As we enter 2026, education leaders are doing so against a backdrop of renewed uncertainty and heightened expectation. Bringing together leaders working across different roles in education, the nEdEx Advisory Board is united by a shared belief that resilience and improvement must be built deliberately and collectively.

Taken together, their insights point to a defining narrative for the year ahead - one where financial discipline, workforce wellbeing, intelligent use of resources and partnership working are essential and interconnected foundations for long-term success.

Contributors: Carla Whelan (CEO, Empower MAT), Sash Hamidi (CEO, Pegasus Partnership Trust), Colette Firth (Executive Head, Spirit Federation), Howard Nelson (CFOO, Keys Academies Trust), and Nick Osborne (CEO, Maritime Academy Trust).