School Improvement
Supporting our schools to be the best they can be is central to CDAT’s work. To allow us to do that, we have a small, core School Improvement team, supplemented by expertise from within our own schools and by external providers such as Early Excellence. Our School Improvement team is:
- Neil Dixon (CEO) - As well as being CDAT’s CEO, Neil also leads on many aspects of CDAT’s school improvement work. Neil joined CDAT as CEO in May 2019, having spent the previous three years working for Ofsted as one of Her Majesty’s Inspectors (HMI). Prior to that, Neil was headteacher of a Church of England primary school in Liverpool diocese. That school moved from having a ‘notice to improve’ (2003) to Ofsted ‘outstanding’ (2008) and was one of the first cohort of Teaching Schools nationally.
- Sue Riley - Sue is CDAT’s School Improvement Officer, a post she took up having previously been headteacher at Brereton CE Primary School, a CDAT school in Cheshire East. Sue has had vast school experience, as a teacher and leader in a diverse range of schools. She supports all aspects of school improvement, but has particular expertise in school leadership, English and church school distinctiveness.
Central Team
Securing a high standard of education for the children in all our schools is the heart of CDAT’s work. We know, though, that a lot goes on in the background to make sure that our teaching staff are able to deliver a broad, balanced and engaging curriculum. This is where CDAT’s Central Team come in. They support all of the back-office functions of our schools, including:
- Unlimited finance & audit support
- Budget monitoring & training
- Health & Safety compliance
- Website compliance
- Thorough GDPR support & training
- High-quality core policies
- Comprehensive online training platform SmartLog™
- Academy conversion project management (AMF Projects)
- CFO managed to tender procurement & Trust level contracts
- Marketing & branding support
- HR, payroll & pensions
- Share best practice between schools
- Legal support by education specialists Stone King
All these services allow our schools to focus on the most important aspect – continually improving the quality of teaching ensuring every child has the best possible start in education.
