
The Education Business Conference 2025: Future Proofing Education
Vertu Motors Arena, Newcastle
Join us for The 2025 Education Business Conference, previously known as The School Business Management Conference. For the twelfth year running, Schools North East is bringing together School Business Professionals from across the region and beyond for our (now-reimagined) conference, designed to address the critical current and future needs of schools as businesses. While we’re delighted to embrace a new name, new venue and fresh format, the core of what makes this event so valuable remains unchanged.
Who Should Attend?
This event is ideal for anyone involved in their school or trust’s operations and strategic planning, including:
- Experienced School Business Professionals and newcomers to the role
- Individuals involved in operational or strategic roles within schools or trusts
- School Business Managers, Office Managers, HR and Finance Managers, CFOs, COOs, Administrators
- Head Teachers and other School Leaders
Why Attend?
This must-attend event offers actionable insights, innovative strategies, and practical tools to help you navigate today’s challenges while planning for tomorrow.
-
- Engage with Peers: Connect with like-minded professionals, from School Business Managers and CFOs to Administrators and Senior Leaders.
- Learn and Grow: Benefit from expert-led keynote speeches, interactive workshops, and sessions tailored to your professional challenges.
- Explore Solutions: Visit our comprehensive exhibition featuring providers ready to help you innovate and streamline your operations.
- Building Infrastructure: Create sustainable, future-focused environments for your team and students
- Developing Systems: Utilise the latest tools for efficiency and effectiveness
- Empowering People: Learn how to build a resilient and skilled workforce
Future Proofing Education:
Building Infrastructure, Developing Systems, and Empowering People
Event Organiser
Event Costs
Partner School Member£100 + VAT
Non Partner School£160 + VAT
Commercial/ Education Supporter Member£250 + VAT
Non Member, Non School£300 + VAT
Book your placeEvent Overview
Insights Discovery: Communication Strategies for Success – Claire Knowles, Director, Karen Knowles Training and Development LTD
An interactive session introducing you to Insights Discovery Theory in which you will reflect on and discuss your communication preferences. Insights Discovery gives you a brilliant foundation for communicating even more effectively with colleagues, supports you to further adapt to different communication styles, encourages you to reflect on your own communication style. This speech will give you an idea of how Insights Discovery can support the individual as well as wider teams and full organisations.
Getting the Best out of Yourself in order to Empower Others – Adam Wright, Mentor, Chimp Management Ltd
Why do we sometimes get overwhelmed with emotions, and do things that we regret later. The body and mind represent two of our greatest assets, a healthy lifestyle can optimise the body, but how do you optimise the mind. The keynote will look at the neuroscience of the mind and the Chimp Model, to offer explanations for these questions and help to develop personal insights to optimise the performance of your mind and how doing so will help you to get the best out of others.
Getting Started with Your Climate Action Plan: Understanding the Requirements and Taking the First Steps to Sustainable Action in Your Settings – John Broderick, Climate Action Advisor & Katherine Humpleby, Climate Action Advisor, Let’s Go Zero
The DfE Sustainability and Climate Change Strategy was first published in April 2022. This session will reflect on:
· Why – the threats and the opportunities of climate action
· How – support and emerging best practice in the development of a School or Trust Climate Action Plan
· What – practical next steps
Three Learning Outcomes:
1. An understanding of Department for Education expectations of schools and Trusts in regards sustainability and climate action.
2. An understanding of the support services and networks available to develop an effective Climate Action Plan
3. Practical actions schools can take to start or progress their Climate Action Plan
Cybersecurity and Data Protection in the Age of AI – Jon Holden, Cyber & FinTech Lead, CyberNorth
As AI continues to transform education, the risk to sensitive data grows, requiring schools to stay vigilant in their cybersecurity efforts. This session will explore the unique challenges AI introduces to data protection, focusing on understanding AI-related risks and implementing strategies to safeguard sensitive information within the school environment.
Delegates should come away from this workshop with the ability to:
1. Identify key AI-related data risks in schools.
2. Implement practical data protection strategies.
3. Develop a proactive cybersecurity plan.
Maximising Recruitment for Non Teaching Roles – Vickie Henry, School Business Manager, St Joseph’s Catholic Academy (BCCET)
With increasing challenges in recruiting support staff, it’s time to rethink our approach. This session explores how to break down barriers, shift perceptions, and attract candidates with the right values and emotional intelligence. It’s not just about filling roles — it’s about finding the right fit for your school community.
Employment Law Changes – Jill Donabie, Partner, Muckle LLP
The Employment Rights Bill is making more changes to employment law than we have seen in decades, and whilst there are still details to be finalised as the bills progress, there are actions schools can take now to prepare.Takeaways: An easy to understand guide to understanding the proposed changes to employment law, how it is relevant to the school sector together with practical advice on steps that schools can take now.
Including implementing probationary periods in anticipation of day one rights to unfair dismissal; Handling of flexible working requests now in order to comply with the proposed changes to the reasonableness of the refusal. Steps to take now to prepare for the proposed third party harassment provisions.
