Become a CDAT School

CDAT is a multi-academy trust drawing school from across the area covered by the Diocese of Chester – which includes all of the Wirral, Cheshire West and Chester and Cheshire East local authorities as well as parts of Halton, Warrington, Trafford, Stockport and Tameside and the very edge of Derbyshire. Our trust was formed in 2014 by the Chester Diocesan Board of Education (DBE) and has worked in very close partnership with the DBE ever since its inception. Although founded with a clear Christian ethos based on values such as respect, friendship and honesty, the trust is fully inclusive and we are happy to welcome both church and community schools into the CDAT family.

Our offer for CDAT schools

CDAT's "3-Pillar" Approach

CDAT's Aims

CDAT will seek to be a successful family of schools working together to secure high-quality education for all children, through excellent teaching, innovation and the sharing of good practice as schools work together across the Trust. We will:

• build a thriving community of schools with common moral purpose rooted in Christian values and ambition for children, but encouraging each of our schools to develop in the best way to serve its community;
• provide highly effective school improvement support for schools at all stages of their improvement journey, enabling each school to be the best that it can be and encouraging everyone to aim for excellence;
• provide a wide range of CPD opportunities to develop the practice of all our professional staff so that all can improve;
• empower effective school leaders and local governing bodies to take courageous decisions in the best interest of young people;
• provide high-quality systems and services that aim to reduce the administrative burden and support school leaders with the professional management of their schools;
• encourage schools to work together with openness and integrity, learning from each other and celebrating each other's successes.

Our Commitment

CDAT will seek to provide the very best education for every child in its schools so that they succeed and are well prepared to move onto their next phase of education. We will endeavour to:

• ensure that all children achieve their full potential – making strong progress in developing their knowledge and skills across the whole curriculum;
• value and respect children from all faiths, beliefs and backgrounds – taking into account their beliefs and contexts when planning for their learning and the learning of others;
• provide a curriculum that is broad, rich and balanced; focused on developing knowledge and skills; and meeting the needs of each child;
• provide learning opportunities that are inclusive, engaging and challenging for every child;
• create a learning environment within which children are happy and motivated learners;
• support our leaders to be highly effective in leading school improvements;
• support our teachers and support staff to be outstanding practitioners – providing high-quality teaching so that every child learns;
• listen to the children and taking their views into account;
• work with parents to enable them to contribute to their children's learning;
• work with other schools and the wider community to ensure that we maximise on the learning opportunities that they can provide for our children and staff.

CDAT provides its schools with stability and protection in a fast-changing educational landscape. The support that CDAT provides covers with all aspects of school life, and so could be viewed as both School Improvement support and Operational support.

In terms of School Effectiveness, schools will benefit from strong strategic guidance and advice from our experienced central team, providing support for schools requiring rapid improvement and schools aspiring to become or remain outstanding. We promote collaboration and networking, sharing best practice between all schools in the Trust. CDAT also provides a focused and comprehensive package of professional development for staff at all levels. Our close partnership with the DBE also means that all CDAT schools automatically receive the core package of DBE support and can access places on DBE-led training courses.

CDAT schools receive a comprehensive package of Operational Support for key functions allowing leaders to concentrate on the core purpose of the best possible standard of education. This service includes the whole range of business services from Finance and HR to Facilities Management and Health and Safety. As part of CDAT, our schools also benefit from economies of scale and Trust-wide cost-saving for services centrally procured by the Trust. In addition to providing the full range of support services, CDAT is committed to partnership working whereby support can be tailored to the specific needs of the school, which may change over time.