Support Services

Our academies can access a package of core central services grouped under the following headlines:

• Academy Improvement
• Finance and Business Support
• Governance, HR and Policy Support
• Other (including branding and communications)

We have brokered a number of services and contracts that academies have the option to use and as well as mandatory services such as health and safety, with value for money and quality of provision as our priority.

Academies within DNEAT benefit from:

• A dedicated Academies Group Executive Principal (AGEP) who will support and challenge the Senior Leadership team within each academy to drive up standards and ensure every pupil receives the best possible educational start in life.
• Diocesan School Support Officers (DSSO), provide pastoral care, wellbeing support and affirmation for Headteachers. They are all former church school Headteachers so are well-placed to carry out this much valued role.
• Religious Education Quality Mark (REQM) – each academy will receive training and development for the REQM to either its bronze, silver or gold standard (depending upon from where a school starts and its current provision). The REQM offers general school improvement delivered through specific aspects of Religious Education.

We only develop our own services where there is a clear need and we can’t find excellent providers to work in partnership with us and our academies. We see our role as ensuring an honest and critical brokerage of services, to examine with academies the opportunities for joint-purchasing where that gives greater purchasing power and helping the Governing Body of each academy to make purchasing decisions that provide the best value for.