Estate Strategy: What Good Looks Like and What is Usually Missing – Tracey Field, Founder, Tracey Field Consulting Ltd
Whether you’re in a trust or a maintained school, this session will walk through what an
effective estate strategy should actually do, not just what it should look like on paper. I’ll
cover the common gaps, the differences between trust and maintained schools, and how to
ensure your strategy supports the decisions you need to make. You will leave with a simple,
practical tool you can use straight away to assess and strengthen your current approach.
Ideal for anyone involved in estates – from operational leads to senior leaders and
governors.
Budgeting and Planning: Key Concepts and Looking to the Future – Graham Fitzgerald, Azets & Kath Hull, CFOO, Lingfield Education Trust
With an ever changing and challenging landscape, it is becoming increasingly difficult for academies and schools to balance budgets whilst maintaining standards and outcomes. This session, hosted by an experienced academy trust CFOO and an auditor and advisor to many academy trusts, looks at some of the core principles of effective budgeting. It is followed by a discussion with delegates on how financial planning and sustainability works in practices, the challenges we face as a sector, and an opportunity to share experiences and ideas with colleagues.
Developing Essential Skills in the Adult Workforce: The Value of Connecting Professional Development & Wellbeing – Cate Kalson, Chief People Officer, Opencast
Join this thought-provoking session to explore how building essential skills in the adult workforce can strengthen both professional development and wellbeing.
Cate will speak about how Opencast, a forward-thinking tech consultancy, embeds essential skills—like self-management, communication, and adaptability—into their approach to workforce capability.
You’ll gain insights into:
The evolution of Essential Skills from education to a universal framework for lifelong learning
The evidence linking these skills to improved wellbeing
Why self-management is a game-changer for workforce resilience and AI-readiness
How schools can champion Essential Skills development across their entire staff team—not just students
Ideal for anyone looking to future-proof their teams, support staff wellbeing, and create a culture of continuous, meaningful development.
Employment Law Changes – Jill Donabie, Partner, Muckle LLP
The Employment Rights Bill is making more changes to employment law than we have seen in decades, and whilst there are still details to be finalised as the bills progress, there are actions schools can take now to prepare.
Takeaways: An easy to understand guide to understanding the proposed changes to employment law, how it is relevant to the school sector together with practical advice on steps that schools can take now. Including implementing probationary periods in anticipation of day one rights to unfair dismissal; handling of flexible working requests now in order to comply with the proposed changes to the reasonableness of the refusal.
Steps to take now to prepare for the proposed third party harassment provisions.
Business Continuity Planning: Ensuring Operational Resilience – Dale Barton, Head of Service for Health & Safety, NYES
This session explores practical strategies for developing effective school continuity plans, implementing preventive measures, and establishing recovery protocols to minimise operational disruptions and safeguard your school’s most valuable assets.
Three Key Takeaways for Delegates:
- Effective Recovery Protocols
- Practical Tools for Continuity Planning
- Preventive Measures for Risk Reduction
The Fast Track to School Marketing: Strategy Meets AI – Kim Hardcastle, Assistant Professor, Northumbria University & Alexis Thurkettle, Office Manager, Jarrow Cross CE Primary
In an increasingly competitive landscape, how can your school truly stand out? This interactive workshop will guide you through the process of building a strong, authentic marketing strategy that captures what makes your school unique—and gets results. You’ll start by identifying what makes your school special, then learn how to turn that into a clear, compelling message that resonates with families and your wider community. We’ll show you how to streamline and speed up the process using AI-powered tools that can help you write sharper copy, generate ideas, and refine your strategy. Using a real-life school as a working example, you’ll explore how to apply these techniques in your own setting. By the end of the session, you’ll leave with practical steps—and powerful tools—to build your school’s brand with confidence and clarity.
Key Takeaways:
– Understand what makes a successful school marketing strategy
– Learn how to define and communicate your school’s unique strengths
– Explore how AI can support faster, more effective marketing
– Walk away with practical ideas you can apply immediately
Staff Reputation Legal Protection – Adam Ward, Renewals Manager, Education Mutual
In today’s digital age, the reputation of educational professionals is more vulnerable than ever, with potential threats emerging unexpectedly and carrying significant financial and emotional consequences. Join us for an insightful session on Education Mutual’s innovative service, “Staff Reputation Legal Protection,” new for 2025, designed to provide essential support for school staff facing defamation challenges.
This session will delve into the critical importance of protecting educators’ reputations and how this new service offers a safety net against the adverse impacts of defamatory statements. Attendees will learn how the service covers initial legal costs, enables swift and effective action to address damaging claims arising from professional duties. Discover how Education Mutual stands by educators, allowing them to focus on their primary missions without the stress of reputation-related issues. This session is a must-attend for school administrators, educators, and anyone invested in the wellbeing and professional integrity of teaching staff.

