Get Support.

The first line of support for Diocese of Chester Schools. The Family of Schools membership enables the DBE to provide a range of services which meet the distinctive needs of our Church schools and academies. We provide two types of membership: one for primary schools, the other for secondary schools.

We offer a wide range of courses to support schools. From buildings and governance to SIAMS and Religious Education, our courses are design to help church schools flourish – all with the aim to ensure our church school remain distinctively Christian.

SIAMS is the national framework for Church of England school inspection. As the new framework has a specific focus on the school's vision that is biblically rooted and based on the school's particular context.

We provide a ranges of resouces and guidelines to support schools create a religious education curriculum that follows the rites, practices and principles of the Church in England.

Through our RE Advisors & network of consultants, we provide a range of resources for school to help children engage in Collective Worship.

The DBE provides school effectiveness support through its officer, Mark Whitehill. This work covers a broad spectrum of support to individual schools.

Governors are the largest voluntary body in the country. They provide a valuable service to the community and help to influence the work of schools.

In VA schools and academies, the Governing or Trust Board is the Admissions Authority. We provide guidance in line with current code.

We advise each school in the appointment of headteachers and senior leaders and attend through the recruitment process.

We provide support for all schools in the process or considering converting to an academy, and have our own policies for Diocese of Chester schools.

ChesterDBE acts as the responsible body for VA schools and manages capital funding for building projects for these schools. In partnership with DBE Services, we also provide a range of support for all schools within the Diocese.

As part of the school effectiveness offer, schools can request support on a range of aspects of school improvement.