Chelmsford Diocese Educational Trust

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. 

CDET Articles of Association

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

CDET Meeting Dates

Meeting dates for the academic year 2023-2024

  • 19th June 2024

Meeting dates for the academic year 2024-2025

  • 23rd October 2024
  • 26th February 2025
  • 18th June 2025

CDET Members

  • Revd Rob Merchant

    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.

  • Bishop Roger

    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

    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.

  • Ellen Kemp

    Ellen Kemp has served as a school governor in Newham for over 32 years. During this time, she has been on the governing board of 9 schools and been a member of the local Governors Association.

    Currently she is serving as chair of a C of E Junior school, governor of a CVA primary school, local governor of 2 primary schools and Member of a Trust. She also is the Diocesan representative on the Children and Young People’s Scrutiny Commission, SACRE and the Overview and Scrutiny Commission.

  • Tayrina Ferguson

    Tayrina Ferguson was recently ordained. She is serving her curacy as a Pioner Curate at Cressing and studied theology part-time at St Mellitus College, Chelmsford. Her background is in HR with a specialism in Learning & Development, psychometrics, strategy, and culture change.

    She has served as a Chair of Governors and other various governance roles at both primary and secondary schools and academies and has been a member of Chelmsford Diocesan Education Trust since 2019. She lives in North Essex with her husband and two sons, two cats and a flock of truculent chickens.”

  • Revd Darren McIndoe

    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

    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!