Claire Knowles
Director, Karen Knowles Training and Development LTD
Claire is co-director of Karen Knowles Training and Development and works passionately to develop people to High Performance within their workplace regardless of their role. She specialises in workplace culture, leadership, and robust communication practises with a passion for ‘developing people to succeed’. Claire is a Licensed Insights Discovery Practitioner, specialising in supporting an understanding of self and others with an overall aim of working with businesses to ensure effective communication, Teamwork, and leadership skills for all staff.

Adam Wright
Mentor, Chimp Management Ltd
Adam is a highly experienced mentor with a diverse background in mentoring individuals, teams, and organizations both nationally and internationally, across a variety of sectors. At Chimp Management, he has worked extensively in the public sector, particularly within the NHS, as well as in education, working with staff and senior leaders. In addition, Adam has supported clients across the corporate sector, working with everyone from CEOs and senior leaders to team members at all levels. Before joining Chimp Management, Adam ran his own successful coaching business, following several years in a high-pressure sales environment.

Rob Cattrall
Climate Action Advisor, Let's Go Zero
Rob is a Climate Action Advisor and team leader for the North East, Yorkshire and Humber. Originally a Geography teacher, he has also worked as a senior leader in secondary schools and across a Multi-Academy Trust.

John Broderick
Climate Action Advisor, Let's Go Zero
John has been a carbon accountant for 15 years after writing a PhD on emissions trading at the Tyndall Centre Manchester. He then became a climate change researcher at the Tyndall Centre, lecturer at Manchester University and most recently he was the Net Zero Programme Manager at the Royal Society of Chemistry. John is also a governor at his village primary school, recruited by the local vicar as someone who could help bring the energy bills down. He moved back to County Durham nearly ten years ago, retrofitting an old chapel into a modern, energy efficient home.
When not at work you can find John supporting his beloved Magpies at St James’ Park where he has shared a season ticket with his dad for nearly 20 years – ho' way the lads!

