Lichfield Diocesan Board of Education

The Lichfield Diocesan Board of Education meets 5 times per academic year. Meetings for 2020/21 are:

• 8 September 2020
• 24 November 2020
• 26 January 2021
• 24 March 2021
• 23 June 2021

All meetings begin at 2.15 p.m. and are held at Three Spires House, Lichfield.

1. Statutory Work

The statutory work of the Board of Education is defined by the Diocesan Boards of Education Measure 1991.

(a) Schools

To promote or assist in the promotion of religious education and religious worship in schools in the diocese; and

to promote or assist in the promotion of church schools in the diocese and to advise the governors of such schools and trustees of church educational endowments and any other body or person concerned on any matter affecting church schools in the diocese.

(b) General

to promote or assist in the promotion of education in the diocese: being educational which is consistent with the faith and practice of the Church of England; and

to promote co-operation between the Board and bodies or persons concerned in any respect with education in the diocese.

2. Further and Higher Education

The Division has an interest in issues in the world of further and higher education.

The Responsibilities of the Board

1. To consider and determine broad matters of policy and strategy arising from the Board's responsibilities stated in the Diocesan Boards of Education Measure 1991 and other primary legislation and other charges allocated by the Diocesan Synod, including the diocesan Mission Strategy and "Five Themes".
2. To promote the distinctive Christian character of Church of England schools and academies with the Diocese.
3. To advise the Bishop, the Synod  and the Diocese on relevant education matters.
4. To maintain an overview of the performance of Church of England Schools and academies in the Diocese.
5. To approve the annual budget and evaluate new development bids.
6. To authorise virement within the overall budget of the Board and to receive management accounts on a regular basis.
7. To keep under review the whole staffing of the Board within the agreed policies and direction of the Board.
8. To monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of the Board's officers' roles and the impact of their work in schools and provide them with appropriate pastoral and professional support.
9. In observation of its incorporated company status, to hold an annual general meeting to receive the annual accounts of the Board and of the Barchester fund and to appoint auditors.
10. To approve the annual report to synod.
11. To receive for ratification the minutes of the Barchester Committee and to receive a report from the Schools Standards and Effectiveness Working Party.
12. To elect  chairs and members to its committee(s)
13. To receive reports from Lichfield Diocesan Education Services Limited and Lichfield Diocesan Academies Services Ltd and to make recommendations to the Companies' Directors where appropriate.
14. To appoint Foundation Governors in maintained schools and to appoint or nominate persons to represent the Board on CECET and other academy trusts (where relevant), and on any LDBE subsidiary companies.
15. To determine priorities for Foundation Governor and the Board's Officers' training.
16. To delegate authority to its committee(s).
17. To invite an appropriate number of participant observers to assist in the Board's deliberations.

The Board of Education is reconstituted every 3 years in line with Diocesan Synod and consists of 

• The Diocesan Bishop
• 1 Bishop's nominee (Suffragan Bishop or Archdeacon)
• 1 additional Bishop's nomination (lay or ordained)
• 7 Synod elected members (1 clerk in Holy Orders, 3 lay persons and 3 members of Synod)
• 5 co-opted members (2 with experience of CE schools in the diocese, 1 with experience of other areas with which the Board is concerned)

Board Members

For the term January 2019 to December 2021 the following people have been appointed to the Board

The Revd Preb Michael Metcalf
Acting Chair

Retired priest, most recently Vicar of St. Pauls, Stafford and Stafford Rural Dean. Educational experience includes teaching in Birmingham Comprehensives, Senior Lecturer in Religious Studies and RE (1972-83), Lichfield Diocesan Director of Education (1983-94). Was an Open University Tutor for The/Man's Religious Quest for 17 years. Ongoing interest in promoting and enhancing Religious Education in schools. Currently Chair of Staffordshire SACRE (Standing Advisory Council on RE), and Treasurer of the National Association of SACREs (NASACRE). Representing NASACRE in the Inter Faith Network, IFN(UK) and also active in local inter-faith group Friends of Faith. Keenly engaged in issues arising from the interface between the Christian community and wider society. Familiar with much of the work of LDBE through previous membership and participation in its sub-committees.

