public transport, other river crossings that drivers could use include the A19, with the Tyne Tunnel connecting North Shields and Jarrow. Further west, motorists could cross the Tyne via the A1 on Blaydon Bridge or Scotswood Bridge, which connects the A694 and A695.

Whichever route you decide to use, we advise planning ahead, allow more time for your journeys, and expect delays.

More information about parking, public transport & journey here!

Major Roadworks Newcastle City Centre – Travel Advisory

Please be aware that major roadworks will affect the A167(M) Central Motorway in Newcastle from mid-August for approximately 18 months. This includes daytime lane reductions and overnight full closures between the Great North Road and New Bridge Street roundabout, due to urgent viaduct repairs. These works may impact journey times for delegates travelling by car. We recommend checking live traffic updates and considering alternative routes or public transport where possible.

NUFC Parking & Alternatives

Info are kindly provided by St James’ Park staff.

Click here for parking information – Please read carefully, as the instructions may have changed since your last visit. Other car parks located close to the stadium: The Gate, Eldon Garden

Public Transport

Newcastle Central station is a 10 minute walk away;
Newcastle Bus Station is an 8 minute walk away;
The nearest Metro stop is St James’ Park which is 1 minute walk away.

Should you have any further questions or require assistance with attending the conference via public transports, please don’t hesitate to contact events@schoolsnortheast.com

WiFi

Network: NUFC Password: stjamespark24

Arrival

Please head to the 4th floor and register your arrival at the Schools North East registration desk.

Name badges are arranged alphabetically by last name—find yours, grab a drink, explore the exhibition, and take a seat!

Exhibition Bingo

HOW TO PLAY:

Visit the stand numbers on your card
Get this card stamped by the exhibitors
Fill in you contact details and deposit this card at the registration desk for you chance to win!