Graham Fitzgerald
Partner, Azets
Graham heads up the academy audit team at Azets in Teesside. He has over 30 years’ experience in audit and other advisory roles, and has been an audit partner since 2002. He currently works directly with over 30 academy trusts across the North East, and offers support and advice to colleagues and trusts nationally. He is a trustee and chair of finance and and audit at a growing MAT, and holds the ICAEW’s specialist charity qualification.

Kath Hull
Chief Financial & Operations Officer, Lingfield Education Trust
Kath is the Chief Financial and Operations Officer for Lingfield Education Trust. She is a CIMA qualified accountant with over 20 years financial experience within the education and commercial
sector. She joined Lingfield Trust as a Finance Director in 2018 before progressing to her current position of CFOO where her remit expanded to include HR, Estates, H&S, Governance and Compliance.
She has led central services through a period of significant growth for the trust, and believes passionately in ensuring that high quality central services support schools and the wider communities. Her vision is to align resources to the strategic priorities of the trust, to ensure
finances are an enabler, and not a block, to achieving the key objectives for our pupils.
During her career Kath has also gained experience in HR, H&S, Governance and Compliance and holds qualifications in CIPD, SBM, Procurement, as well as coaching and mentoring.

Jon Holden
Cyber & FinTech Lead, CyberNorth
Jon Holden is a seasoned cybersecurity leader and advocate with a distinguished career in financial technology and digital security. He formerly served as the Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) at Atom Bank, where he led the organisation’s efforts to safeguard customer data and ensure the integrity of its pioneering digital banking operations. His innovative approach to cybersecurity played a critical role in strengthening trust in financial technology.
Beyond his tenure at Atom Bank, Jon is an active contributor to the regional cybersecurity ecosystem. He serves as the Lead for Cyber and FinTech at CyberNorth, the cybersecurity cluster for North East England, where he works closely with industry leaders to drive innovation and bolster the region’s digital resilience. His efforts have included supporting the launch of cybersecurity innovation centres in Newcastle and Durham, helping position the North East as a hub for digital security excellence.
Jon is also deeply involved with CyberFirst, an initiative by the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) aimed at inspiring and developing the next generation of cybersecurity professionals. Through this work, Jon mentors young talent, champions greater diversity in tech, and promotes opportunities for aspiring professionals to contribute to the future of cybersecurity.
His passion for innovation, education, and collaboration makes him a pivotal figure in advancing both cybersecurity and financial technology, while his contributions to the community exemplify his dedication to creating a safer digital world.

Vickie Henry
School Business Manager, St Joseph’s Catholic Academy (BCCET)
Vickie is the School Business Manager at St Joseph’s Catholic Academy, a large secondary school based in Hebburn, South Tyneside, and part of the 30 Academy Bishop Chadwick Catholic Education Trust. A former MFL Teacher, Vickie spent over 12 years working in both teacher and commercial recruitment across many sectors and industries before joining St Joseph’s in June 2021. Her passion for improving the recruitment process for all parties, not just employers, is really important and is evident in the changes made to their school recruitment process focusing on values driven recruitment for all roles, but particularly non-teaching positions across the school, which are nationally recognised as hard to fill.

Jill Donabie
Partner, Muckle LLP
Recognised as a ‘Recommended Lawyer’ by Legal 500 UK and shortlisted for Public Sector Lawyer of the Year 2025 in the Northern Powerhouse Awards, Jill Donabie is a Partner at Muckle LLP, Legal 500 Tier 1 Firm for Education.
She works exclusively with education clients, providing practical, solutions-based advice on all types of contentious and non-contentious employment matters, including:
- Employment documentation and day-to-day employment-related issues.
- Employment tribunals.
- Projects (such as TUPE transfers, redundancies and restructuring).
- Collective issues.
Jill also advises on student and parental issues, including parental complaints, safeguarding, discrimination claims from pupils and special educational needs, including SEND tribunals.

