About the Diocesan Board of Education

• The Bishop – The Rt Revd Dr Alan Smith, Bishop of St Albans
• Five members appointed by the Bishop – The Rt Revd Richard Atkinson, Bishop of Bedford; The Ven. Janet Mackenzie, Archdeacon of Hertford; Mr David White, Diocesan Secretary; Ms Pauline Kendall; 1 vacancy
• Seven members elected by the Diocesan Synod –
  1. three Headteachers from schools within the Diocese – Mrs Lucy Chapman; Mrs Liz Pollard; Mrs Jo Gant
  2. two additional lay members – Mrs Dot Marlow; Mrs Christina Singh
  3. two additional members who must be Clerks in Holy Orders beneficed or licensed in the Diocese – The Revd Chris Lowdon; The Revd Tim Wilson

• Two members co-opted by the DBE – The Revd Indira Broschat; 1 vacancy  

The Board of Education of the Diocese of St Albans exists to provide support and advice to church schools throughout the Diocese.

It is a statutory body established under the Diocesan Boards of Education Measure 2021.

Its functions are to promote or assist in the promotion of:

• education in the diocese that is consistent with the faith and practice of the Church of England;
• religious education and religious worship in schools in the diocese;
• church schools in the diocese;
• co-operation between itself and other persons concerned with education in the diocese.

The DBE has the power to provide advice, direction or consent on matters affecting church schools in the Diocese to governors, Academy Trusts, trustees of church educational endowments and other bodies the DBE considers appropriate.

Living God’s Love is the vision of the parishes, church schools and chaplaincies across Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, Luton and Barnet. This vision is grounded in the love of God and love of neighbour flowing from God’s love for us. Its three priorities are:

• going deeper into God
• transforming communities
• making new disciples

The Diocesan Board of Education works to see church schools at the heart of the Diocese’s mission.

The Vision of the DBE

In January 2019, the Board of Education introduced its revised vision for education: ‘Living God’s Love in Education: Enabling Life in all its Fullness’.

Underpinned by the National Church of England vision for education and our diocesan vision, the Board of Education will ‘Live God’s Love in Education’ through creative and innovative partnerships with local, regional and national partners. In ‘Enabling Life in all its fullness’, the Board will work alongside those providing statutory services to schools, delivering advice and support in a distinctively Christian manner which enables all to flourish.

In responding to context in which it works, the DBE will prioritise the following areas:

1.    Securing a thriving education system

• Increasing regional capacity to support growth
• Planning for change and developing system leaders

2.    Supporting thriving CofE schools rooted in their local community

• Expanding the Christian vision of church schools
• Championing courageous advocacy, racial equity, justice and inclusion

The Diocesan Board of Education adopted its current Education Strategy in the autumn term of 2023. You will find the full document below. The Strategy document and its annexes for download by sections are available here.

The Board of Education has a number of statutory responsibilities which mean that some areas of school life and management require you to consult with the Schools Team and seek the consent of the DBE before you can implement any proposals.

The document listing the areas in which DBE consent must be sought is currently being updated.

The Schools Team liaises with the 136 Anglican church schools in the Diocese of St Albans, providing pastoral and technical support, training and representing them with other diocesan, regional and national bodies. Local Authorities covered are Bedford Borough, Central Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire, Luton, the London Borough of Barnet and Buckinghamshire.

Diocesan schools in numbers

13 schools in 7 VA or VC federations

13 standalone academies

19 academies in 5 MATs