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Welcome to the Tenax Schools Trust

Tenax Schools Trust is a Church of England multi-academy trust (MAT) that exists to provide outstanding education in both primary and secondary schools in Kent and East Sussex.

Tenax is a mixed trust that includes community schools with no denominational ethos alongside Church of England Voluntary Aided (VA) and Voluntary Controlled (VC) schools. While our Church of England schools place particular emphasis on teaching children and young people about Christian values, beliefs and traditions all of our schools subscribe to our underpinning educational, ethical and personal development principles. We value diversity and will preserve the distinctive local character of each school. We welcome pupils and families from all backgrounds and from all faiths and none.

Our educational philosophy derives from our founding values:

• We believe in the value and potential of every child and young person.

• We are committed to high standards of achievement and embrace a positive mindset that insists all students can make exceptional progress.

• We provide a rich curriculum designed to prepare pupils for future learning as they grow in knowledge and confidence.

• We invest in the expertise of our teachers by providing best in class professional development for all. We value our support staff and offer competitive employment packages for all. We aim to be an employer of choice.

• We focus on giving our pupils the richest personal development possible, so that they grow in character and acquire strong values to stand them in good stead in adult life.

• The Trust aims to maintain and further enhance its reputation for excellence in all aspects of its work.

News and Press Releases

Bennett School: Ofsted Report Outcome


We are delighted to report that inspectors judged Bennett to be 'outstanding' in every category during its inspection by Ofsted in December 2023. The inspection report highlights Bennett's commitment to ensuring that every child can excel whilst also investing in a wider curriculum that allows them to grow in confidence and character. Headteacher Dr Karen Brookes said 'As inspectors highlighted, the opportunities we are able to offer our students helps them to learn how to live out our school values of hope, wisdom and love. We believe this equips them with the knowledge they need to succeed and the desire to serve others and make a positive difference to society. We will honour our 'semper tenax' motto in being tenacious in pursuing this vision for education.'


Press Release – 13th November 2023


Following the announcement recently of the departure at the end of this term of our Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Sir Ian Bauckham CBE, to take up the role of interim Chief Regulator at Ofqual, the Board of the Tenax Schools Trust has been putting in place arrangements for the future leadership of the Trust after Sir Ian’s departure.

From 1st January 2024, the interim CEO will be Mr Richard Tyson. Richard is well known within the Trust and beyond as the Director of our Initial Teacher Training and Teaching School Hubs. He has worked closely over recent years with many colleagues across the Trust and with schools across Kent, as well as nationally. He knows primary schools and secondary schools well, and, indeed, has extensive experience of governance in Church of England primary schools. Richard is deeply committed to the Church of England ethos of Tenax. Richard has been appointed by the Board to be interim CEO for a period of 8 months, from January to August 2024.

Meanwhile, the Board will run a recruitment exercise to appoint a substantive new CEO. It is anticipated that this process will commence in January and the Board are aiming to appoint from September 2024.

The name ‘ Tenax ’ is the Latin word for ‘ tenacious ’ or ‘ steadfast ’. We chose it because we are steadfast in our values and in our commitment to high achievement and personal growth for all young people.