Dr Kimberley Hardcastle
Assistant Professor, Newcastle Business School, Northumbria University
Kimberley is an Assistant Professor in Marketing at Newcastle Business School (AACSB), Northumbria University, leading one of the largest Business & Marketing degree programmes in the North of England. Prior to entering academia, she has worked in various marketing and business management roles in the F & B service sector. She has a PhD in Marketing and is a researcher, writer, speaker & advisor in branding, sustainable consumer behaviour, AI, algorithms & platforms.
In particular, she is keen to understand how brands can use successfully proven influential buyer strategies to help consumers create good sustainable habits, her research also extends to examining the societal implications of emerging technologies. Her work has been published at several international conferences and in peer reviewed journals. Whilst working at the Newcastle Business School (AACSB), Kimberley has directly supported and trained many SMEs through European Regional Development Funding. As part of her leadership roles, Kimberley is Programme Leader for BA (Hons) Business and Marketing and leads on the Branding module on the MSc Marketing Programme & the Digital Campaign Management & Media module on the MSc Digital Marketing.
Kimberley is an external examiner at Bournemouth University for Programmes MSc Marketing Management & MSc Marketing and User Experience. She is also a reviewer for the Journal of Research in Interactive Marketing, Journal of Consumer Behaviour, Journal of Marketing Management and the Academy of Marketing Science. Kimberley has been awarded Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy and has been a nominated finalist for the Student Led Teaching Awards numerous times. Kimberley is on the judging panel for the prestigious Effie Awards UK, The Prolific North Marketing Awards & The North East Marketing Awards. Her current projects include The Responsible Development of AI and the societal implications of this in the North East.
Kimberley is working with North East partners to understand how we can adopt a citizen well-being approach to safeguarding and upskilling the region to ensure the NE is not left behind with emerging technology. Kimberley initiated such discussions after organising and delivering the first 'The North East AI Safety Summit' October 2023, which aimed to articulate a regional voice on the opportunities & threats of AI, & the responsible development of AI for NE industries, businesses & individuals with the intention of informing policy and the first Global Summit. Kimberley's business and marketing expertise resonate beyond academia as she is also a contributor at the World Advertising Research Centre (WARC).

Tracey Field
Founder, Tracey Field Consulting Ltd
Tracey has worked in the built environment, asset management, and facilities management for over 25 years, with experience spanning local authorities, private estates, and international projects. In recent years, she has focused on the education sector. After serving as an Estate Manager for a multi-academy trust (MAT) overseeing 30 schools, she now runs her own consultancy, supporting schools and trusts in adopting a more strategic and practical approach to managing their estates.
Tracey is also publishing a book on managing an education estate — a practical guide designed for everyone involved in the process, from site staff to CEOs. It’s the kind of resource she wished had been available when she first took on that responsibility.

Cate Kalson
Chief People & Operations Officer, Opencast
An advocate for building deliberately developmental organisations that put skill development at the heart of their purpose, Cate Kalson champions creating supportive, empowering cultures that enable people to grow and develop as people as well as professionals.
Cate hasn’t had a traditional path to chief people officer, but rather describes herself as a proud owner of a squiggly career. Cate started out as a life sciences researcher with a PhD in microbiology, then learned about business as a management consultant, digital product manager and then moving into leadership roles. Cate has always focused on building capability, recruiting, developing teams and creating training pathways.
Cate has been in her current role at Opencast since 2021 and has supported the rapid growth of one of the fastest growing large technology businesses in the North East. Cate believes that one of the biggest social impact levers any organisation has is to build their employees skills and works in close partnership with Skills Builder Partnership to champion the building of Essential Skills.
Cate is passionate about supporting community-focused organisations and alongside her Opencast role is also a Trustee at The Alnwick Garden, a primary school Governor and a Director of Dynamo North East.

Graham Vials
Head of Education Law & Partner, Ward Hadaway
Graham is a Partner at Ward Hadaway and Head of Education Law at the firm, specialising in advising schools, academies, multi-academy trusts, independent schools, and colleges. He is recognised nationally for his expertise in this sector, evidenced by him being ranked in both Chambers & Partners and Legal 500, independently praised for being "an expert in his field", "supportive and proactive", "extremely capable and easy to deal with" and "highly recommended". He regularly advises on a wide variety of legal issues affecting education clients, including admissions and pupil exclusions, independent review panel hearings, employment and HR issues, KCSIE and Prevent, SEND Tribunal and student discrimination claims and complaints.

