Joining the Trust

Peterborough Diocese Education Trust (PDET) was created in 2014 as a natural home for Church schools that wished to become academies and join a multi academy trust (MAT). It has grown to become a MAT of 35 academies with over 6000 pupils and over 1000 members of staff. Growth has, and will continue to be, managed in order that appropriate support can be provided to all of our academies / schools.

PDET offers support to ensure that our academies / schools can deliver an outstanding education within a distinctly Christian ethos. All of our academies / schools have access to the highest level of support from the Diocesan Board of Education, including consultants to support the Church ethos. Practical support is provided in a variety of other ways with; financial management, HR, legal, estate management, school admissions, data protection, governance and estate maintenance all included. Above all the Trust provides support to ensure that, by working together, our academies / schools continue to improve the delivery of education to all of our pupils. All of this is funded from the central management charge.

Our Heads were asked to comment on what they thought had gone well during the annual review by the Board of Directors. Here are some of the comments:

“HR support has been solid for me. Policy generation centrally is also very helpful...thank you.”
“The School Partnership Programme has been a useful tool for building relationships and collaborative work... it has enabled reviewers to broaden their horizons and reflect on their current practice as well as the schools they are involved in.”
“Development of clusters has meant that schools support each other far more and in smarter ways.”
“Good, challenging Academy Improvement Partner meetings with follow up work to help achieve outcomes.”
“Tailored support for academies – seems to work, proactively supporting where needed.”
“High quality CPD for teachers and leaders from outside agencies and newly appointed PDET consultants.”
“SENCO days - keeping the school abreast of legislation, new initiatives and SEND information.”
“Opportunities to visit other PDET schools to view good practice and build links.”
“Overall I think things are very positive and I’m very proud to be part of PDET.”

Of course, the pupils are at the centre of all that we do. As the CEO, on a weekly basis I receive a record of all of the activities and trips that take place in our academies / schools and never ceased to be amazed at the amount and range of opportunities PDET pupils take part in. As a Trust we organise collaborative events, such as Maths Days and Sports Days. These are well received and enjoyed by pupils and staff alike.

PDET academies / schools all subscribe to the Trust vision of delivering outstanding education, within a distinctively Christian ethos, leading to high achievement and excellent progress for all pupils. However, they all seek to serve their local communities: they are inclusive, welcoming children of the Christian Faith, of other faiths or of no faith, children from all backgrounds and of all abilities. Meeting the needs of the local community means that there is not an identikit picture of a PDET academy / school. They differ, according to their size, their location and the needs of their communities.

Our size, thirty five academies / schools across a wide geographic area, brings challenges at times. However, having access to the intellectual capital in that number of academies / schools far outweighs the challenges.

For more information about joining PDET, as a school wishing to convert or as a potential employee, please contact us by email admin@pdet.org.uk or by calling 01604 422485.