A place-based leadership programme for aspiring headteachers leading in a region of extraordinary opportunity, sharp contrast and deep local identity.

Developing headteachers for the East of England

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The East100 is a selective leadership development programme for aspiring headteachers working across the East of England.

It brings together leaders from coastal towns, rural communities, market towns, commuter-belt schools and innovation-adjacent settings to prepare them for headship in one of England’s most distinctive regions.

The programme helps leaders strengthen their judgement, widen their horizons, and build the kind of leadership that translates opportunity into better outcomes for children—wherever they start.

Why the East100 exists

The East of England is a region of striking contrasts and real strength.

It includes some of the UK’s most dynamic innovation and research ecosystems, globally connected universities, and fast-growing industries.

It also includes communities whose opportunities are shaped by geography, transport, housing and access to services.

For school leaders, this creates a particular kind of leadership challenge and opportunity: not simply “closing gaps”, but learning how to connect young people to the opportunities that exist within reach—and strengthening schools as engines of mobility, belonging and local pride.

The East100 exists because leadership here depends on contextual agility: the ability to read place well, work with what is strong, and build partnerships that make opportunity feel real and accessible for families.

Partnership at the heart

The East100 is built with schools, trusts and system leaders across the region.

The East has a rich tradition of strong multi-academy trusts and collaborative improvement. Our programme builds on that foundation, bringing leaders together across geography and context to share what works and learn from one another.

In a region that can sometimes feel like a collection of microclimates, the East100 aims to create a coherent, generous professional network.

Our partners

  • Asset Education

    A Suffolk-based trust of primary schools working together to provide an innovative and empowering education that inspires children to achieve their full potential through a shared "Asset" curriculum.

  • Cam Academy Trust

    A family of schools in South Cambridgeshire and Huntingdonshire committed to providing a broad and high-quality education with a strong international outlook and a deep focus on community.

  • Chiltern Learning Partnership

    A high-performing, values-led trust based in Bedfordshire that focuses on school improvement and professional development to ensure every student in their care receives an outstanding education.

  • Diocese of Ely Multi Academy Trust (DEMAT)

    A primary-focused trust providing high-quality education within a Christian framework across Cambridgeshire, Norfolk, and Suffolk, dedicated to helping every child flourish in a supportive environment.

  • Horizons Education Trust

    A specialist multi-academy trust based in Cambridgeshire, dedicated to providing high-quality, personalised education and support for children and young people with complex special educational needs (SEND).

  • Meridian Trust

    A cross-phase trust serving communities across the East of England, committed to providing a high-quality, inclusive education that places schools at the very heart of their local neighbourhoods.

  • Ormiston Academies Trust (OAT)

    One of the largest multi-academy trusts in the UK, OAT is dedicated to social justice and ensuring that all children, regardless of their background, have access to high-quality education and enriching opportunities.

  • Sapientia Education Trust

    A high-achieving multi-academy trust across Norfolk and Suffolk, focused on delivering a world-class education that combines academic excellence with a rich breadth of extra-curricular opportunities.

  • The Elliot Foundation

    A successful primary-only multi-academy trust specialising in the transformation of schools in transitional communities, with a strong emphasis on community engagement and child-centerd learning.

  • Unity Schools Partnership

    A family of secondary, primary, and special schools primarily in Suffolk, Essex, and Norfolk, driven by the ethos of "excellence through collaboration" and a commitment to improving the life chances of all young people.

How it works

The East100 combines personal leadership development with system-aware learning.

Participants are supported through a carefully sequenced programme that prepares them for first headship while strengthening the wider leadership ecosystem of the region.

The emphasis throughout is on helping leaders adapt their practice to the realities of where they lead—without lowering ambition.

  • We believe that leadership is always shaped by place.

    This means that our participants learn to read their local context carefully—understanding community assets, constraints, and histories—and to lead in ways that are responsive, grounded and ambitious rather than imported or generic.

  • We believe that “nobody is as smart as everybody.”

    This means that the programme deliberately brings together leaders from different phases, settings and communities, so that learning is stretched, assumptions are tested, and insight is built through contrast as well as similarity.

  • We believe that seeing great leadership in action expands what feels possible.

    This means that participants are exposed to schools and leaders working with clarity, coherence and moral purpose—helping them build concrete mental models they can adapt, not simply admire.

  • We believe that good leadership depends on sound judgement, not just technical skill.

    This means that the programme creates space for structured reflection—helping leaders clarify their values, interrogate their decisions, and understand the impact of how they lead.

  • We believe that leadership is stronger when it is not done alone.

    This means that the programme invests intentionally in relationships, building a trusted network of peers who continue to share thinking, challenge one another, and collaborate long after the formal programme ends.

The East100 is for leaders who:

  • Aspire to headship within the next few years

  • Want to lead in the East of England, long-term

  • Care deeply about belonging, opportunity and equity

  • Are curious about contexts beyond their own

  • Value collaboration across phases, sectors and geography

Participants come from primary, secondary, special and alternative provision—leaders who want to grow now, and lead with greater confidence later.

What the East100 asks of you

The East100 asks for serious participation and generous engagement.

Participants are expected to:

  • Commit time and attention across the year

  • Reflect honestly on their leadership and local context

  • Learn from peers whose settings may be very different

  • Test ideas in practice, not just in theory

  • Contribute to a shared regional network that outlasts the programme

This is a programme for leaders who want to become more capable, more connected, and more ready.

What changes as a result?

When leadership development is well matched to place, we see change at three levels:

  • Leaders gain confidence, clarity and readiness for headship—with a stronger sense of who they are and how they lead.

  • Leaders build relationships across a wide, diverse region—reducing isolation and strengthening mutual support.

  • Leadership pipelines strengthen, collaboration becomes easier, and schools become better equipped to sustain improvement over time.

  • "The unapologetic and infectious focus on pupils is both inspiring and grounding, serving as a constant reminder of why we do what we do"

    —East100 Participant (Cohort 1)

Meet the team

Jon Hutchinson

Programme Lead

Jon leads the East100 with a commitment to building highly effective local school systems that provide every child with a life of choice and opportunity. He brings extensive expertise in evidence-based curriculum design and instructional practice, alongside a deep belief in the power of nurturing regional talent. 

Programme Director

Shelley Gonsalves

Shelley leads leadership development at The Reach Foundation, shaping the x100s and LeadingTrusts programmes and overseeing coaching and personal development. She brings a deep belief in education’s transformative power and a commitment to helping leaders grow with confidence, connection and purpose.

Stewardship

The East100 belongs to a wider family of “x100s” leadership development programmes.

If you are considering headship in the East of England—or supporting future headteachers within your school or trust—it may be the right place to start.