Speakers
Catherine McKinnell MP
Shadow Minister , Education & Schools
Born in Denton, the third of eight children, Catherine’s roots in Newcastle are deep. She grew up in the West End of the city, attending Sacred Heart Comprehensive School in Fenham, and her family goes back generations in this area.
Catherine studied Politics and History at Edinburgh University and then Law at Northumbria University.
After graduating Catherine became an employment solicitor in Newcastle. She entered politics in 2010, being elected as the first female Labour MP for Newcastle upon Tyne North.
Over the years, she has held various shadow ministerial positions, including Shadow Children’s Minister, Shadow Treasury Minister and Shadow Attorney General. After successfully retaining her MP seat in the 2015, 2017, and 2019 general elections she served as Chair of the Petitions Committee in Parliament. Catherine was most recently appointed Labour’s Shadow Schools Minister.
In addition to her parliamentary roles, Catherine has lead campaigns on various cross-party issues such as Apprenticeships, Investment in the East Coast Mainline, Support for the Armed Forces, International Development (CAFOD) and Against Antisemitism.
Catherine lives in her constituency with her husband, Rhys, their three children, and their adopted former service dog, AJ.
Professor Paul McGee - The SUMO Guy
Paul McGee is an expert in human behaviour and performance and is a visiting Professor at the University of Chester. He's spoken for over 1,000 organisations worldwide, from international conferences to individual work with elite athletes.
His bespoke messages have resonated with global brands including Harrods, GSK, Adidas, Virgin, The NHS, LLoyds Bank and Manchester City.
Katherine Cowell
Regional Schools Director for the North, Department for Education
Katherine Cowell started in her role as Regional Director for the North East in July 2022 as part of a change programme within the Department of Education to bring improvement and intervention in SEND and CSC together with the stewardship of the schools system. Prior to this Katherine was Regional Schools Commissioner for North in May 2020, following an interim position since July 2019.
Katherine is an experienced civil servant with a broad range of experience including:
• an area director within the Cities and Local Growth Unit
• FE and skills policy
• an education advisor in the Prime Minister’s Delivery Unit
Rob Coe
Director of Research and Development, Evidence Based Education
Rob Coe joined Evidence Based Education following his role as Professor of Education at Durham University.
Rob has contributed to a number of influential reports, including EBE’s Great Teaching Toolkit: Evidence Review, the Sutton Trust’s ‘What Makes Great Teaching?’, the Education Endowment Foundation’s ‘Teaching and Learning Toolkit’, and the Teacher Development Trust’s ‘Developing Great Teaching’. He is a member of advisory groups for a wide range of educational organisations.
Lee Owston
National Director of Education, Ofsted
Lee, now National Director of Education, comes into the role with a wealth of experience, having previously filled the position temporarily for several months earlier this year.
Since joining Ofsted in 2013 as one of His Majesty’s Inspectors, Lee has taken on various roles and made great contributions to many areas of the organisation and education sector, including early years, schools, teacher development and special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).
Before joining Ofsted, Lee held senior leadership positions in schools, was Senior Adviser for early education and primary schools in a local authority and was Regional Director for The National Strategies, where he contributed to national publications on English, phonics and assessment.
Paul Harrison
IT Manager, Bishop Chadwick Catholic Education
Paul Harrison, currently serving as the IT Manager at Bishop Chadwick Catholic Education Trust, brings over two decades of expertise in education-based IT roles across both private and public sectors. His career is marked by a strong focus on developing comprehensive digital strategies, meticulous cyber planning, and securing IT infrastructure. With a keen insight into the evolving landscape of educational technology, Paul has been instrumental in ensuring robust and secure digital environments in his various roles, underpinning his commitment to enhancing the educational experience through technology.
Jennifer Duncan
Executive Headteacher for SEND, Tees Valley Education
Jennifer has 25 years+ experience in serving a range of mainstream and specialist educational establishments at a school, Local Authority, and system level, where she has been committed to championing inclusion, opportunity, and life chances for all.
Allyson Eden
SENDCo and Base Lead, Tees Valley Education
Ally has 20 years of experience in a range of mainstream schools in both the private and maintained sectors. She has been a SENDCo across multiple phases from Early Years to Key stage 4. Four years ago, Ally made the move to unit provision within a mainstream primary where she now holds the post of SENDCo and Base Lead.
