Chelmsford Diocese Educational Trust (CDET) is the incorporated company through which the DBE manages it relationships with the Diocesan Vine Educational Trust and our other Multi Academy Trust partners.
CDET is the Diocesan Corporate Member (DCM) of any Multi Academy Trust (MAT) which includes a Chelmsford Diocese Board of Education Church School. CDET appoints appropriate trustees to be its representative as a Foundation Member.
Role of the Diocesan Corporate Member CDET
CDET meets three times a year and is chaired by Revd Rob Merchant, Dean of Mission, Ministry & Education.
The CDET Privacy Notice is available at https://www.chelmsford.anglican.org/about-us/data-protection-and-privacy
In line with the standing resolution adopted in October 2025, the Trust has introduced an electronic approval process for trustee/member nominations. This approach supports timely, transparent, and auditable decision-making while maintaining robust governance standards.
MATs wishing to nominate a new trustee or member should:
Upon receipt, CDET will review the submission and initiate the electronic approval process with Trustees. CDET aims to communicate the outcome within 10 business days from the date the nomination is received.
Meeting dates for the academic year 2026-2027
Rob Merchant is Dean of Mission, Ministry and Education for the Diocese of Chelmsford. His role is one that links together different aspects of the life of the diocese, including learning and development programmes for ordinands, clergy and lay leaders, vocations, ministerial development reviews, the work of our education team supporting 139 church schools, the Mustard Seed team, our Strategic Development funded projects, and supporting the growth of new worshipping communities across Essex and East London.
Rob’s background is as varied as his role. He has worked as a care worker for people with learning difficulties and his ordained ministry has included being parish priest in urban and rural settings. He has worked as an academic, and more recently as Director of St Mellitus College, Chelmsford, Essex. His interests include ageing, mental health and trauma.
Rt Revd Roger Morris is the Chair of the Chelmsford Diocese Board of Education.
Bishop Roger served on the Diocesan Board of Education in the Diocese of Worcester and was previously Chair of Governors of a school in Gloucestershire. He is currently a Director of Tendring Learning Community Education Trust, a Member of All Saints Academy Trust (Halstead) and a Trustee of the Keys Cooperative Academy Trust.
Bishop Roger is also a Patron of CYO (Colchester) who oversee the work of chaplains in schools in Colchester and run ‘Sanctum’ (a programme of interactive prayer spaces in schools). He is also a patron of Colchester and Tendring Youth Enquiry Service (offering support and counselling to young people), a Trustee of Essex Council for Voluntary Youth Services and the Chair of Trustees of the Innervation Trust (who run the iSingPop projects).
Mike Gee has a background in education having been a secondary deputy headteacher and then was Head of Governance for a large multi-academy Trust. He continues to work as an education and governance consultant and governance professional specialising in school exclusions, complaints and HR investigations.
Mike is also the Chair of Trustees of All Saints Academy Trust based at St. Andrew's C of E Primary School in Halstead and is also the lay vice-chair of the PCC for St. Andrew's Church in Halstead.
Darren is a Priest in Harlow, and also the Area Dean of Harlow. His parish has active links with 4 Primary Schools and a Special Needs School.
Darren is Vice Chair of Governors for the Local Governing Board of a Primary School that is part of Passmores Academy.
Prior to Ordination Darren worked as a care worker in a termtime residential school for boys with Aspergers Syndrome, and he served on the Board of Education for Lichfield Diocese before representing them on the Youth and Children’s Scrutiny Committee for Stoke On Trent Council.
Darren’s interests include modern history, theatre trips, and he enjoys days off with his wife having only married a few years ago.
Heather Tetchner has been in education for 45 years. She retired from being a Schools’ Adviser for the Diocese of Chelmsford in August 2023. Her work involved supporting a number of schools (infant, junior, primary and secondary) across the Diocese in School Improvement. She led on Headteacher Induction, Bereavement and Loss Training and Support and she was also the lead adviser for the UK/Kenya Partnership. During this time, she has led CPD for teachers, support staff and governors.
Formerly, she was a Headteacher for 27 years leading infant, junior and primary schools. These schools ranged from rural, suburban and a coastal school which included very small schools (43pupils) up to a two-form entry school (420 pupils).
Heather is the Safeguarding Officer and on the PCC of her local church. She is a Governor and Trustee of a local Church of England school and is also a volunteer reader with Bookmark.
Her interests include reading, listening to an eclectic range of music, going to the theatre, singing in two choirs, flower arranging, walking, dance, TRYING to learn Spanish!
Julia Thomas is a qualified solicitor who has been in practice since 1979 in a variety of contexts most recently as a Senior Legal Adviser at Ofsted where she led in the legal team on state funded school inspection, area SEND inspection, and, most recently, jointly led on the legal aspects of the renewed Education Inspection Framework.
Julia is married to a retired teacher who is currently serving as a volunteer chaplain in a Colchester grammar school. She served as a governor at Thurstable School in Tiptree and then at the Gilberd School in Colchester for a total of more than 30 years including two terms as Vice-Chair at the Gilberd.
She is currently an independent Member of the Alpha multi-academy trust. She has been a communicant member of St Lukes Church, Highwoods, Colchester for 25 years. She is an authorised lay preacher and a member of St Lukes PCC and the Colchester Deanery Synod.
In 2023 she was elected to the Diocesan Synod and in 2024 as a trustee of the Chelmsford Diocesan Board of Finance and member of the Bishop’s Council.
Fr Garry is a priest in Harlow, and has served in the Diocese since his ordination in 1982, as a Self Supporting Minister.
His background and much of his ministry has been focused on education, where he’s worked in secondary schools, as a chaplain and senior leader in two FE Colleges, been Education Director for the Girls’ Day School, Trust. From 2011-24, Garry was part of the National Society for Education’s team, since 2017 as National FE and HE Policy Adviser. His brief included supporting diocesan colleagues and chaplains in education, policy advice, promoting stronger links with post-16 providers and apprenticeships in education.
He is Chair of Governors of two groups of primary schools with the Diocese of Chelmsford’s Vine Schools Trust, in Harlow and in Tendring. Garry is married to Liz and they have grown up twin sons and two grandchildren. His interests are medieval history, politics, Johannine theology and supporting the revival of Middlesex as a County.
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