Hugh Hegarty
Hugh is the founding CEO of NPCAT, one of the largest Multi Academy Trust in the UK. NPCAT was founded in September 2018 with an initial pool of 25 schools merging from 4 smaller MATs into 1 based on Teesside. Since then it has added a further 12 schools and in February will grow from 37 to 38 schools. The Trust now reaches across Teesside into North Yorkshire and the City of York.
Hugh has extensive sector experience across Primary, Secondary and Tertiary education. He is Chair of Edperitus which has led the opening of the British University campus for DMU in Kazakhstan. Hugh’s breadth of educational leadership is exceptional. In the UK he has led the Trust through over 30 successful Ofsted inspections. In this short time Hugh has taken 3 Secondary schools and 1 Primary School from Ofsted rated category of “Special Measures’ or Requires Improvement. By February NPCAT will have over 14,000 students and 2,000 employees. Hugh has 30 years in a range of leadership roles with extensive experience of executive school leadership and leading national educational reform programmes and success in establishing high quality international schools.
Hugh understands the challenges of transnational educational issues, and has delivered significant school improvement programmes in multiple global contexts.
He has expertise in the provision of excellent curriculum.
Hugh has extensive experience of raising standards in schools internationally having spent 9 years based in the Middle East. He has developed a robust and secure School Improvement Framework which has gained an acknowledgement among leaders with now embedded processes that deliver high quality education in primary and secondary schools.
Raising outcomes for students in diverse contexts highlights his remarkable and unparalleled ability to “get” so many educational issues that theorists, educational bureaucrats and “career leaders” are frightened to address, sets him apart. Hugh articulates a clear vision which demonstrates his astute and insightful understanding of the key issues impacting on the effectiveness of .
As a Director of NPCAT and accounting officer Hugh brings extensive knowledge and experience of financial management and strategic oversight.