Dale Barton
Health & Safety Risk Manager HANDS, NYES
Dale Barton has worked in education for over 30 years and has led the NYES Health and Safety service for over 20 years, he manages the delivery of Health and Safety to over 500 schools. Dale spends most of his time supporting schools to ensure they are the safest possible environment for the staff and pupils acting as each school’s Reg. 7 competent person, advising on all things Health and Safety.
During the COVID 19 pandemic, Dale was an instrumental part of the COVID task force ensuring all schools were kept as safe as possible, he digested the government guidance quickly and translated this into an easy-to-understand format for our schools, as well as producing a new generic risk assessment each time! Dale is the lead Radiation Protection Officer for both North Yorkshire Council and City of York Council.
Dale is NEBOSH Diploma trained, a member of the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health, a member of the International Institute of Risk and Safety Management, alongside being a member of the Institute of Fire Safety Managers and a Tiered 2 fire risk assessor on the IFSM Tiered Fire Risk Assessment Register.

Louise Levy
COO, The Bishop Wilkinson Catholic Academy Trust & Education Mutual Director
Louise is Chief Operating Officer at a large and growing Multi Academy Trust in the North East. She has been at Cardinal Hume for the last 11 years and overseen the growth from a single school to a Multi Academy Trust of 17. Louise is also a director of Education Mutual. Louise is also on the Schools North East SBM Council.

Chris Zarraga
Director, Schools North East
Chris has been part of the Schools North East team since its inception in 2007 and in 2019 he was appointed Director.
Chris works with other leaders across the North East, the education sector and charity sector to represent the voice of North East schools, and lobby policy makers to ensure that the North East is not left behind when it comes to education policy. Chris has overseen the launch of the Ednorth evidence-based excellence programme, as well as the partnership with SHINE bringing over £500,000 worth of funding to North East schools.
Under Chris, Schools North East has moved to a greater focus on lobbying around education policy, with the launch of the Manifesto for North East Education in December 2019. As well as being a trustee of a local MAT, Chris sits on various boards including the board for Opportunity North East. Prior to joining Schools North East, Chris worked with over 165 schools in the North East and various education organisations including local authorities, Excellence Partnerships, 14-19 Groups, the Specialist Schools & Academies Trust, and School Improvement Officers. He led a large scale culture change project in education across the North East and was the development consultant for the LEGI funded Wansbeck Enterprise Education Network.
Tyne Bridge Restoration Travel Information
If you are planning to travel to the event 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 park and ride/ public transport and journey:
Parking
The Vertu Motors Arena Car Park entrance is easy to find on the eastbound side of Scotswood Road, in the direction of Newcastle City Centre
Put the postcode NE4 7AF in your sat-nav
Free parking available at the venue for both cars and coaches
Public Transport
Newcastle central station is a 15 minute walk away
Bus stops close-by in both directions on the Scotswood Road dual carriageway and above the arena on Westmorland Road:
32/32A – Newcastle, Benwell, Kenton Bar, Four Lane Ends, Byker, Newcastle, Freeman Hospital – every 30 minutes up to 8pm then every 60 minutes up to 11pm
1 – Four Lane Ends, Newcastle, Slatyford – every 10 minutes up to 11pm
8 – Central Station, Water Street, Lemington, Fawdon, Freeman Hospital – 1 service after 6pm
12/12A – Newcastle, Blaydon, Winlaton, Blaydon, Newcastle – every 30 minutes up to 7pm and every 60 minutes up to 11:30pm
22/22X – Cobalt Business Park, Wallsend, Newcastle, Throckley – every 10 minutes up to 6pm then every 20 minutes up to 11:30pm
Arrival
Please enter using the main venue entrance and register your arrival at the Schools North East registration desk on the ground floor
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