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The information and links below share more about us.
About us
• The Board of Education was founded in 1830 to support existing schools and to promote new ones; the schools are fully inclusive, they are there for everyone.
• There are almost 42 000 children attending 192 Church of England Schools, over half of which are academies who are part of a family of school trusts. 13 church schools are middle or secondary schools.
• The Board of Education is proud of its own schools trust, the Diocese of Salisbury Academy Trust (DSAT) and all that it is achieving. We are also thrilled to be in partnership with schools’ trusts across the diocese, providing wonderful homes for church schools.
Our Purpose
The flourishing of church schools, Academy Trusts and the children and young people they cherish is at the heart of the Salisbury Diocesan Board of Education’s reason for being. The SDBE journeys alongside schools and communities; through courageous Christian leadership and governance of education and church culture and through astute stewardship, we work to empower Christian flourishing in church schools, trusts and the parishes they serve.
As apostolic leaders, we get things done; we look to God for wisdom and seek to inspire and motivate those we serve toward God given goals which build the Kingdom of God – making Jesus known. We prioritise the development of spiritual leadership, for those working at all levels, with children and young people, and for children and young people themselves.
We place the voice of children and young people at the heart of the SDBE and wider diocesan ministry and mission, rejoicing and recognising their honest, innocent, and far-reaching voice as the leaders of today as well as of the future.
We equip leaders to be transformative and life giving in their practise, bringing hope to their communities, encouraging all to understand what it is to live a Jesus shaped life. We deeply value the interdependence and independence of Trusts, schools, parishes and the magnificence of their skills and gifts. In our presence, in all contexts, it is our purpose to live out our values, showing compassion, speaking truth and offering hope.
The values at the centre of our work
Throughout His earthly ministry, Jesus consistently modelled the values that sit at the heart of our work in serving schools, trusts, and church communities. Therefore, we commit to following the way of Christ by
Being present, we will show compassion, speak truth and offer hope
The bible tells us that Jesus was often filled with compassion. Compassion is part of the character of God; compassion is related to God’s mercy, kindness, patience, grace, and love. Compassion is a call to action in response to those whom we encounter and serve. In Making Jesus Known we will show compassion to all, paying particular attention to the children, young people and communities who are the most vulnerable and marginalised across the diocese.
The bible tells us that truth is more than being honest. Truth is the essence of who God is; truth speaks of courage and moral integrity and influences how we think and behave; therefore, truth is relational. In Making Jesus Known we will continue to seek God’s truth (wisdom), and to speak truth to power as we advocate for children, young people, and their schools as part of our ministry and responsibility as the Diocese of Salisbury.
The bible tells us that hope is the sure foundation upon which we base our lives. Hope is deeply rooted in our belief in God and His promises; our confidence is rooted in the God of hope and a future joy that comes from knowing Jesus. In Making Jesus Known we will be carriers of hope, sharing the love of God in every place and in every encounter to enable the flourishing of all.
Our strategy
The new five-year plan is based on the SDBE learning with and from schools, children, young people, school trusts and parishes; we thus step confidently into this work centred within the Salisbury Diocesan vision of Making Jesus Known. The three aims and priorities of the SDBE Strategic Plan for 2023-28, in the pages that follow, have evolved to address our shared learning, and particularly give emphasis to:
• ensuring every church school belongs within a strong school trust family, or is linked to a school trust to secure its full flourishing
• leading the re-thinking of foundation governance, developing new models of governance for the future, fit for the school trust landscape
• supporting the development of courageous leadership across the diocese to ensure children and young people are rooted in the heart of mission and ministry, re-imagining school and parish partnership
• ensuring equity, diversity and inclusion is foundational to all SDBE work
• ever deepening the excellence of SDBE work in support of the development of spiritual leadership, church school flourishing, and as a significant influence for Christian education, locally, regionally, and nationally
• shaping the SDBE workforce to ensure the strategic leadership of church school education across the diocese within a sustainable financial model
Stay connected with our work
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