Tenax is a Church of England, 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:
Tenax Schools Trust aims to offer schools wide opportunities for mutual support and partnership, in particular through the practical sharing of leadership, educational and pedagogical expertise, resources and joint professional development.
The trust supports its local governing bodies in their important role of working with the headteacher of each school to ensure high standards are maintained. Local governing bodies have a central role to play in preserving the identity of each school and building and maintaining strong links to the community it serves.
The trust provides high quality professional development for governors and open and frequent communication with the trust board, which carries ultimate responsibility for the performance of the trust as a whole. We aim to relieve governors of routine or administrative responsibilities so that they can focus on the important part of their work: improving the experience for children and young people in their school.
Tenax Schools Trust operates across Kent and East Sussex. It has a close working relationship with both the Diocese of Rochester and the Diocese of Chichester, both of whom support the work of the trust. Likewise, it collaborates with the local authorities of Kent and East Sussex in providing excellent educational opportunities for local children and young people.
The way in which the trust is funded is transparent and all schools understand the way in which they benefit directly from the contribution they make to central trust services. Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) allocation is based on pupil numbers and paid to each individual school. The school make a contribution towards the trust from that allocation. The enhanced buying power of a large trust is able to secure significantly better rates for many contracts and services than individual schools can procure.
Bennett Memorial Diocesan School was designated as the teaching school hub for East and West Kent in February 2021, with a commitment to the professional development of all teachers, through delivery of the Early Career Framework and National Professional Qualifications; and, through the Ofsted Outstanding Teach Kent & Sussex, also has a commitment to the formation of new teachers and leaders both for the trust and the wider system.