Derby Diocesan Board of Education (DDBE)
Taking on New Schools – carrying
out due diligence, the school
improvement offer, culture, values
and ethos
Mark Mallender
Director, School Improvement
Alison Brown
Deputy DDE, DDAT Director
Andrew Martin
Director, Academy Business
David Channon
Director of Education/CEO
Sarah Ferguson
Hub Lead & Relationships
Derby Diocesan Board of Education (DDBE)
Journey to Outstanding
Culture, Value and Ethos
Vision and ethos are well transmitted by leaders
throughout strong chains
–but not always with branding
(DfE May 2014)
Derby Diocesan Board of Education (DDBE)
Journey to Outstanding
Schools and Academies
• Approximately 1 million children attend CofE schools.
• About 15 million people alive today went to one.
• 4,500 (25%) of all primary and middle schools are CofE,
• Each diocese runs a Diocesan Board of Education supporting Church
schools, which represents an annual investment of over £15 million.
• With more than 180 sponsored and 475 converter academies, the Church
is the biggest sponsor of academies in England. (Figures last updated September 2015)
The CofE has been providing schools in this country a full
60 years before education was recognised as a responsibility
of the Government in the 1870 Education Act.
Derby Diocesan Board of Education (DDBE)
Journey to Outstanding
Schools and Academies
Church of England schools are established primarily for the
communities they are located in. They are inclusive and serve
equally those who are of the Christian faith, those of other
faiths and those with no faith.
https://www.churchofengland.org/education/church-schoolsacademies.aspx
Derby Diocesan Board of Education (DDBE)
Church school achievement
Journey to Outstanding
•
More than five in 10 of the top performing primaries were Church of England, Roman Catholic or
Jewish schools.
•
Most of the schools were affiliated to the Church of England while close to two in eight were
Roman Catholic primaries.
•
530 faith schools in England were in the top 1000 schools achieving Level 4, the standard
expected of the average 11-year-old this summer.
•
A breakdown of figures shows 361 were Church of England, 167 Roman
Catholic, nine Jewish, four belonged to other Christian denominations and
one was Hindu.
•
The figures were only slightly down from a year earlier by a couple of
percentage points but still over a third of a total of around 16,000 schools
were faith schools.
Is there something
about the faith
school ethos that
improves pupil
achievement?
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/leaguetables/12043152/Primary-School-league-tables-Faith-schools-have-tight-grip-on-rankings.html
December 2015
Derby Diocesan Board of Education (DDBE)
Journey to Outstanding
Our Vision
To offer our children and young people life in
all of its fullness by:
So that they can:
Growing
providing
experiences
rooted in faith,
hope and love.
Learning
ensuring the
highest
academic
standards.
Outward Facing
valuing their
contribution to the
community.
Healthy
providing safe
places of welcome and
belonging.

Use Skills, Knowledge and
Understanding to think for
themselves and act for others

Experience and enjoy diverse
relationships

Choose to journey in faith

Be resilient, confident and
compassionate

Enjoy life in all its
fullness
Derby Diocesan Board of Education (DDBE)
Journey to Outstanding
Can Church of England Schools join other Multi Academy Trusts?
For Church schools, approval to convert is required from Diocese (DBE Measure)
The Board of Education may approve an academy solution or federation if:
1. it sustains the Christian character of the school(s)
The protection of the religious character of a Church school is not optional. It is key to the
charitable trusts of the school itself and those that bind its site.
2. it is financially sustainable
The reality of our small rural schools is that three schools may not be enough to provide the
strength and depth needed for fruitful and long-term sustainability. (CE, Rural Report)
3. there is appropriate external challenge and support
Of the 14 formerly outstanding converter academies that declined to requires improvement
or inadequate this year, 13 were not in a MAT. (OFSTED 2014/15 Report)
Derby Diocesan Board of Education (DDBE)
Journey to Outstanding
School Improvement
High performing sponsors adopt different approaches in the extent
to which they prescribe on teaching and learning.
(DfE May 2014)
Generally, high performing sponsors take firm control of failing
schools –but their strategies for handling incumbent leaders vary
(DfE May 2014)
Derby Diocesan Board of Education (DDBE)
Journey to Outstanding
School Improvement:
Where is capacity actually coming from?
• Schools already in the MAT
Highly performing sponsors are more likely to have converter and sponsor projects. (DfE May 2014)
• From partnership with schools and the wider system
Effective trusts are adept at looking beyond their own boundaries to secure additional expertise and
experience at both whole-trust level and academy leader or individual teacher level when needed.
(OFSTED Annual Report 2014/15)
• School Improvement Team at the centre.
At their best, MAT leaders know the academies within their family of schools well. They use assessment
information proficiently to target support. (OFSTED Annual Report 2014/15)
What are the advantages and disadvantages of each source of School Improvement?
Is there a balance to be had? If so, what is right for you now? What about the future?
Least
prescriptive
Earned autonomy
Highly
prescriptive
Derby Diocesan Board of Education (DDBE)
School Improvement for us
• The school will receive a minim of 6 visits a year (1 every half term) –even in outstanding
schools.
• Bespoke school improvement plans detail significant additional support for schools
causing concern.
• School performance will be closely monitored by our School Improvement Director and
wider school improvement team. This monitoring linked to extensive powers of
intervention to enable DDAT to take responsibility for leadership before schools fail their
pupils.
• All school improvement professionals will understand the Church School context.
Our Director of School Improvement has been the headteacher of an
outstanding Church School in Derbyshire, a senior school improvement
adviser in a local authority and experience as lead inspector for OFSTED.
Derby Diocesan Board of Education (DDBE)
School Improvement
Derby diocese deploy from a large resource pool- not just our own employees.
• Accredited National and Local Leaders of Education
• LA advisers and consultants with specific skills
• Teaching school Alliances (Member of two strategic boards)
• Our 110 Church schools
• Community schools from two Local Authorities
(HMI visits, Effective practice weeks, SLA & briefings…)
Declan is our Senior School Improvement Officer. He has experience as
accredited school improvement partner, head teacher and inspector for
both Church (SIAMS) and OFSTED. Declan has experience as lead inspector
for OFSTED
Derby Diocesan Board of Education (DDBE)
Journey to Outstanding
Due Diligence
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Education
Site and Buildings
HR
Finance
ICT
Governance
What’s missing
from this due
diligence?