Our Diocesan Director of Education, Canon Carolyn Lewis has been asked by the Rt Rev Libby Lane, Bishop of Derby to lead the work of Derby’s Diocesan Board of Education for an interim period. Carolyn will undertake this role in addition to her role in our diocese and so become one of the first Executive Diocesan Directors of Education (DDE) in the Church of England. This is a pioneering step for both Leicester and Derby’s education teams.
This is an exciting opportunity for the Diocese of Leicester and shows our commitment to our values of generosity and creativity. Through this partnership working both dioceses will be exploring how to be innovative in supporting their respective Church school families and in placing schools at the heart of the Church’s mission. The arrangement will include some extra support for our DBE, funded by Derby, so that our work can continue and develop. One of Leicester’s key priorities is in developing Intergenerational Communities that ask themselves our three Key Questions, and in working in this way with another diocese, we expect to learn and receive as much as we expect to give.
Bishop Martyn said "This is really good news for both dioceses and for Carolyn. She has done a superb job in recent years supporting our church schools and ensuring the voices of children and young people are heard in the diocese. This new role will allow her to bring wider learning into the diocese and it embodies the sort of partnership working which I believe will be key for the future."
Carolyn Lewis commented: “I cherish my vocation as Director of Education and feel extraordinarily privileged to support the work of Church schools across the Diocese of Leicester. When I was a headteacher at a Church school, after some years I was asked to be an Executive Headteacher and lead another school. As I took on that particular professional challenge, I wondered what might be lost. Yet, I was surprised by the fact that over time, both schools gained so much from this way of working. And so, I am excited at the possibilities for what this partnership may bring.
“For Church schools to be distinctively Christ-like is a challenging task for school leaders, governors and clergy. Please pray for me and the DBE teams as we work to encourage and inspire our schools – now across both Derby and Leicester Dioceses - to meet that challenge with courage and conviction.”