Church schools in Newcastle Diocese are in a “strong place” with the summer term in full flow.
That’s the reassuring message from Diocesan Director of Education (DDE) Paul Rickeard, at the midway point of an exceptional year.
As announced last February, Paul (pictured above) will step down as DDE on 31st August to become the full time Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Durham and Newcastle Diocesan Learning Trust.
He said: “In terms of education, the Diocese is in a strong place. Ofsted has visited a number of our schools recently and we are really proud of the recognition of impact they are having across the region for all of our children. It’s always a team effort, working with schools and their inspiring teams is leading to great outcomes for our children.”
Paul is moving to the Trust chiefly because it is continuing to grow at a remarkable pace. Launched just five years ago, predominantly for Durham church schools, it is now running 15 schools across both dioceses. Two more are set to join in August, with work in progress for a further four to sign up in the near future – none of the schools are forced to join, we don’t advertise, it is mainly through experience and word of mouth.
A new website for the Joint Education Team (JET) has now been launched prior to Paul’s departure. Paul said it was a good way for people to learn more about what’s on offer from the Team and how they can help support all of our schools.
“It’s the front door to our services,” he said. “It spells out who we are and what we are. It gives an overview of all our schools, focuses on school improvement, looks at Religious Education (RE), governance, and provides an introduction to our training offer which is huge.”
After Paul leaves his role as DDE, he will be replaced in September by Gill Booth who will arrive from Northern Lights Learning Trust, a first-class education provider steeped in Christian values.