Tracy Hanger
Assistant Headteacher, SEND unit, Tees Valley Education
Tracy has 20 years+ experience in serving a range of mainstream schools across all phases. As an Early Years Specialist she wanted to extend her expertise into special and unit provisions, where she strives to ensure inclusion for all.
Anita Bath
CEO, Bishop Bewick Catholic Education Trust
Originally from the Southeast, Anita moved to the Northeast in 1988 where she began her career as an English teacher. She was appointed headteacher of Sacred Heart High School for girls in Newcastle which became a sponsor academy in 2017 and a Trust of 3 schools. In October 2019 the MAT began to expand rapidly. By July 2022, Bishop Bewick Catholic Education Trust was a community of 39 schools. Anita is a fellow of the RSA and currently sits on the Advisory Board for the region.
John Roberts
Deputy News Editor, TES
John Roberts is an experienced education journalist having covered the sector for nearly 20 years.
He has been the deputy news editor at Tes since 2021 and before this was the website and magazine’s North of England reporter. During his time at Tes he has also been responsible for its coverage of education policy, Ofsted, academies and SEND.
Before working at Tes he was the education correspondent for the Yorkshire Post and before this covered education for the Telegraph & Argus in Bradford. He has also worked in a communications role in local government.
He has lived and worked in West Yorkshire for the past 20 years but grew up in the North East in Darlington. He is a father of two and a SEND parent.
Keep info on file for future events but this is specifically for NNoSS - he's rubbish at replying so keep on file somewhere
Louise Spellman
CEO, The 1590 Trust
Louise has been CEO of The 1590 Trust since its formation in July 2018 and is also Headteacher of Conyers School. A successful leader with 20 years senior leadership experience, Louise was awarded the Lord Glenamara Most Inspiring Headteacher Award for her work at Conyers School. She believes that excellence is achieved through collaboration and partnership and as such has chaired the Stockton Secondary Heads Group and is a member of the Stockton Strategic Education Board. An English teacher by background, Louise knows that improving literacy will improve the lives of children and young people.
Andy Brown OBE
CEO, Ad Astra Academy Trust
Andy has been in education for 45 years, he received the OBE in the 2016 Queens Birthday Honours for services to education. He is currently CEO of Ad Astra Academy Trust and previously a National Leader of Education and Headteacher for 21 years. He has worked as a consultant for the DfE and formally the National College of School Leadership. He is also a Trustee of Darlington Football Club Foundation.
Sue Lister
COO, Ad Astra Academy Trust
Sue has been the Chief Operating Officer for Ad Astra since 2015, leading the business function of the Trust from the first initial school, to what is due to be eight primary schools in February 2024. She has worked in the business aspect of the public sector for 27 years in the civil service, a Local Authority, the police, and latterly in education for the last 20 years. She is also keen to contribute to the wider system and as such is a Chair of Governors in a catholic primary school in Hartlepool.
Gareth Edmunds
Chief Operating & Financial Officer and Trust Secretary, Northern Education Trust
Gareth has worked for over twenty years within the public, commercial and voluntary sectors. Experienced in successfully leading corporate services and governance structures he has recently had the opportunity to act as a seconded CEO/Accounting Officer in a mixed-phased trust. He is CIMA, CIPA, Prince2 and CIPD qualified. Gareth joined Northern Education Trust in 2013 as a Director and progressed in 2019 to lead a wider range of corporate services and governance responsibilities as the Chief Operating and Financial Officer and Trust Secretary.
Gareth has held several Non-Executive Director posts and in 2016 co-founded the North of England Schools and Academies Forum (NESAF). In 2018 Gareth was recognised at the North East Accountancy Awards as Director of Finance of the Year.
Kieran McGrane
CEO, Pele Trust & Schools North East Trustee
Kieran trained as a PE teacher at Loughborough University before starting his first teaching post in Northumberland. After a period of time studying in the USA, Kieran returned to England teaching in Durham before being appointed as Head of PE at Ashington High.
Over a period of 6 years Kieran moved from middle leadership to Deputy Headteacher before being appointed as Principal of Bedlingtonshire Community High School for the 2006-07 academic year. In September 2012 he moved to take up his second headship at Ponteland High School. In February 2019, Kieran was appointed CEO of Pele Trust; a Multi Academy Trust comprising six schools in the Ponteland area (five primary and one secondary school).