Now, more than ever, we need headteachers who are relentless in improving the outcomes for children who need it the most. That’s why we’re investing in the next generation of headteachers in the region. People, we hope, like you.

Headteachers are extremely well placed to address this challenge through improving educational outcomes. But headteachers can also act as civic leaders, understanding the assets and needs of the community that they serve, and coordinating responses to meet specific challenges.

And the gap is a big problem. Children from underserved communities in the east of England enter primary school almost 6 months behind their more affluent peers. By the end of KS4, disadvantaged pupils are on average two years behind their more affluent peers.

So it’s more than a leadership course really. It’s a mission. A movement. We believe that collection action is the only thing that will shift the dial on this for all children in the East of England. No single headteacher is going to solve the disadvantage gap on their own.

In just 5 days, applications for the cohort 2 of East100 will close. But what is it? East100 is, at its simplest, a leadership course. You’ll join a cohort of 20 leaders from different phases/settings for a year of development activities, in preparation for your first headship.