Established in 2013, Peterborough Diocese Education Trust (PDET) is a multi-academy trust (MAT) formed by the Peterborough Diocese Board of Education. It is a natural home for church schools in the Peterborough Diocese that wish to become an academy and part of a MAT. Today, the Trust is comprised of 33 primary academies, serves 6,000 pupils and employs 1,000 staff.

PDET welcomed its first school, St Andrew's in Kettering, into the newly formed MAT in May 2014. Now with 33 academies, PDET is the largest Trust in the Diocese and, by number of schools, one of the largest 25 MATs in the country. Its schools vary in size and are located in geographical contexts ranging from urban to rural settings. The Trust has a strong track record of planning and collaboration with local authorities, presently working with four across the Diocese. It also performs extremely well in Ofsted inspections, with 97% of its schools currently judged 'Good' or better.

PDET's vision is for every child within the Trust to experience an excellent education and to realise their God-given potential to flourish. Working together as one, through the affirmation of God’s love within a distinctively Christian ethos, the Trust aims to educate for: Wisdom and Knowledge; Hope and Aspiration; Community and Living Well Together; and Dignity and Respect. Its academies are inclusive, serving the local community, welcoming all: children of the Christian faith, of other faiths, or of no faith.

As it looks to the future, PDET will continue to ensure that collaboration across the Trust, for the benefit of all schools, is central to how it operates.  It will also embrace further growth where there are sensible opportunities to do so. PDET is a vibrant, successful, secure Trust poised to enter the next phase of its development.

PDET is a charitable company, and as such its Board Directors fulfil both the role of Directors under company law and Trustees under charity law. The Board carries out the duties of PDET to ensure the delivery of its three core strategic functions: setting strategic direction, holding schools to account for educational performance, and overseeing the financial performance and compliance of the academies. 

Five Committees operate under the PDET Board of Directors: The Trust Governance and Nominations Committee; the Business and Finance Committee; the Education Committee; the Audit and Risk Committee, and the People and Pay Committee. In addition, Academy Governance Committees for each of the schools operate as Committees of the Board with delegated responsibility for local governance.

The Board launched an ambitious three-year Strategic Plan in 2021 which outlined a number of priorities for the Trust. One of the key priorities was to further develop a robust, rigorous and responsive educational strategy to achieve ambitious outcomes for the children in the Trust. It is expected that this Trustee will play an important role in continuing to shape this strategy.

PDET is seeking a new Trustee with system-level educational leadership experience and a strong track record of school improvement.  

The successful candidate will have operated at a senior level with responsibility for the educational performance of a group of schools. This could have been in the context of another MAT or a strong Local Authority. Although PDET is a primary-focused Trust, individuals with secondary, or a blend of primary and secondary experience are encouraged to apply. SEND experience would also be seen as advantageous, though not an essential requirement. 

There is no faith requirement for appointment to this role, however applicants should have a deep sympathy for the values and ethos of the Trust. Individuals who have not previously held non-executive roles are welcome to apply, provided they understand the governance role and how it differs from executive leadership.

A full list of current Board members can be found here. 

The Full Board meets five times per year. Meeting venues rotate around PDET schools to give Directors an opportunity to visit schools in action in advance of meetings. Meeting dates vary across the week, and they usually last for two and a half hours from 2pm, with school visits starting pre-meeting at 1pm. The appointee will also be expected to join the Education Sub-Committee, which meets an additional three times per year, usually on a Friday 11:30am - 1:30pm. The appointment is for a four-year term, which can be renewed at the discretion of the Board. This role is unremunerated.

This organisation is headquartered in Northampton with schools in Northamptonshire, Peterborough and Rutland. Meetings take place in person where possible, although remote dial-in is always an option. Candidates can therefore be based anywhere in the UK, however there is a preference for individuals located near to the Trust's area of operation. 

PDET welcomes applications from everyone regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, belief or disability. As women and those from an ethnic minority background are currently under-represented on the Board, applications from those individuals would be particularly encouraged. All appointments will be made on merit, following a fair and transparent process. In line with the Equality Act 2010, however, the organisation may employ positive action where candidates from underrepresented groups can demonstrate their ability to perform the role equally well.