The Revd Preb John Allan
Acting Vice-Chair

Vicar of Alrewas with Fradley and Wychnor churches, Prebendary of Lichfield Cathedral, and member of Cathedral Council (representing the College of Canons). Foundation Governor and Vice-Chair of Governors for All Saints CE (VC) Primary School, Alrewas, and Co-opted Governor for St. Stephens Community School, Fradley. Serving LDBE member on the Education Finance and Centrals Services (EFACS) Committee, and the Schools Standards and Effectiveness working party.

The Venerable Matthew Parker

Matthew Parker is the Archdeacon of Stoke-upon-Trent and is nominated by the Bishop of Lichfield to the Board of Education. Matthew was for three years a school Chaplain in Stockport and has served on the governing bodies of both community and church schools for the past twenty years. Before taking up his current role, he was the Team Rector of the Leek and Meerbrook Team Ministry and served for 13 years as Chair of Governors for St Edwards Church of England Academy in the town. The son of teachers and married to one, Matthew is committed to the Churchs central role in education.

The Revd Alison Morris

An Anglican Ordained Priest in Lichfield Diocese, Alison has many years of experience of leadership and executive management roles within Comprehensive, community college and federated schools and has been Chair of governors in a local church school. Having been seconded to Walsall LA as an advisor for CPD, Workforce Reform and ITT Capacity Building Facilitator, she subsequently became an Independent Education Consultant with Ormiston Academies Trust specifically for school improvement work and an advisor for the quality mark for Every Child matters. Alison has been an Inspector of Church Schools, under the changing frameworks, for over 18 years and inspects within Lichfield, Birmingham and Coventry dioceses.

The Revd Robert Heath

I am a career educationalist having started my teaching career in 1975 in a secondary school in Lichfield before moving to Stafford in 1979 to start a new secondary school where we developed an innovative curriculum which included a personal and social development course which was one of the first in the country and thought of as good practice in schools today. I then moved to a primary school where I taught for 20 years before moving to the University of Wolverhampton in 2005 as a lecturer in Initial Teacher Education. I was invited to join the Diocesan Board of Education in 2006 to be the representative of Higher Education and in particular to give an insight into teacher training. In 2010 I began training for the priesthood and I have now been ordained 3 years, in this capacity I work in Chaplaincy at the University on the Walsall campus and have involvement in local schools as a chaplain, this gives me another insight into the education world.
My contribution to the Board is both academic and practical as I have insight into all phases of education, which, through my research, is always kept current and up to date in terms of new initiatives. My work as chaplain and my contact with schools through this work also gives me a further faith context that I find useful during discussion. Away from the world of education I am a keen musician and gardener and I am currently fitting out my new narrowboat on the Trent and Mersey canal.

Mr David Morgan

My teaching career spanned 43 years. During that time I taught in 6 High Schools either in Staffordshire or Worcestershire and have held two Head of Modern Languages posts,teaching French and German to A level and was Deputy Headmaster at St John Fisher High School in Newcastle from 1984 to 2005. My responsibilities were the curriculum ,timetable and I was Head of Sixth Form. On retirement I worked part-time at Newcastle College for 5 years where I was responsible for Critical Thinking at both AS and A level.
I am chair of Governors at Stoke Minster Primary School, I have been a governor there for 8 years and chair for 6 years, I am on the following committees at school: finance, standards and curriculum , admissions and a Link governor for pupil premium and safeguarding.
I have been a member of the DBE for 4 years as well as being on the Barchester Committee. This year I joined the Standards Committee as well. In my spare time I like keeping fit by going to the gym, swimming , playing tennis and golf.

Mr Cyril Randles

Chair of the Barchester Committee

Miss Maggie Everett

Mrs Helen Richardson

Headteacher of a VC Primary School

Mrs Tracey Cansdale

Headteacher of a VC Primary School in the Diocese of Hereford

Mr John Fawn

Mrs Gill James